Design Systems Thinking Post 5

In the article, Building a Design-Driven Culture, by By Jennifer Kilian, Hugo Sarrazin, and Hyo Yeon, it talks about how in today’s culture there is not enough to just sell a product or service. In order to truly engage customers, companies have to implement experience design into their company. This type of business model is exactly where design systems thinking comes into play. It starts at the customer – understanding them, their needs, wants, problems, and the solution that the product or company can provide. This mainly focuses on empathy, the foundation of design systems thinking.

 

For examples of companies who successfully focus on the user experience, I think about companies that have a monthly subscription box – a new fad in the market right now. These companies take out the entire experience of going to a store, touching things, and buying items, and instead they take the entire user experience and fit in into a cardboard box. Some of these companies, like Birchbox, Julep, Graze, and Dollar Shave Club are all wildly popular with this narrowed down customer experience business model. The designers and creators behind these companies all curate exactly what goes into the box each month, the shape/size/look of the box, all the packaging, the process of ordering the box online, etc. So much planning, trials, studying, and curating goes into each of those packages we receive in the mail each month. And the fact of the matter is, while what comes inside of the box is part of the deal, what user love the most about these business models is the experience. What people love the most is that after signing up for a subscription, each month you will receive a perfectly curated little package made just for you (or so you think so). Like a gift from your past self each month. These companies have taken a product – a healthy snack, nail polish, or a razor – a turned it into a monthly experience. They reinvented an everyday product (something I can drive 10 minutes away to go buy from much cheaper) and made it 10x more exciting just because of the experience. Now that, is successful designs systems thinking.

Sources:

Kilian, Jennifer, Hugo Sarrazin, and Hyo Yeon. “Building a Design-driven Culture.” McKinsey & Company. N.p., Sept. 2015. Web. 24 May 2016.

 

Design Systems Thinking Post 4

After reading this article written by Ian Noble and Russell Bestley, I was really taken aback by how in depth the research investigation and process is. It is an investigation, an experimentation, with hours of research, communication, and systems thinking. I was explaining to a friend the project we are doing in Capstone and she was surprised that I had to do all this research myself. She asked “In the real world, don’t designers just hire people to do the research for them?” I laughed at the thought of someone just handing me a stack of research. After reading this article I realize that the most valuable part about all of this is that through the process of research and experimentation, the designer is able to effectively apply all their perceptions and discoveries to work practically and creatively in response to their personal design solution. The most valuable part is the hours of coming up with questions, talking to people, investigating, laying out the evidence, testing, prototyping, and eventually having a result that was thoroughly thought through in every possible way from conception to finish. All of those experiences are so valuable and would be impossible to achieve without the designer doing all the “dirty work”, or the research, themselves. Each person will have their own experiences and outcomes during this journey of visual research, so the outcome will always be unique to that person’s experience and culture. As Robin Kinross says, “The act of designing can never be an entirely neutral process, since the designer always brings something extra to the project.” I could not agree more with this statement.

I absolutely love where they explain how the word ‘design’ is actually both a noun and a verb. This double-sided explanation really reveals how multifaceted design really is. This article goes forty five pages deep into the research process and the mapping. I like how they touch on the fact that essentially what one does in this phase is mapping – organizing, collecting, and editing complex information into a form that can be then reinterpreted and examined. They also mention that conducting research in a purposeful and organized form is key, and to especially remember your target audience and conduct research in a way to where you have a ultimate goal in mind. I think conducting research for design systems thinking is much more in depth and complicated than one may think, but it also is the most rewarding and crucial part of the process to ultimately create a design solution that is intelligently and purposefully created.

 

Sources: 

Noble, Ian, and Russell Bestley. Visual Research: An Introduction to Research Methodologies in Graphic Design. Lausanne: AVA, 2005. Print.

Design Systems Thinking Post 3

Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation. These words are all used to describe three important mindsets that when combined make up a perfect combination for design systems thinking.

After researching and learning more on design systems thinking, I realize that so much of the final product comes from the in depth thinking and researching that goes on in our brainstorming and creative problem solving – the inspiration and the ideation chunk of the systems thinking combo. As said by Emi Kolawole “Human-centered design is premised on empathy, on the idea that the people you’re designing for are your roadmap to innovative solutions.” With this in mind, I really see the importance of immersing yourself in the world that you are designing for, and to leave behind your preconceived ideas and perceptions. Methods like developing empathy would help me to think outside of myself and my personal goals, as well as gain inspiration by staying grounded in the center of the project. With design systems thinking it is so important to trust your “design gut” or your intuition to chase ideas or solutions that you have no idea where they will end up leading you.

