Pulsing Sensation in Design Muscles (Thinc)

Thinc Initiative Design Studio

Inspiration is hard to find in those days. However, there is a plenty of inspiration in the UGA’s Thinc initiative design studio (http://thinc.uga.edu/). That is why, a day spent in the design studio would energize your design molecules and release the energy you need to come up with design solutions.

In the first post of the blog, I was looking for an answer "How might I involve with the design thinking process?". I had awesome clues for you after an amazing trip to Thinc design studio. Here are the clues with the lessons learnt from the discussion with LDT group and interviews with random people . These clues are going to guide me in the process of my product design.

1. Empathy!

Do not listen your heart, listen people! Ok, also listen your heart but after listening people. Ask people to inspire. Ask for their stories. Question their needs, their satisfactions and their dissatisfactions. Find a clue for yourself to fill in the gap of their lives.

2. Identify your audience!

Do not try to make everyone happy! Do not innovate for everyone. It is impossible. Listen minorities. Sometimes they have got that sparkling ideas to meet the needs of greater population.

3. Benefit from the empathy chart

Talk with random people but motivate them to tell their stories, this is the place where you can get the design ideas. Without being conclusive, just write what you hear from people with their own words into "Hear" column. Then, write about the memorable face expressions or their emotions to the "See" column by associating them with the words you hear. Then try to interpret their feelings, why would they say that and what are their motives and take notes again.