If there was a theme to last Fall — at least for me, anyway — it was in negotiating the relationship between expertise and experimentation. Every week, this theme would come up. Whether I was working out new ways of doing things here at Newfangled, or advising clients, or writing or speaking out there in the world, this balancing act was always in the forefront of my mind.
Just before the Fall — toward the end of August, in fact — my bud Eric Karjaluoto published a new book, The Design Method. He’d been dropping hints here and there that this book was coming, and I was interested to say the least. And it was timely. I’ve admired Eric — his work, and his way — for years and was looking forward to getting more exposure to how he thinks. But this past Fall in particular, I was eager to hear from him, because at the core of his perspective is a focus on discovery: Discovering the problem, discovering the solution, discovering the outcomes. And then of course, discovering new problems and repeating the cycle all over again! But, time got away from me, and I didn’t end up ordering it. That nagged at me a bit, because I really had been interested in picking it up, and I wanted to support Eric. He didn’t know any of this anguish was going on, by the way, which made it all the more interesting that in early October, he emailed me after I’d written something (I can’t recall what) and offered me a copy of his book! A few weeks later, it arrived.
I started reading it right away and wasn’t disappointed. I want to share some specific things about the book in a moment but let me first just briefly plug it in this way: This book is excellent. You should buy it. It’s well written; Eric has really become an economical, incisive, and humble writer. There’s no BS, no fluff, and no grandstanding. It feels like a timeless field guide to contemporary design practice (if such a thing can even exist). It’s the sort of book that you’d do well to read once all the way through, then have on hand to refer to any time things get hard or weird.
All that being said, my review is LONG overdue. I promised it to Eric months ago. I’ve read it already, I’ve loaned it out, and I’ve marked it up heavily since then. So, here, months later, is what I want to do.
First, let me share with you the table of contents. I think you’ll see Eric’s systematic way of thinking even in the organization and arrangement of the contents of this book.
- Debunking Creative Myths
- Creating Purposeful Design
- Achieving Order Through Systems
- Introducing The Design Method
- Gaining Understanding: The Discovery Stage
- Determining Course: The Planning Stage
- Working With Ideas: The Creative Stage
- Making Design Real: The Application Stage
- Presenting Work to Clients
- Bringing Order to Your Practice
When we designers consider reading a book about design, the first thing we do is scan the table of contents and ask, does this book cover the topic responsibly? This is the sort of coverage that any designer — freshly credentialed or seasoned pro — would find not only satisfactory in that regard, but intriguing. Typically, after the TOC scan, I know if I’m going to read the entire book or not. In this case, yes.
Next, I really just want to focus on Eric’s chapters on Discovery and Planning. Believe me, chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are all excellent. But Chapters 5 and 6 spoke right to my theme last Fall — the balance between expertise and experimentation.
At the outset, I’ll say that Eric’s approach to Discovery is both theoretical and practical. For a beginner, it’s going to be slightly like reading a textbook the night before the exam. Meaning, it’s going to take some time to synthesize his thoughts and integrate them into how you work. It’s not a list of pro tips. It’s deeper than that. He’s trying to lay a foundation for a practice that is just as much about thinking as it is about doing. This is a good thing. It means that a book like this one can be useful on day one — as it will set you on the right course — as well as a decade in, when course correction is necessary.
So, I want to try something here. I’m going to share with you every note I wrote down in the margins of the text in this section of the book. First, I’ll quote the passage I was responding to, then I’ll include my notes with minimal editing. Consider this my “blog all dog-eared pages.” Feel free to skip this if you’re already convinced…
All My Marginalia for Your Consideration
“…many pay Discovery lip service or skip this step altogether because they believe they are too smart and talented to bother with such seemingly tedious steps.”
Or, they’re too scared to admit to their clients that they’re not already experts in what their clients do.
It is your responsibility to ‘get’ what your clients talk about…”
Not necessarily before they hire you, though.
“You are not truly a designer if you do not gain knowledge about your clients’ situation…Designers obsess about details like print techniques, paper styles, typographic ornaments, and reconciling design elements—all relevant concerns. However, to their detriment, they can be less inclined to apply this same rigor to the grunt work involved in getting to know their clients and the challenges they face. Achieving insight isn’t difficult, but it does take time.”
“You can hand off Creative tasks but never refrain from completing Discovery and Planning tasks.”
This is about where the value is. You always want to be where the majority of the $ is being spent. Strategy should cost more than production.
“When you bypass this work, you’re removed from the thinking part of the job. This omission relegates you to producing only visuals.”
