Design Thinking can be a divisive subject. The seabords have been clashing for years about which framework is the best framework – which way of problem-solving is the final boss. Meanwhile, the midwest has been quietly plugging along…

I appreciate the East Coast rejection of genericized design thinking (some New Yorkers think it is bullshit), and I look to traditionally West Coast methodologies like LUMA and D-Thinking for time-tested, formulaic ways to get unstuck.  My own education took place in the New York creative community, and though I do tend to favor a deeply personal, intuitive/investigative process over a more standard textbook approach, I see value in each style.

In any discipline – including Design, true strength comes from a diversity of thought, approach, experience, and background.  It bears mentioning that many of our most creative contributors have come up through psychology, theatre, fine art, data science, math, computer science, architecture, music and many other areas of study.  Every challenge calls for a different blend of reclusive/recursive mad science and exuberant social exploration. Our intuition and our communities help us to choose the right blend. I think that is the main lesson we can learn from any codified style of design thought.

It is incredibly important to keep designers’ hearts and minds wild and free.  …Yes, and I know it is important that we continue to professionalize our skills so that we can create change in the marketplace. Give and take… so it seems to go.

From the tradition of computer science, I hold this thought most dear: “We stand on the shoulders of giants” – we are always building upon the toils of folks who came before us.  It is so important that we remember this in our work and in our lives.

And before we part, these ideas are important, too: Keep Design Weird! & Be Excellent to Eachother!

:-P