Crowds

The roads will be busy this Easter weekend. And those stuck in traffic will be asking why is everyone else going where I’m going? However, if the roads were empty the same people would be scanning the radio stations for news of some disaster.

We are uneasy when we are alone in our decisions, and we are frustrated when everyone else is making exactly the same decisions. We need to know our own tolerance for being part of the crowd, and for standing out from the crowd.

Walking through the door of a new building, do you think, I’m glad this is different? Or do you think, why is this different? Design needs to anticipate both reactions and nurture in contrary individuals the common belief that this was a place worth getting to.

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Darkness and Light

Popular anecdotes are like popular songs – for a while they seem unavoidable on every conference platform, and then they disappear. But just because something gets repeated to death doesn’t mean it’s not true.

Man walking at night meets someone on his knees under a streetlight looking for his keys. He offers to help, and asks him “Where exactly did you lose your keys?” The person points to the other side of the road, cloaked in darkness. “So, why aren’t you looking for your keys over there?” The man on his knees answers, “Because the light’s over here.”

The right answer isn’t always found in the place with the most light.

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Census

What are the right questions to ask? Do you ask the types of questions that tend to produce clear answers; the more vague questions with vague responses that perhaps matter the most; or the ones whose answers you suspect will have the most impact?

If the aim is to write a clear story that captures peoples’ lives in a way which can help shape their future, then asking the right questions is really, really crucial. Asking the right questions rather than making up clever answers is often what makes design great.

If someone walks into a building and says “This doesn’t work because . .“ the reason is probably not bad design, but bad briefing. Nobody asked the question, so nobody designed the answer. Every design starts with a question – choose carefully.

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