Image Credit: Funky64

“The least questioned assumptions are often the most questionable” -Paul Broca

The most lethal element when forced into the design equation can be summed up in a single word:

Assumption.

It is during the earliest stages of the Design process that assumptions do the most damage.  If you assume something early on it may not seem like an issue. 

Think about a protractor.  The difference one degree makes is seemingly insignificant up close.  However, as the lines extend just a few feet and the separation becomes apparent.  Extend those lines a mile and the difference is insurmountable. The same can be said about a design resting on a foundation of assumptions.

To correctly attack business design you need to clear the slate.  100%.  Start with the fundamentals, the bare bones minimum.  There is a good chance the question you were attempting to answer, the problem you were attempting to solve, or the path you were aiming towards is a few degrees off from the solution.

Assume nothing, and ask yourself: What assumptions am I making right now?

A light video to kick the week off.  I show you in 4 (admittedly lengthy) minutes how I saved $230 dollars on tools to improve brainstorming. 

Once you watch the video head over to this 5 second poll and cast your vote for which is better: whiteboards or chalk boards.

t(h)ink on.

Image Credit: davepearson

... (just) aesthetics

This is not just Graphic Design. This is not simply the visual elements of an object.  However, it is certainly as elegant, as beautiful, and arguably more important.  Instead of focusing on how a form will function, Business Design focuses on how a function will form.... 

... perfection

There is a misconception that for something to be designed well it needs to perform without error.  The reality is that errors happen, often.  Too often there are more variables than can be accounted for. Good Business design creates systems with a sort of pseudo redundancy. (More on this next week)

... going away

Trends change, resources deplete, and consumer demand shifts. No matter what your position, field, or industry if you embrace Business Design thinking... you will thrive. Some call them creative, crazy, or both; I call them t(h)inkers. 

Are you a t(h)inker?