Watch Me Process...

When evaluating any product, it’s always best to have a series of baseline goals. These can be related to individual components, tied to technical performance, or even user acceptance. Did you want to improve the speed of your search function by 30%? Great. That’s easy enough to measure. Were you hoping to improve clarity in the navigation of your app? That’s a little more difficult to evaluate, but still doable. Setting goals lets you establish pathways to feasible action.

In a project like this, where no product is actually produced, evaluation is a bit more difficult. Still, there are ways to get we where need to be. The biggest question to answer: did the solution actually solve the perceived problem? It’s easy to automatically jump to “yes”, but if you take the time and really dig deep you’ll have a more accurate answer. If you have to work backwards to make your solution fit the problem, you likely went about the process in the wrong way. 

Iteration is at the core of successful design. It can be easy to fully commit to an idea, especially after taking your time to get there. But, you can’t always predict how the idea will be received by those on the outside of the creation process. The willingness to iterate, to refine, to change what is not working is an essential part of crafting something that is built to last. 

I’ve seen it myself countless times throughout my personal design journeys. Just because you feel confident about a particular piece of what you’ve created, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your vision will translate to the users, or worse, it may not be what was actually needed in the first place. But, this isn’t a bad thing. If you can learn from where you strayed and use it to refine your product, it will almost always lead to something stronger and more usable. 

Within the context of this project, we’ve been able to avoid major iteration so far. We like our concept and our proposed user journey. However, in order to best communicate our idea, we’ve chosen to refine small pieces of what we’ve already created. The goal of this is to focus on the sections that matter most and make them as clear and direct as possible. While we’re in the home stretch, we still have a ways to go. 

In my experience, the fastest way to get people on board with an idea or a product is through a story. Being able to show how something works, or even better, why it matters, is a crucial step when seeking adoption for early-stage products.

In the context of my group’s prototype, we took a similar approach. Instead of jumping the gun and building a fleshed-out prototype, we chose to focus on the task itself.

What we ended up with is a storyboard visually depicting our user journey. It highlights ten steps in the process, from the user’s initial “lightbulb” moment to their eventual gratification.

Collectively, we laid out the steps we saw as most important. We decided to skip over smaller sub-steps and just feature the big ones. Ultimately, we ended up with something we were all happy with and proud of. 

Ideas are a funny thing. They can hit you like a freight train, unloading their full weight in a single, powerful moment. They can also come on slowly, like the pressure building inside a tea kettle as it boils. There is no right or wrong way to get to a solution. Sometimes, it just has to come to you, whether it be in an instant or over a lifetime. 

Within the context of our group work, luckily, we didn’t have to wait a lifetime. As the four of us sat and brainstormed, we tried to keep our unified problem statement in view. Instead of focusing on the technologies we could use, or jumping right into a product, we instead turned the discussions toward ourselves. How had we experienced the problems we had previously described? What kind of solutions would help us the most?

Once we were able to articulate answers to these questions, we saw there was continuity between our individual visions. Although we each described our ideal solutions slightly differently, our end goal was the same. Then, it became a matter of how best to combine what we had, which items needed to be left behind, and how to move forward as a collective group.

When attempting to define a problem, there are a number of methods that can be successful. Personally, I like to concentrate on the core. Fundamentally, a problem should be be specific enough to where it can be concisely defined, but broad enough to where it is commonly experienced, at least within the context of your area of focus. 

Our group project was no exception. We had agreed on an area to explore, fashion and the shopping experience. Individually, we decided to identify problems we had experienced on our own, and attempt to reduce it until we each had a tight definition of exactly what the problem was and why it mattered. Our topic was broad enough that it was likely that each of us would produce something different. There was plenty of the apple left to slice away. What it showed us was, even though our four problems started in different places, they were fairly similar at the core. 

In a current project, my team sought to blend two realms: technology, specifically Augmented Reality, and retail fashion. While the two are currently quite distinct, we see an increased possibility for overlap in the near future. In our eyes, this overlap has the potential to be disruptive by completely changing the current paradigms in the retail shopping experience. 

As we view the two realms as separate, we decided to research them as such. Our first action was to gather as much general research in each of the domains. What is happening with the evolution of technology in the world of fashion? Are there any emerging trends that support our hypothesis? Likewise, we hoped to build a deeper understanding of the general range of AR applications as they currently stand. How are they being applied in modern products? Are there any hints for potential avenues of development that align with our goals?

While it can be challenging when collaborating with new teammates, it can also be infinitely valuable. 

On the surface level, working with others is an ideal way to push you out of your comfort zone, something essential for true creative ideation. It can be a source for new modalities of thought, an introduction to concepts or methods you were previously unaware of, and in general, an opportunity to create something synergistically. Jumping in full-force with a new team is a guaranteed way to attack a problem with a perspective that you would be unable to do on your own. Accepting this shared perspective can lead to bigger and brighter outcomes.

Creativity can be anything. It can be a song you sing in the shower, an acrylic painting you do with Bob Ross, or a conversation between you and your peers.

Creativity is about tapping into yourself and the world around you, then shaping what you find. While nothing is ever truly original, creativity is adding your unique perspective and worldview into the things you put back out into the universe.

When focused, creativity is a powerful thing. It brought us great works of art and dramatic advances in technology. But creativity doesn’t always have to be serious. At its heart, creativity is curiosity and playfulness-- a willingness to question your surroundings, challenge authority, and express yourself in a way that only you know how.

I’m here to say that no matter who you are, it’s okay to be creative. In fact, it’s downright necessary. Don’t be afraid by what those around you do or do not do. Be true to yourself, find what speaks to you, and fling yourself in wholeheartedly.