How I've Been Cultivating My Design?Voice

“You shouldn’t have to give up your voice to be heard”

I saw the little mermaid this weekend and it was amazing.?

10 over 10, I would recommend!

One line that struck me was “You shouldn’t have to give up your voice to be heard”. It’s very easy for your voice to get lost in the mundane of everyday work and all the external activities encroaching in. Lately, I’ve been realising and listening to my voice again, in every aspect of my life and especially in my design journey.

While at the moment I am not sure what to call the process that my brain goes through when it solves a problem…creative problem-solving perhaps. (I have an interesting article I wrote a few years ago on the Mindset of a problem-solver ).?

“Design” is the closest description I could get to it.

Here are a few things I do to cultivate my design?voice:

Finding and exploring your mode of self-expression:?

Design is creating requirements in different forms. Other forms of art and expression often follow similar principles to designing. From writing poetry to cooking to drawing to photography…I’ve been exploring more of my creative outlets. I find this helps me build confidence in my process.

Immersing myself in the problem?space:?

I find that the more I immerse myself into the problem space, the more I can think critically, intuitively and creatively about it. Whether it’s watching videos on the topic or talking about it every chance I get, when I’m fully meshed in a problem space, my brain breaks it apart to the very mechanics. From the chaos, one can find patterns that bring order; this is a big part of my design process.

Talking to other designers, creatives and problem-solvers you relate?to:?

I’m a firm believer that you can only go so far alone. Talking to other designers, creatives and problem-solvers I respect always energises me in a way I cannot explain. I learn so much and get so excited talking about the possibilities and intricacies of the human experience and this universe.

Looking for new and unusual sources of inspiration:?

Design inspiration comes from the most unusual sources. Isaac Newton found his hypothesis for gravity while taking a nap. It’s very easy to get stuck in a routine, taking the time to observe the details of the things around me helps me step out from the box. While I’d like to give examples of unusual sources of inspiration, I think that defeats the purpose as it’s highly contextual. The key is to keep an open and observant mind, you’d be surprised how interconnected different ideas can be.

Making time for?Play:?

Playing is so important, it relaxes and energises you. It’s been found that play improves cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being. Play encourages imagination and confidence and through play, we learn about ourselves and the world. Play can be anything to you; for me it’s physical/combat sports and activities, problem-solving quizzes, card games, online multiplayer games etc.

Meditation and?Nature:?

I love a good walk especially because walking in nature promotes divergent thinking. Most of my A-Ha! moments come to me when I’m just sitting by a bench, enjoying the fresh air and observing my environment.?

Give yourself the permission to?fail:?

The fear of failure is the biggest hindrance to trying. Allow yourself to experiment, and make sure to reassure and validate yourself when those fears come. In the words of my favourite Disney princess Fa Mulan “You’re at peace because you know, it’s OK to be afraid”.

Designing without a purpose or goal in?mind:?

You can only design as much as you know and can communicate. This isn’t to replace the process of researching and understanding a problem but to build a routine and habit of spotting and communicating design details. I give myself a design task and try to replicate with some inspiration.?

Writing down your thoughts and?ideas:

Another process I consciously try to maintain is typing or writing down any random ideas I have. I created a Notion page dedicated for random ideas, when I have a moment of reflection, I take note of it. Documenting your thoughts allows you to keep track of, review, iterate and share them.

This article started off as a skeleton idea I wrote 2 weeks ago. Now, after seeing The Little Mermaid and talking to friends, I got more inspiration to flesh it out.

Listening to yourself and speaking?up:?

There’s no point developing your design voice if you don’t listen to and trust yourself. This might be the most important point; learning to trust your intuition along with data. The worst that can happen is you get it wrong but you learn and iterate. Isn’t it that what design thinking is about; experimenting, learning and iterating?

This is what has worked for me so far. These are things that make me feel connected to myself and the world around me. My process is also very influenced by my extrovertedly intuitive personality and how my neurodivergent brain is wired.

Your process might be different but hopefully these inspire you to consider more ways you can cultivate your design voice and problem-solving skills.?

Sounds cliche but remember your voice is within you. Cultivate it and don’t let anyone take it from you!