Weekly Blogs on Creativity and Innovation

The ideate stage of the design thinking process has the power of infinite possibilities. We start to define the problem and then develop human-centric solutions. It's a process of developing innovative solutions on paper through sketches. This stage of the design thinking process excites me as we get to do the part that product designs are made for - solving problems. I drew few thumbnail sketches and then developed 5 among them on the Ideate worksheet. My problem statement is to design furniture for waiting areas having limited space where the seating maintains proper social distancing. I further developed solutions through 5 concept sketches. Sketch 1 is a chair with a wooden seat, metal base and legs and, a partition with a translucent cloth. Sketch 2 has a shutter-style partition by the side which can be folded down when not in use This chair can be used post covid where the users can decide if they want the shutter up or down. Sketch 3 is capsule-shaped furniture that has 3 si...

  A visual mind map is a diagram that helps to visually organize information or collected data. Likewise, I organized my research, collected data through the online interview, and my analysis and insights into the visual mind map. Performing this process I gained a elucidate view on the design direction. Below is a video explaining my visual mind map and its different aspects.  I made a mind map using collected data, picture representation and few notes using colourful papers and sticky notes. There are 6 major elements - risks, challanges, target user, target area, analysis and design feature.  Comment down below and let me know if there are any undiscoverd aspects in my mind map or share your unique points that can help me gain a fresh perspective on the topic. Until we meet again, Adios :).

Designing is something that requires a creative or profound thought process. You might have your design statement or you even have started sketching few ideas but you may not like them or struggle developing the ideas. This is something every designer, artist, content creator goes through. Even veteran designers go through a designer's block. So in a situation like this what can be done to regain the connection with your designs or get back onto the track? (Lundbery, 2019) Creative block is the last thing you want when your entire task is to be inventive. I recently presented the case study - "50 problems in 50 days", where the author went on a design adventure to solve 50 problems in 50 days. The motive of the adventure was to explore new place and, experience new people; basically step out of your comfort zone and step into the real world. Every day wasn't productive, some days he came up with good ideas and other days were nothing but new experiences. So get away f...

The step 2 in the design thinking process is to define the problem and interpret the results. This is perhaps the most challenging part of the design thinking process, as it requires to synthesise your observations about the target user from the first stage of the design thinking process which is called the emphasize stage. I processed all the data I gained from the interview and listed the takeaways. Define is basically drawing conclusions from empathy. Below are the findings from the empathy stage: The findings say the user wants safety from the virus, social distancing, and space efficiency. The insights suggest the user is someone who is working and needs to regularly visit public places such as banks, officers, meetings where people may or may not maintain social distancing. In a situation like this, it's important to design a product that allows people to sit comfortably while maintaining proper social distancing. According to my point of view, the problem statement will be -...

  (Skillings,2020) As we discussed in the previous blogs, being empathic to the target users is the key to a successful design. Therefore, I conducted a phone interview with my uncle to empathize with his thoughts on design-solution related to my design challenge. I picked him as his job involves constantly visiting the bank and offices for meetings. He is 40 years old, and he shared interesting facts and valuable information related to the design challenge. Interviews are most effective for quality research. You get the gist of the real issues only through the eye of the person experiencing it. They help you understand better, explore research subjects, and unwind the opinions and experiences of the end-user. Design interview questions: Following are the questions I carefully framed to understand the core of the problem. I started with general questions and then the next day I asked for more informative and in-depth questions. Q1. How often do you go out during the pandemic?...

(West Chester Digital, 2018) To start designing any product, it’s important to decide the target users or audience that will be using your creation. These ideal buyers are the base of your design thinking. What is target Audience? The Target audience are a group of consumers who are most likely to use or buy your product. These are the people who you aim to design for. Why do we need target audience? As a designer, understanding the target audience is vital. Potential users can give you insights into what they want in the product. Aiming at a defined audience will help you design with more clarity and will give importance to the people you are designing for, which will attract their attention into buying the product. How to determine the target audience? The Target audience can be ascertained by asking the questions like: Who are you designing for? Or Who needs the product the most? What will be the age bracket of the target audience? Do you need to design for a particula...