Category: design thinking

  • If you build it they won’t necessarily come, but if you describe it enough they may want to check it out

    I’ve just completed a very successful week (5 separate sessions – 7 in total) of training people (designers, leads, account manager-level staff) on customer experience mapping and service blueprinting – as both technique and output. In order to do that though it required some schooling in services, service design, business analysis, change management, framework development.…

  • To Inspire, Be Inspired – chicken or egg

    Last Friday I presented to our 30+ designers and business analysts during two half-day workshops to bring them up to speed with our new integrated world (also restructured world (thank you recession)). Preparing for the session made me think about a few things I knew I wanted to cover, or at least be ready for…

  • How Designers Think – reflections part (b)

    This is the second part of my reflections on what I read, discovered and disagreed with in ‘How Designers Think: The design process demystified’ (4th ed.) by Bryan Lawson. Problem and solution are inseparable On pg 39 Lawson quotes Robert Venturi : “We have a rule that says sometimes the detail wags the dog. You…

  • How Designers Think – reflections part (a)

    I recently finished reading ‘How Designers Think: The design process demystified’ (4th ed.) by Bryan Lawson. It’s been part inspiring, part revealing, part frustrating, part disagreeable, and all thought provoking. Timely too, as I often reflect on my own design thinking process – for myself, and for my job. This post is the first part…

  • Design is not a natural process (unless you’re a designer)

    Even though I’m immersed everyday in service design capability, at times I wonder if the techniques and way of thinking are just what every professional does naturally (i.e. determines intent, explores ideas and options, generates concepts, tests assumptions, evolves, prototypes, defines, repeat etc). So it was with surprise, fascination and some content that I witnessed…

  • Indeed, ‘Design thinking isn’t enough’

    I read this article in HBR: Why Design Thinking Won’t Save You by Peter Merholz and it stuck with me for two reasons: I kinda agree and respectfully disagree with elements. I completely agree that design thinking on it’s own is not enough. For the past year I have been working with a colleague with…

  • UFTN – not a kiwi way of saying ‘often’

    But it is a kiwi’s way of thinking about my function as a Designer: Understand – we observe, we question, we associate sometimes disparate elements Filter – we analyse <> synthesis and repeat, we interpret, we framework Translate – we describe in words, in visuals, in protoypes (make) Navigable – so that for the user…