Atom 8:Celebrations: Experiences not everyday?

We been in a society that has Events, Activities, Tours, Feasts & Celebrations. So how often do we have them and what special elusive ways we looked this coming towards us. We block dates, we plan, we discuss, we really go berserk before it actually arrives.

I been looking at days of "Celebration" with contrast and incisive thought. The experience of celebration is immersive, entertaining, riveting & engaging. This is just not part of the environment, it soaks and evolves as a state of mind. The day looks with stark differentiation, which brings to understand that there exist "Normal" days. So whats been so unusual on a Celebration or a day that is "non-normal" ?

Its only been a state of mind, is'nt it? Mostly it is shrouded with the momentary reflection of the 24 hours that has a special meaning in whatsoever way. It may come annually or monthly or come in leap years! Whatever way it is - Its highly a picturesque watermark's of a state of mind, this being individual level, in couples or in groups or as in a whole society.

Experiences like Celebration is an exclusive function of a mind. You create meaningful rejoice by name of celebration. Your fraternity highly finds essence in such meaningful rejoice. The pompous and voices of celebration are really differing experiences. We call them as Experiences, since the "Normal" days are just being without those special "Experiences". Would it be bored to be in a state of such everyday? If it were real true, meaningful "experiences", then why not that be it everyday? Create the meaningful essence and find a differing realm and experience towards celebration everyday. If its a function of mind, create an environment for or be in an environment in longevity of such celebrated days. The true design of celebration is to experience a stand apart timing, so it means to be in a designed state of celebration if that really happens to be good or feel good factor. Its not wondrous or enigmatic to live in designed experiences. It creates meaningful order and healthy experience, which is wholesome for one to create it and be in it. 

Atom 7: Design degree - To Educate or Get Educate ?

We had witnessed how various domain, skill-sets & field of specialization for individual can be momentous happening. It could be definitive selection or much through by chance. The causative factors could be negligible consequence, but post-selection of a subject ; the real euphoria and desire shown drives the individual road path.

I had to converse with a relative, where they wanted to know how best is the education to their son. Hours of discussion we had, I can recollect that the enthusiasm which I brought in for them, primarily it was selling an idea in business context but primarily any field will have its niche aptitude for an individual to perform, But how is it different for becoming a designer in any specialization ? Is it that everybody can succeed ? Certainly it goes beyond luck and planning. Sometimes it ends with a rough patch or emerging from a ditch hole or travel road less travelled or end up with the community as one!

Design certainly not a splash of colors but does has a meaningful order!

Design is such a field that is tangential to any other field of engineering studies. Design is a mix of art and engineering skills, need for profound creative abilities. More than creative abilities - common sense approach & analytic skills could be driving forces. Thinking methods and Processes are additional catalyst. Choosing a design course is not a mere status quo or a vogue discipline.

I have staunch  reservation of design field that is widely differentiated against other background of knowledge. Its formulative, transformative, promulgates & cultivates individual life and reasoning. The question is Should one educate to get a design degree or Would one get educated through design degree. ? It actually evolves through the first case and grows within untold to the latter case. The design education will spring in seeds of fresh insight and evolving culture within oneself. Its got a post-era of self-evolution that leads post-education. The strength and approach emerges and leads a better transformation.

The beauty of the design education widens because that it cuts through lot of closely related fields like behavior science, pyschology, material properties, philoshophy, metaphysics, spirituality, business, fiction, mechanics, socialism & list goes on. Its for goal-oriented people, who would want to feel fresh breath of air and live in a thinking world. One could play different roles and disguise with subtle manner, it starts with "To Educate" and will end "Get Educated" by the process that revolutionizes the inner kernel.

Atom 6: Emergence of Processes

Processes are part of diurnal life, it defines from simple blog writing to car driving to handling a business. The process in real sense, emerges from a more dynamic means, where perception process totally defines the way processes are ruled.

Perception process is unique to each person and consists of three stages -
1. Selection
2. Organization
3. Interpretation

Ideally the way an individual perceives drives the way processes are put in forth. Atleast, there may be mild variations in creating processes to a minor role, where set of options in varying will not have vast differences. Example Car driving. But when complexity of the task grows, the "processes" rules widens gradually. Ideally the perception process is a catalyst in creating the generic "processes" as in whole.

The fascinating aspect is that having an effective processes in business set-up, actually is governed by the perception process. Even in design field, its highly indispensable that the perception process enables individual to create an excellent processes or product. Thus perception process is not alone thinking and doing, more of experiential learning and cultivating the habit to perceive will lead to powerful, appreciable and great end results. Albert Einsten remarks "I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious", which actually is the rudimentary fact.

