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A design proposal is typically a fairly simple ask. Design a brand identity for a school. Design a building space for a retail shop. Design a more efficient business strategy. Simple. Right? Not if you’re building change from the ground up. If real change is going to happen (not just pretty renderings that portray an unreachable future), we have to start at the foundation of why the problem exists. As with our health, the symptoms of pain or discomfort lead the client to seek a quick, simple solution. But before the diagnosis can be declared or medication is dispensed, the patient must go through a battery of tests and pages of questions seeking answers through investigation so the physician can synthesize the information leading to discovery. Once discovered, even then, some mystery may still exist. As we pursue the ambitious task of digging through the groundwork of relationships, habits, assumptions, culture, and fear, the simple design problem is colorfully layered with information that requires creative tenacity. All design problems and solutions can’t exist without people. Not perfect people. Just people. People with personalities, preferences, and aspirations. They are the experts. As design thinkers, we understand that the solutions we pursue must be discovered in partnership with the people who live with the problem. We’re the outsiders invited into the lives of the passionate strugglers. We bring with us the tools and aspirations to listen through custom tools and experiences created just for them and their context. From Big Blue Blocks© to mocktails and sticky notes, we blend objects of play and exploration to achieve measurable outcomes. It’s a privilege to be invited into their stories through the design process. This month we’ve worked with so many partners in the context of design thinking. From Zoom sessions across the nation to local onsite sessions, we’ve met with so many of you! While the end goal may look like a designed box of activities, a new workspace, or a new brand identity, the process of partnership with the experts (you!) through design thinking is critical to a final design that will create lasting change. It’s worth every wrestling minute to spark curiosity that reveals true discovery! Reach out to us with your design problem if you’re interested in discovering how design thinking could lead to meaningful change in your organization, business, or community!
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