The implementation portion of the design systems thinking methods is the most broad and varying portion of design thinking. Implementation can look different for so many different people and projects – creating pitches, getting feedback, looking at funding, staffing, creating a framework, measuring, testing, prototyping – are all different paths you can take to implement your project and plan ahead. The implementation stage reminds me of what scientists do with the scientific method. This stage includes a lot of trial and error as well as testing and developing, that all lead to the final product. I love how design systems thinking gets to you to actually create, prototype, test, and develop your product/project. So often in classes I have come up with an idea, but I never get to see how it turns out or what possible flaws there were or tweaks it could have used. Design systems thinking takes the designer out from behind the computer, and lets you work in union with your brain and your hands to create an innovative design solution.

Design Systems Thinking Post 2

On AIGA’s Design For Good website, there a numerous case studies describing the designer’s process, strategy, details, and challenges. I chose to analyze two different case studies, the first one being the Be Careful What You Cut: Informing the Public About Budget Cuts that Affect Children for the The Children’s Defense Fund. I chose to examine this one because I felt like the cause was relevant and for good cause. The case started in 2011 when Congress was deciding which programs should be cut because of the national debt. Programs critical to health, welfare and education of children – specifically those aimed at poor children – were easy targets for these cuts. I feel that bringing awareness to this issue is crucial, and using design thinking on this subject could really make a difference. The designers for this project wanted to show the danger of cutting this programs, and they wanted to inspire Congress, taxpayers and others who care about kids to demand that these programs be protected. Their design thinking goal was to sort of startle people, stop them in their tracks, and make them look at these disturbing or uncomfortable images to force change. Their use of juxtaposition with these harsh images and the sweet babies faces showed the viewer the danger that these children could be in if these programs are cut. I think it is unique that their slogan “Cutting him from the budget now, costs all of us later” shows the fiscal danger that we could be in, while also appealing to the emotional side of the viewer. Relating the emotions to the facts played to their advantage in this situation. I feel like what they were going for definitely worked on me. I look at these images and I just think WOW. Those are striking.

The second case study I looked at was the What We Eat and Why It Matters for the Illinois Wesleyan University Course Cluster. The project focused on bringing awareness to local food and to inspire and encourage people to adopt healthy eating habits, which could have a lifelong impact on the community’s health, the environment and the economy. I feel like this cause impacts so many different areas of our society – the local economy, agriculture, health – so I think it is a important and good cause. The design thinking strategy focused heavily on research. They realized that it was going to be difficult to educate their audience, because food sourcing and the effects on your body is a very complex topic. They then simplified this information in a way that the audience would understand. They created a series of rules, with advice such as, “It’s not food if it arrived through the window of your car.” I think the list of rules is extremely clever and problem-solving: keeping the information short, to the point, and memorable. I feel that they really took their audience into account. They even brought some of these “rules” to life by creating installations of them around the school campus. I like to think of it as them bringing the campaign directly to the students, putting it right in front of their face where they can’t miss it. Overall I think the campaign is extremely relatable. The rules are extremely relatable to me and are memorable enough to get the idea to stick.

 

Sources:

http://www.aiga.org/what-we-eat-why-it-matters/

http://www.aiga.org/case-study-be-careful-what-you-cut/

Design Systems Thinking Post 1

After reading both of these articles, I was surprised at how much I use both design thinking and systems thinking in my day to day work as a student and graphic designer. Design systems thinking seems to be at the core of the heart of design – why wouldn’t we as designers always want our work to be designed to fit people’s needs while also tackling multifaceted problems? I feel like that should always be the goal in design, to check the box for at least one of these ways of design systems thinking. Essentially design systems thinking turns design into a problem solving practice. Using design systems thinking you create human centered design. It sounds a little funny because if you aren’t designing for humans, than who are you designing for? But really this human centered design thinking focuses on human needs, and the process getting to the endpoint is a deeply human process. As designers we need to tap into every emotion, intuition, or idea that will make the design as human centered as possible. The thing I love about design systems thinking is that it shows you how deeply important design is. Design systems thinking shows you that intelligent and purposeful design thinking is not limited to a poster or another 2D surface, but is instead so important to the creation of things like a refrigerator, a computer mouse, or a innovative app. I believe purposeful, human centered design thinking could essentially be applicable to any product, company, system, etc.

