How my cat taught me to be a better designer
A 6 month old feline that taught me how to approach complex problems in an innovative way.
Article inspired by Design thinking lessons from our cats
Meet Kiwi. A 6 month old feline that taught me how to approach complex problems in an innovative way.
After spontaneously adopting her from the humane society, I soon came to the realization that my part time job, which paid $13.25 per hour, would make it difficult for both of us to live a lavish lifestyle. I couldn’t afford to get her those playhouses that costed a sh*t load of money for absolutely no reason.
So I took it upon myself to put my design and engineering hat on and to create one for her (little did I know what I signed up for).
After careful observation I have learned a few key methodologies that can be used in my own day to day life when it comes to problem solving.
Design thinking is a deep understanding of the problems and realities of the people you are designing for — IDEO’s Human-Centred Design Toolkit
In order to create meaningful experiences, you need to understand the needs of your users, and how they think and feel.
… but how does this design thinking apply to my cat?
Here are 3 design principles that can be extracted from my experience:
Lesson #1: Building empathy with your users
Design thinking requires a deep level of empathy for the users you’re designing for. By observing your users and talking to them, you can learn a lot about their expectations, behaviours, motivations and attitudes.
In the first few weeks of adopting Kiwi, I observed a few things about her. She’s a curious explorer, a ball of energy, and a bit of a daredevil. If she fits, she sits. No matter how ambitious she may be, she will always manage to make room for herself — or at least try to. Cats are curious by nature and are eager to explore the world around them. Kiwi is alway finding interesting spots to hang out in. She can be spotted sitting on a bookshelf, chilling in the linen closet or sleeping in a shoe in the middle of a party. She likes cozy little corners where she can snuggle in. Fresh laundry, fuzzy scarves, and even comfy blankets are her favourite spots. She tends to smell everything she finds interesting, and carefully roams around in circles around objects that are ‘unknown’ such as a vacuum cleaner … *sigh*
In order to build a playhouse she would enjoy, it would need to:
- feed her curiosity
- allow her to explore
- provide cozy dark corners
Takeaway: Building empathy with your users; whether a human or a cat, allows us to put aside our own preconceived ideas and understand the ideas, thoughts and needs of our users instead. Empathy is key in the design process as it gives us the ability to see the world through other people’s eyes, to see what they see, feel what they feel, and experience things as they do.
Lesson #2: Fail fast, recover faster
It’s okay to not get it right in the first few tries. It’s an iterative process
Like any good designer knows, there’s no better way to test your idea than to get it out of your head, and put it in front of your users. Build, measure, learn. Repeat. Keep iterating till you get it right.
After a few sketches, I set out to build an MVP (Minimum Viable Product). I wanted to test my assumptions.
Iteration # 1: Two cardboard boxes joined to create a tunnel.
Usability test: I placed Kiwi in front of the tunnel. I waited and observed how she interacted with it.
Result: She looked at it, but was not interested.
Learning: Maybe she doesn’t know what to do with it? Maybe it wasn’t as engaging for her? If this was a usability test with a human, I could have probed for clarity. I assume this is what designing for little kids must be like. You don’t always have the luxury to ask follow up questions or seek clarification. You have to be very observant and make intelligent inferences.
Iteration # 2: 4 cardboard boxes in the shape of an “L”, to add complexity to the tunnel.
Usability test: I placed Kiwi in front of the tunnel. She was inquisitive. She went half way inside the tunnel, but she didn’t know where to go. She was confused.
Learning: It wasn’t clear to her how she can interact with the structure. She needed cues, signals to indicate what she can do.
“Affordances define what actions are possible. Signifiers specify how people discover those possibilities: signifiers are signs, perceptible
signals of what can be done. Signifiers are of far more importance to designers than are affordances.”
― Donald A. Norman, The Design of Everyday Things
Iteration # 3: 4 cardboard boxes in the shape of an “L”, to form a tunnel. Holes cut out to let light in, and to allow her to peek outside.
Usability test: I placed Kiwi in front of the tunnel. She went inside, explored, and poked her tiny paws out of the “windows” in the tunnel. I poked my fingers from the outside, and we played “whack-a-mole” for a bit. Kiwi successfully got through the tunnel. When she got out, she jumped on top.
Learning: The “windows” provided an opportunity for interaction. I didn’t expect her to jump on top. Interesting.
Iteration # 4: Added a second level to the existing structure. Holes were created to allow quick access between the two tunnels.
Usability test: I placed Kiwi in front of the tunnel. She navigated the playhouse on her own, jumping between levels.
Learning: Success!
Takeaway: Fail fast, recover faster is a mindset that is committed to iterating. Failing without learning is wasted time and effort. However, capturing and understanding what you’ve learned, and acting upon the new knowledge to drive results is failing smart.
Lesson #3: From ideas to action, understanding the nuances
Iteration # 5: (Because there’s always room for improvement) Added bells, feathers, and fuzzy carpet in the tunnel to add moments of delight.
Usability test: Kiwi was obsessed with her new playhouse! She came out for food and occasional snuggles.
Learning: Go beyond the basic expectation. Add moments of delight when possible.
“Basic Expectations: The bad frustrates, yet the good doesn’t impress. ― Jared Spool, The Kano Model.
Takeaway: Once the basic expectations have been met, the users are satisfied, it’s important to identify areas of improvement. Paying attention to details is critical. It is what makes an experience go from satisfactory to delightful. Details create the delight. This is what makes an experience memorable.
Participatory Design
By involving Kiwi in the design of her playhouse, I was able to create something that fit her needs. By observing her, I was able to develop the requirements for the playhouse. By testing with her I was able to learn and iterate on the MVP. As a designer, understanding these nuances helped me gain empathy, which helped shaped the product.
UX mantra of “you are not your user” has never been more appropriate. We can learn so much by observing to our users, and involving them in the design process.
… so what does this all mean?
Design thinking is an approach to innovation that is based on the foundation of constant learning. This iterative approach to designing solutions can be applied to almost anything; even in designing a playhouse for my cat.
This process not only ensures that the products are usable, but are also valuable and even delightful. It’s seeking to go far beyond understanding what users want to truly uncovering why they want it.
Check out my portfolio at kslicecreative.com
