A designer’s keynote

Think back to the last time you saw a well designed keynote presentation. Wasn’t it beautiful, attention grabbing (or perhaps non-distracting), & clear in its purpose?

If you ever questioned whether you are in need of some design skills, think back to the difference design can make on a keynote presentation. The organization of visual information can be done to improve the understanding, retention, & recall of information (Workman, 2008). This is done by tapping into a person’s implicit cognition—the effortless, unconscious, & involuntary feelings we automatically process (Schacter, 1995).

Design extends its usefulness to other forms. Products can be beautiful, attention grabbing (or perhaps non-distraction, & clear in its purpose. Perhaps because design may work within the automatic cognitive processes of most people, they have trouble articulating its worth even if it’s there.

Human Centered Design = Pander

Lets start a discussion around the value of Human Centered Design. I think it’s quite important, but often people forget that it’s not the only way to design, nor is it always the correct processes in design.

Finding out people’s needs, wants, & values can be equated to pandering. There are a lot of designs out there that does nothing to elevate the human experience. There is also an absence in the investment of true honest design. Rather we’re stuck with exactly what people think they like & what’s cheap an easy. The next time someone is dropping jargon like Human Centered Design I’d take a note for myself what they’re truly offering, or if it’s just another example of someone pimping design.

experimental by design

Every design should be an experiment. Underlying every experiment is a theory being tested.

design is a small world with its own language

Designers will agree that it’s a small world. Within its field and further subdivisions, design pulls its population from a global crowd. What language is much of the design world spoken in? 

If we consider 56.6% of the internet is in english & we consider the fact that much of my colleagues are exposed to new designs by using the internet. How might the “standard language” of the internet affected our ability as designers to communicate?

Perhaps the common language was German. Be it that I have a very limited German lexicon, I might have trouble writing about the delicate nuances of my designs. It would easier and more exact if I wrote in English to a native English-speaking crowd.

Stepping back, how has this seemingly little world of design with its language issues affected the overall perception of the design field? Does it appear in any way inadequate because it may possess a lower standard of communication skill? 

I love design!