- Language - A Design Thinking Tool that will make you perform better!
“The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.” — Socrates
Have you ever noticed that when we think we use language? Humans are believed to be the greatest species on earth because of their ability to integrate the five senses to feel, think, interpret and express it through language.
The first steps in Language
To start with, we learn our mother tongue. The expressions, actions and accents also play an important role when we learn our mother tongue as a language. We are thinking constantly and we need language for every single thing to understand what we think, identify, learn, feel and realise. I believe it is only because of language we can experience everything at a conscious and subconscious level/mind.
This process makes us form our belief systems (conditioning or being naturally biased). So we associate meanings by thinking, feeling, liking, disliking, expressing, and we can develop some association of meaning for every single thing around us, as an individual and in the world in which we live.
The problems of communicating what we think?
We need language to think. Period. Being in the branding and marketing industry for over the last 3 decades, it is obvious according to the needs we have been discussing, brainstorming, planning, strategizing, creating and developing concepts, ideas, business and marketing plans and so on…working with creative designers, agencies, planners, writers, clients, brand and marketing heads, I realized most times, the context of the subject is not expressed well or not perceived by the recipient in an intended manner. This is because everyone has their own personality, perceptions, understanding, experience and beliefs for the same subject. I wonder why? And for that, there can be many reasons. But I feel language is one of the major reasons. I believe there is a gap between what we think, what we communicate and what it means to the other person.
Design Thinking
In the context of Design Thinking and its relation to language, there are a few points I want to cover. Design Thinking, to me as a designer, is a holistic approach when we are looking at things. The role and the end goal of Design Thinking are to improve the experience of the users and all the stakeholders associated by creating the most relevant solution. The process of Design Thinking is - Sense, Analys, Identify and Define the context of what, how and why we are aiming to deliver the solution which can make the desired favourable difference - and for whom.
As a human, we are a bundle of emotions so whenever we think, we are actually simply satisfying ourselves (justifying our belief system) on the subject. But when we use language as a tool to think, it helps us become aware of what words, phrases we are using and the meaning of the subject they have for us, and the meaning they have for the involved stakeholders, and in knowing this, we get both, clarity and the chance to create a favourable experience for all.
Tips:
As a design thinker how to use language as a thinking tool.
When we use language as a tool it helps us to mitigate the gaps between definitions, their meaning and the holistic understanding of that particular subject on which we are thinking, brainstorming, communicating verbal or written, between the team.
Be aware of how our mind is thinking (90% of our decisions are taken by our subconscious mind). We feel first and then we think. And generally, the feeling is the source of thinking and vice versa both, drive our thinking.
Identify who all are involved in the solutions.
Define the subject.
Understand the end goal for which you are defining the subject. Between the meaning, it holds for us, and for the stakeholders, we understand the track of thought which could lead to the solution. The role of Design Thinking is to find and bridge this gap, so the chance to find the solution improves at the same time.
An example
Suppose as a Designer (consultant) if I am thinking how to brief for the requirement of a logo design for a physiotherapist. The graphic designer and client both are involved. I need to understand in the first place, what does logo design mean to me, to that graphic designer and for the client who is a physiotherapist.
To me, logo design is developing a business identity for the particular professional (in this case, a physiotherapist) or a company or an enterprise. This needs to be presented uniquely with its own personality and legibility and can be easily reproduced on all the corporate, marketing, and sales collaterals and has favourable recall value. Similarly, the client and the designer also have something in their mind. But as a consultant now it’s important how I express my understanding using language and words. The context will change if the category, client and designer are different.
The same understanding applies to the word physiotherapist. As a stakeholder, if you find the gaps, first solve them at that stage.
What does a physiotherapist mean for the user, and the competition? How do users perceive it? What are users subconsciously expecting? Brainstorm, define, if required, do primary and secondary design research to be more relevant to what it means to them and their requirements from a physiotherapist.
The language will help here to find those keywords to bridge the gap and making the task smooth at the strategic, functional and operational level. Importantly, it will make the process more convenient for everyone, saving time, energy and money.
