We Are All Designers

We are all designers. Designers are the most equipped to create meaningful change through our craft. In this article:

  • I am going to share some light on what it means to be a designer.
  • How we are all designers in our own way.
  • How we can use our collective powers in creating for the good of humanity and our planet.

A designer is commonly known as someone who creates beautiful things. However, design spans far beyond creating beautiful things. Many fail to recognize the science, compassion, collaboration, and thoughtful work behind the finished product.

Design is creative problem-solving

The most innovative minds will solve the most complex problems. What is innovation but a product of creative problem-solving.

Designing isn’t limited to the person who has “designer” in their title. As Jared Spool said in a recent episode of the User Defenders Podcast, “Anybody who influences the design is, in fact, a designer”. That includes developers, architects, engineers, product managers, and everyone else involved in the creation of a product.

Design is a collaborative effort. The UX and UI designers might take charge of the experience and aesthetic of a product, however, there is also a team of engineers designing the implementation of that product. A product manager designing the roadmap to create and shipping that product, as well as a team from marketing and sales designing a strategy to advertise and sell that product.

The Interaction Design Foundation recently held a master class on 21st Century Design with Don Norman. In it, Norman stated that designers in the 21st Century are the most equipped for creating impactful change.

Our responsibility

As designers, we have a duty to create things that will nurture, improve, and protect our planet and humanity. Now more than ever, we need to stay vigilant and consider the consequences of our design to the environment and to society.

However, as designers, we must:

  • Learn to keep an open mind.
  • Be open to learning from other disciplines.
  • Bring them all together in our creative process.
  • Learn to focus on people and to solve the core issue.
  • Also, we must also learn to respect and value everyone’s point of view.

Finally, we are all designers. We all need to aspire to become good designers in order to create things for the good of our planet and humanity.

Justine will be on The Product Angle Show on December 02, 2020 at 12 noon ET to watch live register for your free ticket here.