How to solve problems like a designer

Vox

21 Sept 201704:50

Summary

TLDRThe 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.

Outlines

00:00

🖱️ The Birth of the Mass-Produced Mouse

This paragraph introduces the first Apple computer mouse, which was designed by a firm that later became IDEO. The challenge was to reduce the cost of the mouse from $400 to under $35 while ensuring mass production feasibility and reliability. The narrative then shifts to IDEO's evolution from product design to designing networks and experiences, such as voting systems and school systems. The connection between designing a computer mouse and creating complex systems like a school is highlighted, emphasizing the importance of simplicity and the shift in focus from physical products to societal impact.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Apple computer mouse

The Apple computer mouse refers to the first mouse designed for personal computers by Apple Inc. In the video, it symbolizes the challenge of innovation in product design, where the goal was to reduce the cost from $400 to under $35 while ensuring mass-producibility and reliability. This mouse is a central example illustrating the theme of design transformation and the evolution of IDEO from creating products to designing experiences.

💡IDEO

IDEO is a global design and innovation consultancy that started with product design and later transitioned to designing networks and experiences. The company's evolution is highlighted in the video to demonstrate the shift from tangible product design to addressing complex societal issues through design thinking, such as creating a school system from scratch.

💡Mass-producible

The term 'mass-producible' refers to the ability of a product to be manufactured on a large scale for widespread distribution. In the context of the video, it is a key requirement for the Apple mouse redesign, emphasizing the need for cost-effectiveness and efficiency in design to meet market demands.

💡Reliable

Reliability in the video pertains to the consistency and dependability of a product's performance. For the Apple mouse, being reliable was crucial to ensure that it would function correctly and consistently, which is a fundamental aspect of good design highlighted in the script.

💡Simple

Simplicity is a design principle that emphasizes the reduction of complexity to make a product or system user-friendly and intuitive. The video uses the Apple mouse as an example of achieving simplicity in design, which is a recurring theme as IDEO applies similar principles to more complex systems like schools.

💡Human-centered design

Human-centered design is an approach that focuses on understanding and addressing the needs, desires, and limitations of human users. The video mentions this concept as the foundation for asking interesting questions about why people struggle with certain tasks, which is a key step in the design process.

💡Prototyping

Prototyping is the process of creating a preliminary model or sample of a product to test and refine its design. In the video, prototyping is depicted as an essential iterative step in the design process, where initial ideas are tested and improved upon, as illustrated by the makeshift mouse prototype made from a deodorant stick and butter dish.

💡Iteration

Iteration refers to the process of repeating a sequence of operations or steps to refine a product or idea. The video emphasizes the importance of iteration in design, where prototypes are tested, feedback is gathered, and designs are adjusted to better meet the needs of users.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling in the context of the video is about communicating the value and rationale behind a design idea. It is a crucial part of the design process that helps engage stakeholders and users, as it provides context and justification for the design choices made.

💡Complex systems

Complex systems in the video represent the intricate, interrelated components of societal structures, such as school systems or voting systems. The term is used to contrast with simple products, highlighting the challenge and opportunity for design to have a broader impact on society.

💡Design For The Real World

This phrase refers to a book by Victor Papanek that advocated for using design strategies to address real-world problems beyond just creating industrial products. The video uses this concept to illustrate IDEO's shift towards tackling complex societal issues through design, aligning with the book's philosophy.

Highlights

Apple's first computer mouse was designed by a firm that later became IDEO, aiming to reduce the cost from $400 to under $35 while maintaining mass-producibility and reliability.

IDEO transitioned from creating products to designing networks and experiences, including Los Angeles' voting system and the Red Cross's donor finding method.

The connection between designing a computer mouse and creating a school system from scratch is highlighted, emphasizing the importance of simplicity and problem-solving in complex systems.

Tim Brown discusses the prevalence of broken complex systems and the opportunity for design to impact society through addressing these issues.

Victor Papanek's 'Design For The Real World' is mentioned as a foundational text advocating the use of design strategies to tackle real-world problems.

IDEO's pivot from products to real-world experiences is discussed, with Tim Brown noting that the design steps remain largely the same.

Observation is identified as the first step in the design process, with the example of understanding how people use computers and what they desire or find challenging.

The process of designing a school in Peru involved meeting with various stakeholders to address academic planning, classroom space, technology, and tuition affordability.

Ideation or idea-making is described as the process of generating ideas based on insights from observations and questions.

Prototyping is emphasized as a crucial step, starting with simple models or sketches to test ideas and iterate based on feedback.

The importance of iteration in the design process is highlighted, with the example of the first mouse prototype being made from a deodorant stick and butter dish.

Storytelling is identified as a key component of the design process, where the designer must explain the value and interest of their idea.

The necessity of diverse perspectives and creative contributions in designing complex systems is underscored, as opposed to a single-brain approach.

The transcript emphasizes the richness and sophistication required in a system design to behave as a cohesive entity rather than a simple object.