Design Is Rooted In Context

Everyone has a different understanding of how something works. It could something as simple as baking a cake. Some people may add more milk, while others use whole wheat flour instead of white, but there isn’t one way to bake a cake. In fact, there are different amounts of ingredients, methods and kinds of cake you could make when considering what and how to bake a cake. If you asked multiple people, you will probably get different answers. But the answers were based on context and their understanding of the question.

As you can see, something as simple as baking a cake required more information than what we expected. We might assume there is one way to bake a cake because that was the way we learned it, but it doesn’t have to be like that. In design, the products we create depend on the intent and situation that requires us to approach the problem in a certain way. Who are our users? What is their situation? Needs? Wants? Goals?

Recently in my part time work as a design consultant, I have found myself more aware of how I communicate my ideas to others. This is by communicating in a context that matches the goal of what the person is saying and connecting it to their understanding of the project, in which influences the whole team’s to make sure we are all on the same page.

If we want to make sure our designs are understood across a wide audience of people, as well as our fellow teammates, we need context and to communicate expectations around what we want people to see.

People want to see the bigger picture

Communicating ideas to non designers is crucial in order for your idea to be understood and applied to a world filled with implications/ ramifications behind every design decision you make. Giving context can avoid unnecessary questions so the focus can be on the idea and its value.

Focus on real life application and align the way you communicate your designs with your audience. That way they can relate to it, and realize the impact your design is trying to convey without getting distracted by arbitrary details.