How to be prepared for anything (like a designer)
Do you find yourself playing out every scenario in your head? All of the ways a person could react? The myriad of weather conditions you could encounter on a run?
While this sort of preparation can be a symptom of anxiety, it’s actually key to the design process (and some aspects of life).
When you’re designing a feature or a website, you have to do more than solve a specific problem for an English-speaking able-bodied user in a western country. This more involves creating something that works within a given system, and works within your given context.
A while ago, I was designing a screen that involves a GIF and dynamic copy, which could include brands such as the concisely-worded “Gucci” , to the rather verbose “OFF-WHITE by C/O Virgil Abloh”. Additionally, it would also be translated into 23+ languages and available on devices such as the tiny iPhone SE and the rather spacious iPad pro. By the time you consider font-scaling, logged-out users and languages such as German or Dutch (LONG words lol), it’s enough to do anyone’s head in.
How this applies to you?
As both a high-functioning anxious person and a designer, I am all-too-good at thinking up every possible scenario both in a design (usually helpful), and in my personal life (less helpful).
To manage this, I’ve created a few tools that I find helpful in designing stuff that works, and being prepared for my long runs around Tower Hamlets.
My tools:
What is my environment? If you live in England and it’s winter, the odds of it raining on your run are higher than not, even if the forecast says otherwise. Just pack your rain jacket and a light jumper. Also, prepare for mud.
Can I make this easier? Maybe if you want to run, but think it will rain, maybe run somewhere that has shelters nearby and less mud, just in case? Maybe don’t run in an open field?
Do I need advice? If you’re feeling unsure, sometimes speaking to a seasoned runner about their rain gear or favourite trails for questionable weather can make you less worried (and your run more enjoyable).
This week…
I challenge you to think about the data points in your environment and how it impacts what you do. Do you really need to prepare for every outcome? How can you make your life easier and get help?