Be brain, not hands.
“…if you want to create suitable design, you need to be part of the big thinking.”
IF you want to lead your clients and charge more, you must care about strategy.
“You’ll also work with clients in industries you have little personal interest in. For example, you may be enlisted to help a company that deals in insurance, provides a weight-loss solution, or engages in real estate development, all of which you might not care about in the slightest. However, your interest is not the most pivotal matter…You can’t limit your professional practice to only what you find interesting.”
“The only assumption you should ever make when you start working with a new client or on a new project is that you are likely wrong, or at least not fully informed to make critical decisions, because you begin with incomplete observations.”
“In truth, most people are ignorant of a number of subjects because there are too many to understand them all. By accepting this fact, you are free to ask questions and lessen your ignorance about certain topics.”
And you are free to let go of the fear of being exposed for not knowing about everything.
“Don’t be the ‘genius’ who knows all; instead, let those who do know inform you.”
People who ask questions look smarter than people who don’t.
“Keep in mind that your clients already have plenty of observations, ideas, and experience, but sometimes this knowledge is mixed up in a jumble. Your job is to solicit their input, and then filter their comments, clarify their feedback, and continue to search for the building blocks you’ll need to comprehend your client’s overall situation.”
Synthesis. This was obvious to me when we started working with Tim. I was anxious to share with him ALL the info we’d already observed and synthesized, and perhaps a bit worried that I wouldn’t have the chance. A good consultant makes room to take in all the information gathered in advance of their involvement.
“They’ll [your clients] also think you know more about their organization than you do.”
This is different from expecting you to be an expert in their field. Assumptions are not always expectations. Get over it and ask!
“Keep in mind that your contacts at the company might not have a strong handle on what exists within the organization.”
“Before you open Photoshop, start a sketch, or write a word of your plan, you need to become familiar with the item or brand by experiencing it like anyone else would.”
We don’t really do this. This underscores the value of in-person interactions, as well as the need for fewer projects at higher cost.
“If you’re designing ecommerce and online member tools for a zoo, you should visit the venue like anyone else would. If you’re creating advertising for a software provider, visit its sales page, type in your credit card number, and use the technology like a real customer. If you’re helping a hotel with branding, reserve a room and see if your stay lives up to its promises. Don’t tell anyone you’re conducting this investigation; just do it and document your experiences.”
This should be a cost of doing business. Think ahead and factor it in to your pricing.
“Even the most introverted people become excited to share their views once they warm up to you. Setting up these discussions to be fruitful takes practice, and you’ll find these sessions to be quite fatiguing. In this setting, you’re a facilitator.”
I like how Eric pays attention to the experience of the work — both for us and the client.
“Other clients won’t be as forthcoming. They’ll tell you that they’re great: They have more customers than they can handle, are experiencing steady growth, and have little real need to change. You’ll have to wonder then if they are doing so well why this meeting is happening.”
Been there. Ask yourself, is the person telling you how many pushups he can do vulnerable in some way to the positive change you’ve been hired to facilitate? Often, this person is not the person who hired you directly in the first place, but now must cooperate.
“Another option is to utilize probing questions to see if you can shake some problems loose. Is their staff happy? Is their organization operating at its best?”
Pay attention to subtle disagreement in meetings like this. Body language. Directed looks between people on the client side. Those subtle, but meaningful glances exchanged. Ultimately, you need to create a safe place for the client to face the truth, speak it aloud, and move on to the right solutions. “The first step is admitting you have a problem.” 😉
Parting Thoughts
This is a good book. I’d recommend that design teams buy a few copies and read it together, taking the time to compare notes and discuss along the way. Not one year has gone by where I haven’t made significant changes to the way we do what we do — being open to that sort of change and flexible enough to actually make it happen is quite possibly the most essential quality in a designer. I say that as a warning because this is the sort of book that will make you want to change a lot of things. I hope you do.
By the way, I’m very pleased to announce that Eric is among a phenomenal lineup we’ve assembled for this year’s HOW Interactive Design Conferences, which will be held in Washington, D.C. in September, Chicago in October, and San Francisco in November. Eric will be speaking in Washington. Here is the description of his session:
The Design Method: Using Process to Hack Design
Find out why the idea of being “creative” may be getting in the way of producing good design, and how you can start designing better, more effective work by moving the focus away from the studio/designer — and back to the client.
You don’t want to miss out on that. So pick up his book, and register for the HOW Interactive Design Conference to get your full dose of Karj!