In terms of our project this quarter, I want to use design systems thinking to my advantage. I want to look at myself as a member of the audience for my design, and ask myself – what would I want out of this product? What type of emotions or instincts do I have towards this product? How are my human tendencies – things like sight, touch, sound – affected by this design? I want my product to solve multiple problems and create something that is more of an experience for my user/audience. I think that design systems thinking forces you to look back into the root of the problem you are trying to solve, and really analyze how you can solve this problem and create a positive human experience out of it. I believe research is the key to success for design systems thinking.

 

Sources: 

Brown, Tim, and Jocelyn Wyatt. “Design Thinking for Social Innovation.”Stanford Social Innovation Review (2010): 30-35. Stanford Social Innovation Review. Web. 9 Apr. 2016.

Mugadza, Grace. “Systems Thinking and Design Thinking: Complimentary Approaches?” Systems Thinking World Journal RSS. Systems Thinking World Journal, 9 Feb. 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

 

 

ART 4209: Rob Bell Podcast

In Rob Bell’s Episode 54: Politics and Guns Part 1, he totally hit the nail on the head for how I feel right now. For me I completely just avoid talking about politics whenever I can, and this is because I hate when someone I love or respect all of a sudden shares a political view that I disagree with. Clearly this is naive of me, as people are bound to disagree in this world, but it is still so frustrating, and politics is a topic that is getting harder and harder to avoid with the current election. Just recently at Easter my dad brought up the election and I was like OH NO here we go. But after listening to this podcast it made me think “huh..maybe I don’t need to hate politics so much.” Politics is how we live our lives every day, and we are surrounded by the effects of politics all day every day. Rob Bell mentions topics like food, water, potholes, and parking, and how all these things are decided and regulated by politics.

Essentially everyone around me is involved in this shared life we have together, and we are deeply shaped and organized by politics for a common good. Now while I do completely agree with this statement, politics is still so much more than living together for a common good. Politics has so many negative connotations, with topics like money, power, and control – which I think is why I have such a negative stigma towards discussing politics. In his Episode 55: Politics and Guns Part 2, he discusses the endless tension at the heart of politics. He says that the tension at the heart of politics is good, necessary, and vital. After listening to his crazy long story about the airplane crash on the side of the mountain, I totally got what his point was. It definitely ingrained into me how important and necessary politics is, but it also showed how there will always be this space of tension. Not everybody will get what they want, and certain people will have more power or say than others, and ultimately there will be tension- guaranteed. I appreciated his refreshing points of view that make me a little more willing to talk about politics in the future.

 

Episode 54 | Politics and Guns – Part 1 – Politics is a Good Word

Episode 55 | Politics and Guns – Part 2 – The Endless Tension

Information Design Post 6

I found this infographic on Pinterest and at first glance it looked intriguing. Upon further examination though, I don’t think I would classify this as an infographic. While there is a lot of information displayed on this image, the way it is shown to the viewer makes it not quite an infographic. Essentially the information here is just written out along the composition, with illustrations adding decorative pieces to the information. The information is shown, not told. The illustrations don’t impact the way we understand the information, or cut down on the time it takes to read all the information. I think this type of image is very popular in today’s world: a beautiful photograph, trendy type, and a few illustrative elements, that make the average person think this is what an infographic is.

On the back of my conditioner there is a small infographic element. Two images give explanation for the advanced formula that is in the conditioner. The way the images are laid out, accompanied with the plus sign in the middle, show how these two ingredients combined create this “advanced formula”. As a user of this product, I appreciate the images and the explanation in the caption, as these two ingredients are complicated and I wouldn’t know what there were if I just read the list of ingredients on the side of the bottle. Thinking from the point of the view of the conditioner company, this “advanced formula” is the one thing that differentiates their product from the rest- so having the images highlighted on the back of the bottle is important to selling the product to the consumer. This shows how even the smallest of the infographic elements can enhance the meaning behind a product.

