Here's how you can foster innovation in commercial design through effective problem solving.
In commercial design, innovation isn't just about having a great idea; it's about solving problems in ways that are both creative and effective. To foster innovation, you'll need to approach design challenges with a fresh perspective and a willingness to explore new possibilities. Whether you're designing a product, a service, or a space, problem-solving skills are key to pushing the boundaries of what's possible and delivering solutions that are not only functional but also inspiring. Let's dive into how you can enhance your problem-solving approach to spark innovation in commercial design.
To innovate in commercial design, start by deeply understanding the needs of your users or clients. This means going beyond surface-level requests to uncover the core problems that need solving. Engage with stakeholders through interviews, surveys, or observation to gain insights into their experiences. By empathizing with their challenges and desires, you can identify opportunities for innovation that might otherwise be overlooked. This foundational step ensures that the solutions you propose are not just novel, but truly relevant and impactful.
-
Abiodun Gbadebo
Actively creating appealing and successful design solutions for goal-oriented brands. Art Director | Brand Strategist
Here's how I foster innovation in commercial design through effective problem solving: I embrace a user-centered approach, immersing myself in the target audience's needs and pain points to identify opportunities for creative solutions. I encourage wild and ambitious ideas, leveraging brainstorming sessions and collaborative workshops to generate innovative concepts. By reframing challenges as possibilities, I empower my team to think outside the box and explore unconventional solutions. Through rapid prototyping and iterative testing, we refine and validate our designs, incorporating feedback and insights to drive continuous improvement.
-
Francois Brill
Product & Design Leader
Nothing exists in isolation, all solutions are made to answer the needs of users. To be able to design is to start with user and their needs in mind. Only talking to real users would allow you to go deeper and develop a sense of empathy with your users, their needs and how this changes over time. It's not only the starting point to any problem solving, but also a continuous undertaking to keep on top of.
Once you grasp the underlying needs, it's time to ideate broadly. Don't restrict your creativity; consider a wide range of potential solutions without immediate judgment. Brainstorming sessions can be incredibly fruitful when you encourage wild ideas and build upon each other's suggestions. This phase is about quantity over quality, as it's often the most outlandish ideas that lead to groundbreaking solutions. Remember, you can always refine and narrow down your ideas later in the process.
-
Francois Brill
Product & Design Leader
The only way to have a good idea is to have many. Don't get attached to your ideas too quickly. In the early stages, try to go for quantity over quality. Aim for something like fat marker sketches to resist the urge to add detail when doing sketches. The aim in this early stage is to produce as many "out there" ideas as possible. Once you've exhausted all ideas, you can start to pick and choose and narrow ideas to find the best one to prototype and explore further.
Prototyping is a crucial step in the problem-solving process. Create simple models or mock-ups of your ideas to test their feasibility. Quick prototyping allows you to explore multiple concepts without a significant investment of time or resources. It also provides a tangible way to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each idea, gather feedback, and make iterative improvements. This hands-on approach can reveal unexpected insights and lead to innovative solutions that might not have been discovered through theory alone.
-
Francois Brill
Product & Design Leader
The idea is to move fast and test different ideas. There will be a real urge to try and refine details, but it's a trap at this early stage. The more detail you add, the more attach you become to an idea. Resist the urge, stay detached from your ideas, and use the prototyping stage to have the idea take some form, but then get that in front of actual users and listen to get feedback and learn.
After prototyping, gather feedback from a diverse group of people, including end-users, peers, and experts in the field. Analyzing this feedback is essential for understanding how your designs perform in real-world scenarios. Listen carefully to what works and what doesn't, and use this information to refine your approach. Sometimes, criticism can be the catalyst for a breakthrough, pushing you to reconsider your assumptions and explore new directions.
-
Francois Brill
Product & Design Leader
Collecting and analyzing feedback is one of the most crucial steps in creative problem solving. Listening and listening really well is a skill that you can develop over time. This is not the time to defend any decisions you made or advocate for a specific idea, seeing what trips users up and what makes them confused will allow you to course correct and save countless hours later in the development lifecycle.
Innovation is rarely a straight path; it often requires rigorous iteration. Take the insights gained from feedback and go back to the drawing board. Modify your designs, prototype again, and seek further feedback. This cycle of iteration hones your solutions, ensuring they are both inventive and practical. By committing to this process, you can progressively enhance your designs, often leading to innovative outcomes that surpass initial expectations.
-
Francois Brill
Product & Design Leader
Being able to move quickly and test different ideas are crucial. Look for small signs of things that worked, refine that and keep building the idea up to get you to your ultimate solution. It's important to take the refined ideas back to users, listen and watch intently to see how it addresses previous concerns.
Finally, embrace constraints as a source of creativity rather than a hindrance. Limitations in budget, materials, or time can force you to think differently and come up with inventive solutions. Instead of viewing constraints as obstacles, see them as challenges that can spur innovation. By working within these boundaries, you may discover unique design solutions that you wouldn't have considered in a more open-ended scenario.
Rate this article
More relevant reading
-
Research and Development (R&D)What is the best way to prioritize problems for R&D design thinking?
-
Commercial DesignHere's how you can transform failure into an opportunity for innovation in Commercial Design.
-
Process DesignYour process design team is stuck on a problem. How can you help them move forward?
-
Team EffectivenessHow do you manage the scope and timeline of your team's design thinking projects?