Design is increasingly gaining influence in the companies we work in and the world at large, which means our actions as designers have an increasing influence on shaping the world around us. All of our individual choices, collectively form our manufactured world. Do you know where the choices you are making are leading, not just on the scale of your project, but on a larger scale? Are you making choices that matter or choices that lead to desirable outcomes? Are you designing mindfully for our larger collective futures or are you just “checking a box” or blindly chasing the latest design craze or “silver bullet” process? The success of good design isn’t new and relies on a core set of first principles that if followed lead to better outcomes, but it is up to all of us to make it happen. Join Erik as he discusses these first principles of good design as we collectively shape our future, and create the future world that you want to live in.
2. Erik Dahl
Independent Designer
IxDA, President
MidwestUX Conference, co-founder
eadahl@gmail.com @eadahl
www.erikdahl.io
#mwxu18@eadahlDesigning Our Future(s) 103 K (64 miles) — 4,500m (15,000 ft) of elevation gain — 18+ hours
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30. Get out something to
write on/with.
ACTIVITY
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31. You have 30 seconds.
Design a vase.
ACTIVITY
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32. You have 30 seconds.
Design a vase.
Design a better way
for people to enjoy
flowers in their home.
ACTIVITY
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33. You have 30 seconds.
Design a vase.
Design a better way
for people to enjoy
flowers in their home.
Design a better way
for people to connect
with nature.
ACTIVITY
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35. “Always design a thing by considering it in
its next larger context — a chair in a room, a
room in a house, a house in an environment,
an environment in a city plan.”
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- Eliel Saarinen
44. Truth of the matter was, stories was everything and
everything was stories. Everybody told stories. It was
a way of saying who they were in the world. It was
their understanding of themselves. It was letting
themselves know how they believed the world worked;
the right way and the way that was not so right.
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45. Stories are how we
understand and shape
the world.
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50. The Deal Addict will split their time
between Browsing and Shopping.
Their Browsing is punctuated by an
effort to find the best deal regardless
of the product. Their Shopping is
defined by comparative pricing.
Inspire Me will spend a majority of
their time Browsing. Their
experience is marked by an indirect
path through the product offering to
find something that excites them.
Basic Value will not spend any time
in the Research or Browse phases
and will spend as little time as
possible in the Shop phase. They
want to get their shopping done and
get on with life.
The Flexible Learner will split their
time evenly across the phases as
they inform themselves. They may
not finalize the purchase within the
30 minute window.
Critical Explorer will spend all of their
time in the Research phase. They
are unlikely to complete their
Research and commit to a purchase
within the 30 minute window.
Research
Research is the gathering and/or
analysis of detailed information about
a specific product, groups of products
or services.
Deal Addict needs to feel powerful
and successful at saving money;
feed that need with information
about savings.
Inspire Me shops for pleasure,
wants to surf around. Help them
jump from one idea to the next to
see what is hot.
Basic Value will appreciate
consistency. Keep designs and
interactions for basic shopping
activities consistent and
predictable.
Flexible Learner needs to stay in a
comfort zone. Provide a
consistent experience with
information, language and
interactions across channels.
Critical Explorer wants in-depth
information about products. Help
them dig deep to find out more
and provide that information.
Browse
Browse is the perusal of products or
services without the direct intention of
purchasing.
Shop
Shopping is the act of searching for a
specific product, groups of products or
services with the direct intention of
purchasing.
Purchase
Purchasing is the act of the exchange
or transaction between the guest and
the store.
Goal Save Money
EMOTIONAL ANALYTICAL
See What’s New Supply Basic
Needs
Feel Confidence Find More
Information
The Critical Explorer will
move out of the Research
phase if/when the right
product is identified.
Flexible Learner will
move onto Shop only
when they are confident
in their decision.
Inspire Me will move
out of Browse when
something delights
them.
Basic Value will move
out of the Shop phase
when the needed
product is located.
Deal Addict will move
from Shop to Purchase if
they are confident they
are getting the best deal.
Target Personas | :30 Minutes to Shop This diagram shows how each persona would spend 30 minutes of their online experience.
Heuristics
Deal Addict Flexible LearnerBasic Value Critical ExplorerInspire Me
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83. Take steps to make your
future vision a reality.
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84. What is your future vision?
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85. What will you do to start
to make your vision real?
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86. All of us are responsible for creating the future.
Have a vision of the future you want to create.
Every artifact we create, shapes the world.
Be mindful of what you are creating.
…so make stuff that matters.
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