Design Beyond the User: How Our Communication Shapes the Scope of What We Do

In the fast-paced world of innovation, every event is an opportunity to rethink what we know and move towards the future. And that's precisely what happened when we took part in SXSW 2024, an event that provided us with a true immersion, challenging our perceptions and prompting us to reconsider how we communicate what we do.

Recapping the Beginning of Design

Building upon a reflection on the role of design in the capitalist system and its intrinsic relationship with the production of goods and services, historically, design has been regarded as a central tool, essentially linked to mass production and the consumption of products. This close relationship between design and profit has led to the development of methodologies such as Design Thinking, an approach focused on solving complex problems, primarily by looking at the needs of users.

Just as Tim Brown described in his article "Design Thinking - Thinking like a designer can transform the way you develop products, services, processes—and even strategy " in 2008:

"?It is a discipline that uses the designer’s sensibility and methods to match people’s needs with what is technologically feasible and what a viable business strategy can convert into customer value and market opportunity"

Design Thinking Applied in Companies

Design Thinking is utilized in companies not only to meet existing customer needs but also to identify and create new needs that can drive sales and consumption. However, this approach shows some limitations, as not all solutions are suitable for the reality of businesses.

Therefore, user-centered design emerged as a more sensible term to communicate what we did, since the primary goal is to solve people's problems, prioritizing the placement of users at the center of the development process.

Ecosystem-Centered Design

The discussions sparked by @SXSW have raised profound concerns regarding our communication, as we recognize that if we want to have a more comprehensive approach, advocating solely for users is not sufficient, as they are not the sole holders of truth, since they may not be aware of what they need or desire.

With the advancement of technologies, trends, and new production demands, we increasingly need to advocate for a broader perspective, such as that of Ecosystem-centered Design, an approach that considers the entire context and environment in which our solutions will be implemented.

In this circumstance, the Ecosystem refers to the interactions among the different elements within the network of actors that compose the project's context. These actors can be people, technologies, companies, services, physical spaces, digital spaces, etc. When we make a change in one of the network connections, the entire ecosystem is impacted. Therefore, ecosystem-centered design understands that a new solution will impact all other actors. Thus, when designing for the ecosystem, we consider not only a single product or service as a solution, but also the connections and interdependencies of all elements.

Imagine iToken, a banking service essential for millions of people. A user-centered approach might only address the immediate pains of customers, such as the app's difficult usability and non-intuitive interface. However, by adopting an ecosystem-centered approach, we also take into account external factors that influence the security and effectiveness of the service.

This means that we not only focus on how customers interact with iToken but also on how we can ensure that their financial information is protected against constantly evolving cyber threats. Or, how we can incorporate technological advancements like biometric authentication and facial recognition, ensuring that our customers have a secure and modern banking experience.

Saying that we design for the ecosystem means that we consider the entire value chain and the evolution of human interactions with technology and the solutions we design.        

Sensorama Design

With almost 12 years in the market, we specialize in creating innovative solutions for complex problems. We remain inspired by people, but we also believe that revising how we communicate what we do is essential, as the term user-centered design has long ceased to be adequate for our work. Now more than ever, we need to communicate how deeply we delve into the entire system, recognizing that changes in one part can affect other parts of the ecosystem.

Certainly, this new approach may involve the creation of strategies, policies, platforms, or infrastructures that promote collaboration, innovation, and sustainable growth in a complex and dynamic environment. We don't just deliver design solutions, we design impactful experiences to redefine the future of businesses.