The Necessity of Diverse Mindsets in Design

To better understand the landscape of significant challenges, emerging technologies, and opportunities, we can reference VAExperience's recent discussion titled "The Future of UX."

Solutions evolve alongside technological advancements and changes in our lifestyles. They are fundamentally grounded in addressing core human issues. Notably, trends such as the gig economy, cashless transactions, smart cities, and enhanced mobility have gained traction over the past decade and will continue to shape our future. The progression from traditional phone banking to mobile payment solutions illustrates the evolution of responses to similar challenges. As a designer, you will likely engage with one or more of these areas to enhance human experiences.

Designers are inherently linked to the emerging technologies that influence how individuals perceive and interact with the world. User experience design adopts a user-centered approach, yielding varied impacts based on the application of methods and the framing of problems. Often, our role is to leverage the available technologies while adapting to diverse business priorities.

A designer’s mindset requires a harmonious blend of optimism and realism. Excessive optimism may lead to aimlessness, while an overly pragmatic approach risks neglecting essential human truths and broader contexts.

Understanding Your Five Key Mindsets

To assess this balance, we can utilize the 3I model—Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation—created by IDEO in 2001. Adopting a designer's mindset involves envisioning bold ideas, experimenting, and being open to frequent failures. This model aligns with the classic design thinking framework's five steps: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test, reinterpreted to align with the strategic designer's thought process.

According to IDEO, effective designers embody empathy, optimism, iteration, creativity, and an acceptance of ambiguity. Central to design thinking is the commitment to human-centered practices, which underscore the importance of understanding the individuals we serve, as well as our own identities as designers.

By examining the doer-thinker dichotomy through the lens of design thinking, we can identify five distinct mindset types related to each step of the design process:

• Empathize = Listener
• Define = Thinker
• Ideate = Dreamer
• Prototype = Maker
• Test and Share = Talker

These five mindsets represent crucial skills vital for future success, captured in 56 distinct talent elements (DELTAs) identified by the McKinsey Global Institute. Each mindset plays a role at each stage of the design process, though their emphasis may differ among designers. Importantly, these qualities are interconnected, not isolated.

Let's explore the contributions of each mindset to the design process:

• Listener: Empathy is a crucial skill that is increasingly valued (Google). Active listening fosters empathy, requiring curiosity and a willingness to understand others' perspectives. Listeners are open to feedback and eager to learn from their experiences.

> “Hearing is listening to what’s said. Listening is hearing what isn’t said.” — Simon Sinek

• Thinker: Thinkers strive for the most effective solutions through careful analysis and logical reasoning. They prioritize concepts and are attentive to potential critiques during the planning phase.

> “A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan.” — Greg Reid

• Dreamer: Dreamers challenge the status quo by adopting new perspectives. They recognize that questioning daily assumptions can lead to unexpected insights. Futures Thinking exemplifies this by envisioning future scenarios to inform present decisions.

> “In the past, everyone wanted to innovate. Now, everyone needs to innovate.” — Dr. Frederik G. Pferdt, Chief Innovation Evangelist at Google

• Maker: It's often said that an idea is only considered outlandish until it is realized. Makers excel in navigating uncertainty and ambiguity, taking calculated risks to foster innovation through iterative learning.

> “The greatest skill one can develop is decreasing the time between idea and execution.” — Dan Koe

• Talker: Effective communication transcends merely stating desires; it ensures that others understand our intentions. The ability to engage others with your ideas is a critical skill that can lead to lasting influence.

> “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.” — Steve Jobs

Assessing Your UX Personality Profile

During a recent design meeting, I facilitated a workshop with product designers of diverse strengths and backgrounds. We acknowledged that our workplace personas could evolve in response to our interests, current projects, and the surrounding environment. Each designer interprets experiences differently, influencing their interests, values, and motivations.

Participants were tasked with creating two diagrams: one representing their aspirational self and another illustrating the mindset combinations they employ in their current work. This exercise revealed distinct patterns shaped by their individual experiences. Three common combinations emerged:

• Dreamer + Talker: These individuals are passionate about inspiring others with innovative ideas. They can identify megatrends and view problems from unique angles, fostering open-mindedness within their teams to develop important concepts collaboratively. They recognize that a significant challenge in the design process lies not in ideation but in garnering support for their visions.
• Listener + Thinker: These individuals are strategic researchers and planners who delve deeply into problems to grasp their full complexity. A key objective is to align organizational goals with audience needs, acting as a bridge between the two by enhancing communication.
• Dreamer + Maker: These individuals seamlessly transition from ideation to action. Their creative drive and passion for change enable them to lead by doing, utilizing rapid prototyping to balance idealism with pragmatism, while also motivating others to leverage their strengths in creative processes.

None of these combinations are inherently superior to others; each personality type can uniquely contribute to or lead a project. Your background, interests, and individual characteristics play a significant role in determining the type of projects and organizational cultures that resonate with you. As you gain experience and explore new passions, your UX personality may evolve.

Ultimately, one truth remains: understanding yourself enhances your problem-solving effectiveness. Take a moment to reflect on your own mindset combination and how it shapes your approach to identifying and addressing challenges.