How to solve problems like a designer

Summary

The video script narrates the evolution of IDEO, a design firm initially tasked with creating an affordable and mass-producible mouse for Apple's Lisa computer. It highlights the firm's transition from product design to designing complex systems like school systems and voting systems, emphasizing the importance of human-centered design. The process involves observing, asking questions, ideating, prototyping, iterating, and storytelling to create solutions that address real-world challenges and societal impacts.

Takeaways

• 🖱️ The first Apple computer mouse was designed for the Lisa computer, costing $10,000.
• 🏗️ The mouse was developed by a design consulting firm that would later become known as IDEO.
• 💲 The primary design challenge was to reduce the mouse's cost from $400 to under $35 while making it mass-producible and reliable.
• 🔍 IDEO has evolved from creating physical products to designing complex systems and experiences, such as voting systems and school designs.
• 🧠 The transition from product design to systems design involves similar steps, including observing the world, ideation, and prototyping.
• 👀 The first step in the design process is to observe how people interact with the world and identify the problems they face.
• 💡 The next step is ideation, where insights from observation are transformed into ideas for improvement.
• 🔄 Prototyping and iteration are crucial, allowing designers to test ideas, learn from failures, and refine their solutions.
• 🛠️ Early prototypes can be simple, such as the first mouse prototype made from a roll-on deodorant stick and a butter dish.
• 📚 Storytelling is an essential part of the design process, helping to explain why an idea is valuable and how it meets the needs of users.

Q & A

What was the original purpose of the Apple computer mouse mentioned in the script?

The original Apple computer mouse was designed to accompany Apple’s ten thousand dollar Lisa computer, aiming to be mass-producible, reliable, and simple.

Which design firm was responsible for creating the first Apple computer mouse?

The first Apple computer mouse was designed by a product design consulting firm that would later become known as IDEO.

What was the challenge IDEO faced when designing the Apple computer mouse?

IDEO's challenge was to take a 400-dollar computer mouse and redesign it to cost under 35 dollars while ensuring it was mass-producible, reliable, and simple.

What has IDEO transitioned to designing after moving away from creating physical products?

IDEO has transitioned to designing networks and experiences, such as Los Angeles’ voting system, the Red Cross’s method for finding donors, and even entire school systems.

What does Tim Brown believe are the things that are mostly broken in the world?

Tim Brown believes that the complex things in the world are the ones that are mostly broken, not the simple things.

What is the connection between designing a computer mouse and creating a school system from scratch according to the script?

The connection is that both tasks require a similar design process, starting with observing the world to ask interesting questions, followed by ideation, prototyping, learning, and iterating until a solution meets the needs of the users.

What book by Victor Papanek influenced IDEO's shift from product design to tackling real-world problems?

The book 'Design For The Real World' by Victor Papanek influenced IDEO's shift, as it proposed using design strategies from industrial product creation to address problems like pollution, overcrowding, and food shortages.

What is the first step in the design process according to Tim Brown?

The first step in the design process is observing the world in order to ask an interesting question, which is the foundation of human-centered design.

What was the approach IDEO took when designing a school system in Peru?

IDEO spent a month in Peru, meeting with various stakeholders such as students, parents, teachers, investors, and government and business leaders to understand their needs and address issues like academic planning, classroom space, technology, and tuition.

What does Tim Brown describe as the 'fun part' of the design process?

The 'fun part' of the design process, according to Tim Brown, is ideation or idea-making, where you start to imagine and develop ideas based on the insights gathered from observations and questions.

What is the iterative process in design that Tim Brown mentions?

The iterative process in design involves prototyping, testing, learning from the prototype, and then going back to refine the idea or start a new one based on what is learned, repeating this loop until a solution meets the needs of the users.

Why is storytelling an important part of the design process?

Storytelling is important in the design process because it helps explain why an idea is interesting and compelling to others, facilitating communication and understanding of the design concept.

What does Tim Brown suggest is needed to design a complex system?

According to Tim Brown, designing a complex system requires not just one brain but lots of brains with different perspectives and creative contributions working together to achieve an outcome that behaves like a system.