 

 

 

 

Information Design Post 5

This infographic I found shows an extremely unique and original way to portray an infographic. This series of infographics takes recipes and shows them in a unique way. I love the use of depth and perspective they have taken here, instead of showing things on a flat surface. They’ve also taken a playful approach by including little characters that are creating the recipes. The path they have made in both infographics is very clear, with numbers creating clear pin points for each step you make in the process. I wish both of the infographics had clear titles- it is a little unsure what exactly you are cooking until you start reading the detailed information. I also feel like they could have included a list of ingredients on the side of the infographic. This would make it more clear what ingredients you need before starting the cooking process, instead of having to read all the content.

               

In the COOK: Verduras Para Preparar packing, they use infographics to explain what is included in the packaging, how long it takes to cook the food, how many people it feeds, and what it gives you to cook. They have created an icon set that is simple, clean, and concise, as well as fits with their brand. The interesting thing is all the labeling is written in Spanish, yet I am still able to understand what they are saying with their icons. They are able to provide the user with a lot of information on their product, while keeping the amount of text to a minimum in such a small space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Information Design Post 4

I found an infographic that relates to a medical disease, because I wanted to find one similar to what we are doing. The layout of the infographic really changes when you know you’re going to publish it online only- which is the case for this one because you can continuously scroll down. One thing I don’t like about the layout is how separated everything is. The designer has separated the infographic into different sections, so there isn’t much of a flow throughout the whole thing. I think the use of icons is really successful, as I can get a good feel for the meaning of each icon and they keep a consistent design. The character is cute and I like the cartoon-ish aspect, but he basically looks the same in each scene. I think it would be more effective if he was integrated a little more in the design, and wasn’t so static on the side. I also feel like there is a heavy amount of text on the whole infographic. The ratio of text to images is not balanced, and for an infographic it is too text heavy. I want to be able to grab more meaning from the images than have to read all the text.

An infographic that I found in my own home was on the back of my taco seasoning bottle. The infographic is super simple, but I actually found it really helpful. The illustrations are an accurate portrayal of what the instructions are, and it is nice that they paired it down to just two illustrations. They are so simple that I could almost follow the instructions without even reading anything. The only thing I think is missing is measurement amounts for the spices and the water, because you need to read the instructions to get that information. They could have added that with something short just like “1tsp” in the graphic to include that information. I like that they include bright colors that are consistent with their brand, and the style of the illustration feels consistent with that as well.

Information Design Post 3

I found an infographic that displays different ways of visually showing data. Most of these data examples I have never seen done before, and I like how different they all are. I like how in the 2nd and 5th examples, the information is basically just listed out horizontally, which at first seems pretty boring. But to add that infographic element, the design has different lines of information coming out of each line of text. In the 2nd one the use of movement in the lines and the use of scale distinguishes the differences between each line of text. Thanks to the color and scale of the circles you can quickly read the data from highest to lowest percentage. The 5th example uses similar design principles, but instead the data creates a interested half circle shape, that increases in size as it gets to the edge. This is another really easy to to visually tell large percentages compared to the smallest ones. In the 3rd example scale and color are another big factor, as the circles create almost these balloons that come up from the data information below. This type of data visualization could be done differently by using different icons to represent the data below. Overall I think these infographic examples show data in different ways than I’ve seen, and they show how simply turning a graph on its side or using scale in the correct way can visually show data in an interesting way.

An infographic that I found at home was on the back of my Tide Pods detergent package. With a product like a detergent Pod, not everyone has used it, so having an infographic on the packaging to explain the uses of the product is really important. This infographic pairs step by step instructions with an infographic above. The uses a common visual language with items like an equal sign, an XL, arrows, and the red circle with a cross through it to symbolize different meanings. The illustrations are accurate representations of each item, as its easy to tell what the drawings are of. When reading this I realize that people reading this could not necessarily speak English, so making the infographics universally readable is crucial here. It is interesting that they also have all the information listed below the infographics, more as secondary information. Even though all the information is written out, I doubt people actually will sit and read all the instructions. Images are definitely a first read for me, so without the infographics there people may not take the time to read the important information. It’s funny that even the little scissor symbol at the top right is kind of an infographic element- as it is signaling where to open the package and what tool to use to do it. If it just read “cut here”, I feel that it wouldn’t be as effective or wouldn’t read as quickly.