Sunday 8 April 2012

Atom 19: How tough is it to be a designer?

Everbody comments! Everybody speaks about the design? Oh! tough the world is.

There is a design problem. Shaping up a solution is never a straight path. Lots of permutations and combinations, perhaps leading to one or two best ways to address. The solution looks at the following components -
1. The problem itself - Contextual
2. In alignment with your users
3. In needs of business stakeholders
4. Designer way of looking at it

There are three primary people involved - User, Business stakeholder and designer. It naturally happens that the designer blends solution keeping all in perspective. Now what if designer did not like the solution but the business stakeholder showed some interest; though the user world is addressed, and what if designer knows other way to do it might still be better looking. Mostly, designers like to sell the best solution and assuage or impress upon the pitched up idea.

But alternatively there are business stakeholders who would feel their decision stays fit in a context. I think its in the best of the project or as for organizational benefits, designer abides by the rule and fixes the direction as communicated. Now as the designer really understands the evolution of idea did not materialize as he wanted. But will the designer need to get disheartened? Does the designer does not know to sell? Does the designer had not be impressive enough?

I think the solution is addressed towards users, business stakeholders and context. Designer is just catalyst in shaping up the requirement and solution. Where designer sometimes need to step-up from the comfort zone and move in tandem to other tracks and people. Need to evolve and live with other's world. Its the soft aspect that is quite the designer needs to develop.

Design is such a fragile business aspect in the whole gamut of things, everybody is interested to put their hands  or heads to solve, which once again should be accepted by a designer. Be in world of acceptance, embracing, participatory not only prunes design but makes the designer a better receptionist. A designer is not a evolutionist - but more of a receptionist. He is the conductor but never really happens to be a job, without the other musicians and experts to participate in it.

Its not tough to be when as a designer, as the learning curve moves higher and you look at the world from other's eye. Designer learns with all moments that he gets as a chance to improvize. Start being tough to prune your argument. Have a relevance to your concepts. Be receptive and encourage people to move your comfort zone. Its a test!