Flaws in Design Thinking have disastrous consequences. Focus!
Rajiv Chopra
Business advisor. Specialist in leadership, growth & business turnaround. Focus on SME. Author & fine-art photography
Indian Roads
I've often said I draw inspiration from life around me, and the problems with proper road design in India constantly plague me and most of my fellow citizens. Before I continue, I want to emphasize that I am not speaking of the terrible conditions of the roads, the brainless road barriers, wandering animals, and reckless driving habits. These factors add to the unmitigated joy of driving on the Indian roads.
Many of us joke about the number of gods in India, claiming they protect us. Superstitious people hang lemons and chillis in their vehicles to ward off the evil eye. None of these measures are effective: poor road design, terrible roads, and atrocious driving habits all contribute to a rising trend in accidents and fatalities on our roads. We must realize that the land mass available in India has not increased, but the number and variety of vehicles have risen.
Poor Design of Indian Roads
Poor design and maintenance leads to traffic delays, increased emissions, pollution, and accidents. Gods and lucky charms will not help.
We've reached the point where you, the reader, must look at the diagram at the top of this article. I tried (and failed) to draw the road from DLF Cyber City (in Gurgaon, India) to the highway leading to Delhi.
A Small Case to illustrate the point.
Allow me to explain the flaws.
1.1. The curving road from DLF Cyber City turns right at a ninety-degree angle. Anyone with a basic understanding of fluid dynamics will realize that turbulence occurs when you force a fluid onto a sharp bend. Traffic flows smoothly if you design roads well; otherwise, you create chaos.
1.2. Traffic from behind (from the highway) meets the traffic from DLF Cyber City. The flow from these two streams breaks into three conflicting paths:
1.2.1. One stream wishes to flow straight.
1.2.2. The second stream wishes to flow left towards the Udyog Vihar office area, creating conflicts with the highway stream moving straight.
1.2.3. The third flows right towards a U-turn. A part of the highway and Cyber City streams moves towards the U-turn, creating conflicts with the Cyber City sub-streams moving left and straight.
During peak traffic hours, these conflicts create chaos, and it behooves people to drive carefully to avoid damage to vehicles, life, or limb. However, most people are in a hurry. If you now add the number of people driving the wrong way to the mix, you create a zone where accidents can and will happen.
Design thinking could have obviated the chaos that occurs every day. Instead, designers keep tinkering with the design without considering predicting or planning for the future.
?Design Thinking. A Definition.
Design thinking is critical but often absent. The Interaction Design Foundation provides an excellent, if complicated, definition.
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"Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems, and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. It is most useful to tackle problems that are ill-defined or unknown. In a rapidly changing world, organizations must be able to adapt and innovate quickly to survive. Design thinking is a powerful tool that can help organizations to do just that."
Focus on a few key points:
1.1. The process is iterative. Therefore, there are no quick fixes. Continuous iteration is essential to tweak designs.
1.2. The process is non-linear. Be prepared for surprises and changes in direction.
1.3. Design thinking helps tackle problems that are ill-defined or unknown. Predicting future requirements for road design can be nightmarish. The same applies to services an organization may offer.
1.4. It is continuous: an organization must constantly innovate to survive. Our world is changing fast. When I was a child, telephones did not have direct-dial facilities. Now, everyone is glued to their phones, conducting all transactions and business on their gadgets.?
Concluding Comments
I'd like to conclude by expressing a wish and a few thoughts. Design thinking is not the preserve of large corporations. It is essential for anyone in business, a sole proprietor, a small organization, private or public enterprise. Second, design thinking is a mindset, not a process. Too often, we focus on the processes, gateways, and business cases, forgetting the essential requirements of mindset and nimble thinking. My wish? I hope that sense prevails amongst those who design and maintain roads in India!
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Links
Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. (2016, May 25). What is Design Thinking (DT)?. Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/design-thinking#:~:text=00%3A00%3A33-,Design%20thinking%20is%20a,to%20do%20just%20that.,-By%20focusing%20on
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