Processes are like gears that spun by external forces like perception process. The rotations are highly visible when the external agents play a vibrant role in movement of the processes. At times, the external agents need an overhaul after a prolonged period, where the habit of perception will slant towards refined manner as maturity grows, and has the perception itself grows.

Atom 5: How to Exceed expectations at work?

Creating works and presenting to stakeholders is a routine job for any UX consultant. In the light of events, skills like communication, story-telling, engaging roles, facilitation are all intertwined towards end result. First basics, as in any field, one should know the fundamental methodologies, understand cross channels of streams, effectively manage, learn trade-offs. Not really need to be at the zenith of a subject or be a subject matter expert. But probably if so, a guidance and final over-look from a senior member is always recommended. But no one size fits all, invariably to exceed expectations at work but the framework is quite this way-

1. Be knowing how to "Set Customer Experiences or impression", comprehend How will the work engender better experience flow, being in their shoes, do some homework ? (This is the Channel)
2. Be knowing what you do, interrogate on what you do that benefits stakeholders and the result (What is in the Channel)
3. Be knowing why you do, interrogate why you do on the "What" thing, will this be the only thing or could this be done differently. (Is that appropriate for the Channel or shall we get in infused with something else?)
4. Be knowing what consequence you have doing it, Set a mental impression of how people would react and match this with Point 1, Setting Customer experiences. Adjust and manipulate minor factors to the entire spectrum (Is the Channel flowing well)

Primarily, being interrogative and understand the key role that is played, such as being circumspect at all steps will clearly set forth clear goals and results emerging for the set goals. Its simple, but lot of perseverance is required throughout the process.

Atom 4: Playground for design

Bunch of kids have a setting to unleash themselves. I remember even when I was a kid, we used best of the resources to find playing uninterrupted. Don't have a hockey stick ? Get to the swamp, break the stem of one swampy species., use it as a hockey stick. We were adept at picking the right stem, the right tool, durable and  efficient. Hundred ways that we manipulated and kept playing different games.

Design too needs a playground. May be it the projects, everyday activity or building a simple excel sheet. Designer looks towards obvious reasons to improve, escalate, heighten or differentiate all that wants or craves to be. There is a wider playground for designer that is part and parcel of wherever he/she needs to go. All that  belongs, all that passes by, all that exists, all that is observed are right candidates for to belong to the playground material and tools.

The passionate designer ends up with a splash of untold touch, a signature to many of the items. This could be even a mental diagram that clouds oneself, never needs to be sketched, but comes to the physical nature when rightly needs to. The playground exists within, around and outside. Its time that one goes to unleash all opportunities, where a life never dull emerges and rather getting to the playground is a wonderful opportunity to look for another setting in the mundane world!

Atom 3: Do we need to look at Deliverables as part of process?

User Experience and the IT realm look at the term "Deliverables" as a strict driving model. Deliverables are a line of division that the Client and Service company embark on to find solutions. Deliverables are also seen as a measure to an individual in assessing the work nature, whereas the Client looks as a bunch of "hardcore" documents, artifacts & systems that needs to be in place that is driven by a schedule. This no more creates fun when something is hardwired. Just imagine if your liberty is taken off, by keeping constant cameras to watch your   steps. How it tames your self and individual freedom ? How it keeps you to know that being monitored ? Such is the term deliverables really looks a "death-word".

When work needs to be fun and people wanted to clearly cross the line, there should be systems that are atleast hidden or sugar-coated. Atleast sugar-coated for the sake of creating a habitual ease at work. There is nothing wrong when Deliverables are segregated to evaluate and look at progression goals. But lets comprehend if the world would have tweaked the term into "Engagement Model".

Engagement Model will still have goals and so called "deliverables" intact, but it would never be deemed to create illusionary paralysis on any individual. Engagement model precisely is elastic and rids away the definitive clauses of deliverables. If you were to engage the client, the client would definitely be glad ! To create such an engagement what kind of processess would an individual follow ? What kind of actions does one represent to create an engaging work ? How will one engage with ease and create wow factor ?

I hate the terminology of deliverables to ruin the work-place and create an imaginary division between two parties. If it were to say, What kind of Engagement Model one proposes with clear pointers or "Actions" is a fluidic approach with boundaries to contain that it never spills-out. Perceptions change when "Engagement Model" as a term that also brings in a more collaborative approach rather driven into self-enclosures of "deliverables".