case studies

expanding design

No longer relegated to the art studio, design has spread into nearly every domain, and is employed to solve real world problems. In the following projects, I was part of a team of designers that utilized the principles of design thinking to address global issues of fashion wastefulness, urban litter and access to fitness. Given the nature of our program, solutions devised were primarily digital, but these concepts have the potential to be adapted to omni-channel solutions.

In times of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, complex problems call for innovative thinking. UX attempts to develop novel solutions by seeking user feedback within the design process, rather than after. What sets UX apart from traditional design, is a focus on empathy, resulting in designs that achieve high levels of utility. Grounded insight derived from user input incrementally moves a design to the the innovation sweet spot: the confluence of user wants (what’s desirable), business needs (what’s viable) and technological ability (what’s feasible). Designers must also take into account ethical consequences of their creations during use as well as at the end of their lifespan.

Our team’s creative approach is complemented by agile processes which call for early prototyping and repeated testing. Adapted from software design, where beta releases are improved gradually via regular updates, iterative development of products or services incrementally aligns solutions with users needs. Prototyping quickly identifies flaws, omissions or misconceptions, during the design phase, when they are still easily fixed. Inasmuch as innovation that is widely sought after is the product of experimentation, the rapid testing and validating of novel concepts is essential in launching innovative concepts.