Any time I am a part of the creative process of a new idea or startup, I have started to find myself possessing a completely different outlook on man-made surroundings. It might sound funny, but if it’s as if my eyes and mind have this golden lens over them that gives me an intense awareness of the simple functions of objects. I notice something that I would have otherwise overlooked and begin to think through its purpose, design and what life would be like without it. Things I would have never give a moment’s thought to, suddenly hold my attention. I find myself thinking through the design of something as simple as shower curtain rings.
How could the design of these things be improved to make it more effective at serving its purpose? Simpler to use? Perhaps this comes spending more time thinking creatively, working through problem solving and ideation. Thinking this way is not commonplace, as most of my brainpower is channeled into s to assignments, reading and memorization. This part of my mind is fully tapped into while trying to think through things like developing the design of an idea to develop it into a product. While this is a phase of a startup that I really enjoy due to the amount of freedom through creative thinking, I find myself struggling to leave that state of thought or “turn it off”. Most of the time I don’t mind the continuation of these thoughts throughout my day as these are often the times, I find clarity for issues that we are faced with in the design of our own ideas. Although what I am intrigued with in other things usually has no relation to our own idea on the surface, after thinking through why certain parts of it were intentionally designed that way I realize at the core of the design or user experience with that object there is often a correlation. I feel this is a great thing that enables other designers to have break through when faced with an issue or barrier while developing and designing a product or even it’s prototype.