...non periodic oscillations...

A key takeaway from the last post, Design Thinking_Einstellung Effect , according to a dear friend who is an architect, was, “Don’t try to innovate when you’re tired”. I couldn’t agree more. How does one innovate when the mind, body and soul are feeling crushed by fatigue? There is another perspective to this situation though – famously depicted by Bill Watterson – last minute panic. source: http://bit.ly/2AcnKtY “Last minute panic” is a design world favourite because it justifies (even if only to themselves) all the chaos, disorganisation and quite often, half-baked design solutions that most design firms love to revel in. Yes, business realities and external factors will always impact the process. Every stakeholder will have an influence on the job on hand and yet, if you look at the inner workings of most (not all) design organisations; the chaos and disorganisation are self-inflicted. There may be a number of reasons why those who are entrusted with organising our world...

Design Thinking is an interesting phrase. I keep seeing it referenced a lot and yet I wonder if most people using it understand it? I have heard it from successful “designers” who seem to practice the exact opposite of what they keep harping about. This morning I came across a very well written article Minimizing the Einstellung Effect in Design Thinking: How to Arrive at Innovative Solutions by Diminishing Cognitive Bias by Dana Mitroff Silvers . The author talks about how, instead of focussing on innovation through design thinking, design teams tend to focus on the “tried and tested”. In an atmosphere of intense competition and cut throat fees, design firms are constantly trying to cut down on the process and focus more on the deliverables. Whether the design solution works for the given design problem or whether the team “fall in love with what is front-of-mind, thereby missing opportunities for fresh, new ideas”, designers need to pause and introspect. In the race to pr...