One of the main ways this process differs is using sketching and pictures in conjunction with writing. Much of the design I have traditionally seen revolves around written notes, objectives, and understandings. One of the main reasons for this is to make sure everyone is on the same page. As we saw with the cake examples, words don’t always tell the full design story. Sometimes, a quick and simple sketch is all it takes to convey a message more clearly. I have encountered many group projects where my team thinks we are on the same page and then when we get working we realize that none of us had the same vision. That quick sketch would have saved a lot of time. Often times, I am hesitant to do sketches and storytelling because it almost makes me feel like a child. It feels somewhat “adult” to convey ideas with words rather than pictures (I’m thinking picture book vs traditional book). I really like how the essay reframes the purpose for these sketches as a tool to build understanding.
I also really resonated with the idea of minimizing output and maximizing outcome and impact. More work does not linearly translate to better outcome and higher impact. In order to achieve this it is important to spend a lot of time understanding the problem (possibly using a Now and Later chart). In a lot of design projects that I have participated in, people want to rush to get to the project. People do not want to spend time with the issues and stakeholders; in fact, I have run into people in group projects who completely make up the interviews because they do not deem them important.
Finally, a last idea that is only relatively new to me is the idea of building less. At my software engineering summer internship, I learned the importance of creating a baseline software tool that gives users what is most crucial. This will be version one of the product. Then, you can get user feedback on this iteration and continue making updates and changes until you have your ideal final product. If you start with a product that is really complicated and involved on first run, you may be doing more than what is necessary or even wanted by the consumer. It is much harder to backtrack and delete parts of your product than to build on it.
