No doubt you have heard the term “design culture” thrown around, but has anyone managed to pinpoint what it means? You can ask a bunch of different designers for a definition and you would be lucky to find two people that give the same answer.
This could be down to design culture simply being a mindset, rather than a distinct set of values. Yet no matter what answer you get; the core concept remains the same. It’s about embracing bravery, empathy and intentionality to ensure that user experience is continuously improved upon through the value of design.
Put the focus back on human interaction
It can be easy to simply go through the motions when designing new products. There’s a sense of security involved in following the rule book, as it’s all tried and tested ways of making a deliverable product.
The issue is, products that follow a traditional formula can feel devoid of all humanity. So rather than investing in your product, your users will use it as a tool that gets the job done and nothing more.
Design culture turns this traditional formula on its head by asking you to consider the user. This leads to more creative ways of problem-solving.
It’s about embracing bravery, empathy and intentionality to ensure that user experience is continuously improved upon through the value of design.
Removes the “just make it look pretty” mentality
It’s relatively common to have higher-ups who simply don’t understand what design is all about. That’s fine, it’s not their job to know. So, you should incorporate design culture correctly.
If the whole organisation is immersed in design, everyone can be on the same page when the time comes to design the experience. This helps everyone understand what user experience (UX) design is, the importance of design, and how it affects the customer journey.
With everyone on the same page, “just make it look pretty” turns into a deep, valuable conversation about UX design that opens the door for creativity.
Promotes creativity throughout the entire organisation
While some may think design culture is purely for the design team, that’s not the case at all.
The ability to pitch ideas that may seem a little out there is something that can be used across every department to bring value to every part of the project. Design culture enables employees to take more risks ー removing the stigma that comes with failure.
Implementing design culture throughout the organisation can help the whole company make bolder, more creative moves.
Boosts proactivity
The best products are the ones that look to the future, rather than sticking with the present. Keeping a proactive attitude towards design allows the designers to tackle the demands of the product from creative angles, rather than just checking the rule book for how it should be done.
Design culture doesn’t just improve products, it improves the organisation
Many feel like design culture and design thinking are purely for the design team. That’s simply not true. Design culture is an organisation-wide way of thinking that can bring value to even the smallest actions. That’s why Thunk is committed to promoting design culture in everything we do! To learn more, talk to us.