Ep 194| Method matters most 10 Critical perspective on Randomness Vs Process

Many times you will be in a state where you have to follow a process or not. Whether do we take a design thinking approach or not? How do you really manage this rigidity and flexibility in a more balanced way? Right. See the entire world is made up of yin and yang. It's all made up of the positives and negatives. When you take magnet, when you take any behavior psychology, there are always two sets. So if that is understood and well balanced, we can achieve anything. We can find the economy or the so called balance. In this podcast I'm going to give you 10 perspectives on how we can think, when to stop this design thinking, when to go ahead. So how does the method and non method really works? Okay. Because if you're not following and understanding this many times we'll be forced to follow a rigid matter. Okay, let's jump into this podcast. Welcome guys. Today it's a very important topic and also this is not the only lesson or which you have to just take it and follow it. This is a thought, this is a 10 different perspectives which I'm going to put you in front so that you can start your thinking process from this. Okay, again I'm giving you a caution. There is no one way to really address this kind of thing. Many people say it's randomness that works majority in design. So many design thinkers say like let's say David Kelly and the Idea Design studio were the one who first found formed this word which is called design thinking. And there is a process to it, there is an empathy, there is a definition, there is an ideation, research, prototype, testing, iterate. So it all comes in the method of agile, it all comes in a method of Scrum. So people follow different, different methods and techniques. Okay. In order to make a streamline. Again there is another group also. So it all matters. How do you really take this? That's why we have to compare it with a different perspective on what you're sitting. Ideally this would be better to. Okay, so this part particular 10 perspectives definitely you will be coming across in your design career. Whether you work in a team, individual freelancing, any project, you will get into it. Okay, the first is let's understand the user centric approach. See when you follow a method what happens is you will prioritize what is the needs, what is the wants to enhance the user experience in a different way. Okay, this priority will come in non method. What happens is you may overlook sometimes the needs of the people. You know what then the solution will be very different. So you'll be just Catering their needs, not following the want, which is the most most important thing. So you'll have to play that balance again. Many cases it may work the other way around. Okay, you can take any luxurious products, you can take any products which is not so uncommon. So this will go on the other side. So again, I'm just giving you a caution for two sides. First point, which is user centric approach. Second is structured process. See, this is the, the place where people really get a problem. Many people who are starting as a fresher, so they are very scared about design world. Okay. So they're having some kind of imposter. Hey, if I'm not following a process, I'll be seen as an odd man out. I'll not have a clarity. Let me go into that. People in the design who have learned a formal design education and who are really good in managing and handling teams and big, big projects, they want to go on the randomness side. They want to explore the creative side. Okay, so this is the two sides. People in the other, people in the other end things. This is great. So grass on the greener, grass on the other side looks always greener, right? They say it's fine, guys. We're all humans, so we have that tendency. Let me tell you, in a method, a structured process provides a clean framework, a problem solving approach which is vital. Like let's say even if you're failing, that process will give you a proper way. This can be happening, this can be a failure over the time. So you'll have a lot of, what do you call clarity. Even if you're failing in non method, what happens is you will lead to a lot of ambiguity. You will go into a big confusion. Inefficient time, inefficient process will happen and your time and effort will be wasted. So even if you're doing that, method always wins. So you can do that. Okay. I would highly vote for structured process in this way. Okay. When it comes to process and thing, next is we can compare it with creativity and innovation. Most, most amazing. See a method in a product design which is like a proper design thinking method or any method. What you say, okay, it encourages the brainstorming, it explores, it makes you explore, I would say convergent, divergent. Particularly when you don't have a method. I'll tell you what happens. You just rely on intuition. High chances that your product or idea will really go or become viral. It will sometimes limit your creativity or it may even exceed over. But it's like hit and try. So you choose guys See, for some project, you will not be given time. For some project, you may be given time, but the expectation will be really out of the box and very eccentric products at that time. You can really use this kind of a process and method. So use it whenever it's required. That's the point I'm making. Okay. Fourth is iterative improvement. See, when it comes to a method, you have a very supportive environment to iterate your risk, iterate your product, iterate your prototype. What happens, you'll get a feedback, you'll grow. When you're not following a process, you will go into a disaster. Guys, even if you make refinements, what happens is your risk of failure will be really, really high. So weigh this balance out. Guys, I'm not saying you take this method, that method you have to weigh on what project you are sitting, what kind of a timeline you're working, what kind of a client base you're working, what kind of a human centric products are you designing. So this, that is why I told you in the start of the podcast, don't have a sides on. This is the best, that is the best. Have a balance and an economy and then you will find out what needs to be done. Fifth important parameter I would compare is risk mitigation. See, when you follow a process is this process greatly helps you in identifying what's the potential risk. You know, there is a process called failure mode effective analysis. They do it, it's beautiful guys. But when you do a non method, I mean it's like you may have some problem, you may not have some problem, you may not even meet the user requirement on demand. So when it comes to higher risk of investing your resources into this kind of solution to make it work, what happens is sometimes the market demand will be high. You won't have a process in place to really take that risk and mitigate it. I'll give you an example. Airbags. You know, in car airbags there was a big issue happened. So yes, RS airbag, I remember, I'm not sure about the brand name, but Toyota did that. So they called all the Toyota vehicles which has launched in the last six months and then they replaced everything. What happens if you don't have the risk mitigation plan in that you will have lot of disaster coming in your field and then your brand value goes down like anything. So that's why the company prevented that using this risk mitigation. See, if you follow a process, you will be saved. Like this guys, it's very, very superb example. I