Why Context Matters for Designers

“Just make it more appealing.” “Work your magic.” “I just need a graphic for…” “Can you pretty this up?”

If your eye is twitching, you’re probably a Designer. (If not, then... you might have said something along those lines before.)

Good design is more than just selecting colours and a pretty layout. Many may already know that, but I still hear these lines from just about everyone who isn’t a designer.

Although said with good intentions, these statements often stem from a lack of understanding of the craft and process. It’s not their job to know the full process, but it is their job to provide all the information necessary to get the job done.

What I’m saying is: please stop throwing projects over the fence to designers and expecting them to do something with nothing.        

Even designers need context, discussion, and are likely to have questions. Good design is based on principles and discovery. 'Design thinking' is an approach employed to understand the right problem to solve so that we may find the right solution to that problem.

What is Design Thinking?

Design Thinking is a problem-solving methodology that encourages creative and innovative thinking to address complex challenges. It is user-centric, focusing on understanding the needs, behaviors, and experiences of end-users or audiences.

Most definitions and descriptions of Design Thinking are very product design-focused, but it doesn’t stop there. As it suggests, it’s a problem-solving methodology. Every design seeks to solve a problem.

• Presentation design: Seeks to educate, persuade, or engage an audience.
• Advertising design: Aims to sell a product or service or change the perception of a brand.
• Web design: Strives to improve the online user experience.
• Environmental design: Integrates architectural and graphic elements to enhance physical environments.

While these are generalized examples, problems can and will be more specific depending on the project.

What are the key stages of Design Thinking?

1. Empathize: Understand users and their needs through observation, engagement, and immersion. This stage involves gathering insights into users' experiences and challenges.
2. Define: Clearly articulate the problem by synthesizing information gathered during the Empathize stage. This involves creating a problem statement that guides the design process.
3. Ideate: Generate a wide range of ideas and potential solutions through brainstorming and creative thinking techniques. The goal is to explore many possibilities and think outside the box.
4. Prototype (or Drafts): Create tangible representations of selected ideas. Prototypes can be simple sketches, models, or interactive simulations that allow for hands-on experimentation.
5. Test: Evaluate prototypes with real users, gathering feedback and making necessary adjustments. This stage is iterative, often requiring multiple rounds of prototyping and testing to refine solutions.

Why is context so important for designers?

Context is the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular situation or event. It's crucial for designers because it influences how they apply design thinking principles and rules and how they communicate with their audience.

Context is integral to the first two stages of Design Thinking: empathizing with the audience and defining the problem.

It’s not just about one piece of collateral in isolation. Designers want to know: What were they doing before they saw it? How and when will they encounter the message? What do we want them to think, feel, or do as a result?

Even if it’s not a physical product or an app, there's a user/audience/customer journey to consider.

This is what good design is made of.

How does context shape communication and the reader’s journey?

The reader's journey is the sequence of steps or actions taken from encountering communication to completing a desired outcome.

Context shapes communication and the reader’s journey by influencing how communication is perceived, interpreted, and responded to. For example, context can determine:

• The tone and style of communication: Formal or informal, serious or humorous, simple or complex, direct or indirect, etc.
• The format and medium of communication: Print or digital, static or dynamic, linear or nonlinear, etc.
• The content and structure of communication: Types and amounts of information, organizational approaches like chronological or logical, etc.
• The interaction and feedback of communication: Passive or active, one-way or two-way, synchronous or asynchronous, etc.

Context is the foundation upon which meaningful design stands.

It's not just the backdrop but the catalyst shaping every creative decision and interaction. For designers, understanding context means grasping the nuances of a problem, the aspirations of an audience, and the intricacies of a journey from encounter to outcome. It's about empathizing deeply with the audience, defining clear objectives, and ideating solutions that resonate within specific environments. Whether crafting a presentation to engage minds or designing an environment to inspire, context provides the framework for effective communication and guides the reader through a narrative tailored to their needs.

Ultimately, embracing context empowers designers to not just create but to connect meaningfully with those they aim to serve, ensuring that every design endeavor is purposeful, impactful, and relevant.