Thoughts

About Design Close

Sometimes deep, sometimes light, our team is constantly reading, observing, making connections to the past, and prospecting the future. Here are some of our musings:

img.title

The Value of the Back Porch

Asking the right questions in the right setting can have a huge impact on the quality of information that you collect.

img.title

Why You Should Allow Room for Tacit Decisions

Hunches happen. They can be used as a valuable decision-making tool and, at the very least, they're worth a quick assessment.

img.title

Think Big — Think Wholistically

Engagement's about more than taps on a screen. Ideally, it's synonymous with meaningful experience(s) and human connection. Shifting perspective. Leaving an impression. And it's worth doing it right.

img.title

Good Design Evolves

If you want to create a product or service or brand that people are drawn to, you have to give it room to mature. Because chasing for attention doesn't look good on anyone.

img.title

Designing Pubs + Design Thinking = Design of a New Digital Product

How an architectural design project led to another architectural design project that became a service design project and, eventually, a whole new product.

img.title

Why Experience Matters

A good user experience leaves customers feeling content, but it's the exceptional experiences — the ones in which all of the details fall right into place — that generate immediate buzz and long-term loyalty.

img.title

Why Rapid Prototyping is an Integral Part of the Design Process

Rapid prototyping allows you to get your hands on a version of your design ASAP, which, in turn, allows you to discover shortcomings in your initial concept — and brainstorm solutions.

img.title

Thinking About Design Thinking 5: From Macro to Micro

There are three levels of design thinking and you’ve got to work through them in the right order, or the whole process will be flawed.

img.title

Thinking About Design Thinking 4: Sticky Notes Do Not a Design Thinker Make

You can arrange (and interpret) sticky notes so that they point toward your desired solutions, but sticky notes alone won’t truly solve your problems — that takes a willingness to follow through on the complete design thinking process.

img.title

Thinking About Design Thinking 3: We’re All Designing Some Kind of Solutions

While I’m wary of the term “designer” becoming diluted, there are many in other (non-design) fields who practice design thinking and, maybe, should be considered designers, as well.