would say And Tata is one of the best process management guys in the whole automotive industry. For same like electronics people call Apple's benchmark right for car, for automotive they call Toyota is the best in class and benchmark system. So that's the resultant sixth parameter I would compare is collaboration and communication. See when you have a method you will have a facilitators who can manage this interdisciplinary cross collaboration communication. When you don't have this process, what happens is you may be having a lot of ego fight and clash with the people and you'll have some limitation exchanging your ideas and perspectives because people not understand it. People will not get the clarity. So it may result in what you know, slowed working. Like people don't get a understanding of what you're trying to say. So this is the advantage of using method or the non method. So I would, I would highly, highly say that. But anyway case to case it differs. Now let's see other five perspectives which is disadvantages. See time and resource intensive is the comparison I'm making. When it comes to a method, what happens is when you follow a proper methodic design thinking method it definitely requires time, resources, structured process timeline because that's what is ready needed in a non method. Sometimes what happens is it may lead to wasted time and resource due to inefficiency and lack of forces. It will be, it will be even more disaster. But sometimes randomly if you get an idea clicked that becomes a great. What you call, I would say that becomes a great process and understanding for you. So eventually you may get hit and trial run. So that's also two sites which you will have to compare. And next we'll go to over reliance on process. See if you rely too much on the process that can lead to a rigid adherence. When you follow a design thinking process, when you lack a process, it may result in chaotic inconsistent decision making. Sometimes it will go even beyond. Sometimes it can lead little results. But yeah, again it's not accountable much. And same when you take another parameter which is ninth complexity. Sometimes complexity may be perceived but it is difficult to really encounter when you don't have a process in place. When you have a process in place, you can understand what is really happening. So I mean it's very difficult if you don't have a proper guidance a process, a system. So the complexity cannot be dealt with, the outcome will change accordingly. And 10th parameter is resistance to change. So this is like great guys, I would really say teams and individuals, you know what they may resist to adopt this new method. Many times people don't follow design thinking methodology, I would say that's a downside. But some people like they are very familiar with some kind of a random approach. They'll, they'll do this, that, they'll do that, they'll go for a field suddenly they'll do a user testing with the audience, they'll do online search. So the random people will be really happy at this kind of a, this kind of non methods. But when it comes to method or a process or a structure, sometimes individuals may resist, sometimes people will not follow the design thinking methodology. This is one big challenge I've seen as well working in the industry. And I would say the last but very important point is very very limited perspective. See sometimes what happens is you may focus too narrowly in a single method and exclude the alternative approach. People who follow design thinking sometimes are like that. That is why I told you it needs to be balanced. When you take a design thinking approach and then you go empathy, empathy, empathy. No, sometimes problem might be there in your prototype as well. So don't go into the very, very very rigid way of doing it. So that's the, that's the point. Even when I tell my students don't be very rigid on certain things, you have to let it go sometimes in order to find the real reason for it. Right? See there was one particular problem solving approach which was done in an industry. It's a real problem happened. Okay, so they found out that some sales was the real problem. Sales team was a real problem. And then they made a sales training and then they invested huge in their sales team. They invested for the next entire six months to train and upgrade and change some sales system in compared to their competitor. And then you know what? After six months they found it was not because of the company's product failure or sales failure. It is because of some error happened in the accounting which actually lead it to a goofed up figure so that the market price went really high and the failure happened. So problem lies somewhere else. So if you're too rigid on the process, this is what will happen. You will invest a lot of time and effort in area sometimes which you are not overlooking. So that taking back a step really needs to be considered here. So lack of the defined step may result in overlooking valuable problem solving technical strategy. Sometimes you may find a better problem, better method apart from design thinking, apart from anything. So understand this guys method. In product design such as this design thinking it offers great advantage like user centered approach, structure, process risk mitigation. But also has the potential drawbacks from understanding Time perspective, customer centric perspective, resource intensive and sometimes over reliance on the process keeps this thing people going back, not going back. So, so not using a method can lead to complete inefficiency, lack of focus. You'll have a limited perspective, but method has a huge advantage. So try to balance it out. That's what I'm trying to say in this whole podcast with the 10 different aspects to be compact. Okay, so think about it. I leave this thoughts to you if you like to really understand more in a deeper way how to really structure a project, how to structure a process, how you can really create your own product design project in just one day, in just one week, in just three weeks. I make students to do a very intensive project with my guidance, with our team's entire guidance I would say as a community because I'll make them rigid and non rigid both ways so that they'll be like a sponge who can observe whatever is coming and then they can respond with the skills what they've got. It's not like you're rigid like what you call like a tree and then you fall. When something happens you need to be like a bamboo tree. So you need to be more flexible in order to observe when the requirements is there, when the requirement is not there and then you shoot your skills accordingly. There is an economy and a balance. To do it I would suggest you need a accountability or a mentor to whom can guide you or a senior who is much experienced who can guide you in this. Or else what happens is you will be just spiraling around, not going in anywhere. So jump on. Maybe if this program really hits you properly in this podcast, you can just try it out. Come and experience it. You can send that email to DFC Design for Change. Our team will help you out to check whether you're really interested and eligible. Come and experience it. I highly, highly suggest you. Okay. If you found this kind of a podcast useful, subscribe me for further episodes. Give me a best star rating in Apple, Spotify 5 and then wherever you're listening, just drop your comments. Whatever you feel about this podcast that helps me structure. Thank you guys. All the best. Take care.