“Great design is a multi-layered relationship between human life and its environment.” Naoto Fukasawa

Design Thinking VIII – Characteristics

This is the continuation of part seven, Design Thinking VII – Attributes

In addition to the attributes of Design Thinking, inherent to the process, we must take into account the characteristics that we must have, either as facilitators or as participants.

These characteristics are a set of several mindsets proposed by Tim Brown of IDEO, (2008) by the d.school (2009 & 2010 update) and by Baeck & Gremett (2011).

• Show don’t tell: express yourself through visuals, stories or using storytelling.
• Focus on human values and needs: empathy is the core of Design Thinking. The project will never be perfect the first time, iterate, ask for feedback and implement it.
• Work for clarity: align the vision of all participants. Contextualize the project so you can all work with the same mindset.
• Embrace experimentation: make and build to learn. Improve the product with each prototype you create.
• Be mindful of process: Design Thinking is not typically a waterfall process, if necessary go to the step that interests you the most and use the tools that are useful to you.
• Bias toward action: at all times, throughout the Design Thinking cycle we must do, test, implement, improve and go back to the beginning.
• Radical collaboration: collaborate with people from different disciplines and various points of view. Diversity is the key here.

Products

Plasmic
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Nucleus for Figma
Create mockup or prototype in Figma at speed. Nucleus is a free UI component library that provides you the building blocks you need to design your next mobile app.

UI HUT
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Input Kit for Framer
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Articles & Ideas

Measuring, Defining and Improving Productivity: The Design Productivity Blueprint
Whether you manage a team of designers, have set up a Design Ops team or are considering doing so, or you just have a stake in design output at your organisation, creating the space for designers to do their best work is a key concern. Elsewhen & Spotify Design Team

Case Study: The Evolution of Google Maps & Colour Picking Methodology
Since Google Maps launched 15 years ago, they have revolutionised the world of digital maps and now help over one billion users get from A to B – and so much more! Jasmine Bilham

Iterations — the secret to great results
Starting to work as a designer, I couldn’t believe my luck. People would pay me to explore, experiment and try things. All I had to do is keep at it until all the pieces fit together perfectly. Lukkas Oppermann

Design Systems 101
A design system is a set of standards to manage design at scale by reducing redundancy while creating a shared language and visual consistency across different pages and channels. Therese Fessenden

Quant or Qual Research? 27 Words to help you decide
Methods can be categorized as quantitatively focused (e.g., A/B tests) or qualitatively focused (e.g., interviews). Most UX research methods can collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Jeff Sauro, PhD and Jim Lewis, PhD

The state of UX
There is much introspection and navel-gazing in the world of user experience design. More than usual, I mean. I don’t think I know anyone that’s been in UX more than a decade who’s happy with how it’s going Jeff Sauro, PhD and Jim Lewis, PhD

Remote Jobs

KosmoTime – Head of Design & Brand
We at KosmoTime have the goal to re-invent personal productivity.  Our recently launched app calendar app integrates with task management, time tracking and distraction blocking to help busy professionals achieve new levels of productivity.

Toggl – Design Lead
We take the stress out of time tracking, project-planning, and hiring. Designed by and for teams that work from anywhere.

Contra – Design Ambassador
Build your new career in UX design! Our UX Academy students receive 1 on 1 online training as well as help landing your first product design job.

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