DNF Round up #2

Hi Friends! Welcome to the 24 people who signed up last week. I’m excited to share this week’s “Designing Near Future” Newsletter with you. Last week I also had an absolute blast meeting new friends and some of you subscribers in NYC at the International Design Conference.

This is a roundup of all the design resources I shared with you in the last 5 newsletters. You will find below:

⭐ 5 Shifts

⚡ 5 Tips

💊 15 Resources

⭐ Shifts

1. Why We're Falling Back in Love with Clear Tech

2. Gen Z is Rewriting Rules about Entrepreneurship

3. Why We Watch NPCs and Mow Virtual Lawns

4. Why is Every Company Adopting Design Systems?

5. Why These Simple Tech Products Are Secretly Winning The Indian Market?

⚡ Tips

1. A brainstorming game to generate creative Ideas 10x faster

The power of analogies

During a masterclass by Surya Vanka in 2014, I learnt one of the most powerful idea generation tricks. He talked about how we can leverage analogies - from the nature, and from the world - to imagine creative stories.

So he says, “think about a river”. What's it do? It flows, splits into little offshoots, splashes against rocks, and ends up in the sea, right?

Next, he says, imagine you're designing a lamp (an example). But here's the twist - think about it like it's a river. What if the light from the lamp could 'flow' across the room, or split off into smaller streams? What if it could splash against objects and create cool lighting effects? And what if it could blend perfectly onto a white wall, just like a river merging with the sea? That way, a lamp isn't just about light anymore, it's a... (fill in the blank with more analogies)?

This way of thinking is abstract but it unlocked something in my process - crazy, wacky ideas!

Another example he shared was of the “heart” analogy. A heart beats regularly, pumps blood, fuels life. Now can we a imagine a neighborhood community app using the heart analogy. This app could pump information to fuel communication between neighbors. Subtle notifications from the app could symbolize the steady 'beating' of a heart, providing a constant rhythm of neighborhood updates. Just as the heart supports life, this app supports community spirit, keeping it healthy and thriving. (Okay I know this one isn’t as strong but you get the point.)

2. Corita Kent’s 10 rules

John Cage, the influential composer, had a profound impact on various artists and composers, including Sister Corita Kent. She created the touching "Ten Rules for Students and Teachers" in 1968, which Cage appreciated and popularized. The list remains influential in creative circles, and in my life. Here it is:

RULE ONE: Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for awhile.

RULE TWO: General duties of a student — pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students.

RULE THREE: General duties of a teacher — pull everything out of your students.

RULE FOUR: Consider everything an experiment.

RULE FIVE: Be self-disciplined — this means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.

RULE SIX: Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail, there’s only make.

RULE SEVEN: The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It’s the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.

RULE EIGHT: Don’t try to create and analyze at the same time. They’re different processes.

RULE NINE: Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you think.

RULE TEN: “We’re breaking all the rules. Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities.” (John Cage)

3. Power of Negative Selection

Here’s a fun design exercise for you. The primary idea behind Negative Selection is to focus on what you don't want or what shouldn't be in a solution, product, or scenario. By clarifying and understanding what's undesirable, you can indirectly highlight or arrive at what is desirable. Personally, I also feel coming up with stuff you don’t want is easier at the start.

Process:

1. State the Challenge: Clearly define the problem or challenge you're facing.

2. List the Negatives: Instead of brainstorming solutions, list all the outcomes, features, or attributes you don't want. This could range from things that wouldn't work to those that would be counterproductive.

3. Analyze and Flip: Go through each negative item and flip it. Turn each unwanted outcome into a positive desire or requirement. This inversion will give you a clearer picture of what you're aiming for.

4. Refine: With a list of positive outcomes in hand, refine and prioritize them to align with the original challenge.

Eg. Let’s say you are tasked with designing a user-friendly and engaging mobile app to help individuals reach their personal fitness goals.

List the Negatives:

1. Doesn't cater to beginners.

2. Has generic workout plans that aren’t customizable.

3. Requires expensive equipment.

4. Lacks motivation or rewards for progress.

5. Only targets one type of fitness (e.g., strength training).

6. No social interaction or community features… etc.

Analyze and Flip:

1. From "Doesn't cater to beginners" to "Should have beginner-friendly tutorials and workout plans."

2. From "Has generic workout plans" to "Offers customizable workout plans based on user goals and fitness levels."

   You get it!

4. “Design is a journey, not a destination”

This quote by Massimo Vignelli struck a chord with me and I want to share a couple of actionable tips for the designer in you.

Vignelli believed that design is never finished. There is always room for improvement, and designers should always be looking for ways to make their work better - even after your work is finished - (and wrapped into a product or a project).

There are 2 key takeaways from Vignelli’s writing that I use in my process:

Design is a process of discovery

As we design, we learn more about the problem we are trying to solve and the people we are trying to solve it for. This learning process should inform our design decisions and help us to create better products and services. Your briefs are only 20% baked in. Only when you are deep into solving the problem 80% of the challenge will get revealed to you. I don’t see design as a simple linear research - ideate - develop process but more like an intertwined bundle of different processes with research and discovery involved at every step.

Design is a journey of iteration

Designers should not be afraid to experiment and make changes to their designs. The best designs are really the result of a lot of iteration and refinement. The truth is, most products are not perfect. (I know wtf designers 😆). You will probably never be able to design something that works for 100% of the people, with 100% success. I usually need to generate a bunch of ideas before I am able to generate a winning idea. And most often than not I continue generating new ideas even when the project finishes.

5. "Creativity is subtraction."

Have you ever heard this before? It's not a new idea. Folks like Charles Eames and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry have hinted at something similar. Antoine said “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” When I stumbled upon this line (Creativity is subtraction) in Austin Kleon's book, it clicked in a whole new way for me.

He adds more context:

“Nothing is more paralyzing than the idea of limitless possibilities. The best way to get over creative block is to simply place some constraints on yourself”

So, what did Kleon really mean with "creativity is subtraction"?

1. Less is More: At its core, this principle argues for simplicity and clarity. In our world of constant distractions and overwhelming choices, the power lies in paring down, in focusing on what truly matters.

2. Choice: Creativity is as much about what you choose to leave out as it is about what you choose to put in. It's this conscious act of omission that often tells a more impactful story than any addition could.

Now, how can you practically incorporate this into your design process?

• Question Your Elements: Whenever you're working on a design, constantly ask: "Is this essential?" For every element you consider adding, weigh its value against the clarity and focus of your overall design.
  

• Limit Your Palette: Set constraints for yourself. Maybe it's using only two fonts, three colors, or a specific set of materials. You'd be surprised how these self-imposed limitations can unlock a world of creativity. I wish I did this when I made my first design portfolio.
  

• Iterate by Removing: Once you have a draft or a prototype, look at it with a critical eye. What can you remove while still retaining the essence? Often, this process of subtraction will lead you to a more refined and effective result.