Above is a photo of where we had our Chicago ux book club discussion. Wow it was awesome.
Below are my visual notes from the lively discussion.
My Top 12 ideas or quotes from the book
pxv
First, design is imagining a future and working toward it with intelligence and cleverness. Second, design is a practice built upon making things for other people.
p24
We can get closer to the wisdom of other people by having them explain their decisions – not just in How they were executed, but Why they were made.
p33
My work was flat, because it was missing the spark that comes from creating something you believe in for someone you care about. This is the source of the highest craft, because an affection for the audience produces the care necessary to make the work well.
p39
I find the best way to gain momentum is to think of the worst possible way to tackle the project . . . every idea you have after these will be better.
p54
Magicians don’t just create new things, they invent new ways of doing so.
p56
… our Henry Fords, our Billie Holidays, our Guttenbergs, Disneys, and Marie Curies – do not stand on the inside of what is possible and push; they imagine what is just outside of what we deem possible and pull us towards their vision of what is better.
p62
The best way to describe design is that it seeks to connect things by acting as a bridge between them . . . the design of a restaurant is meant to fuse with the chef’s culinary approach to create a more provocative and full dinning experience for the eater.
p64
Design can speak the tongue of art with the force of commerce.
p73
The primary purpose of the design is to have it do something particular, not be any particular thing … design is a field of outcomes and consequences more than one of artifacts.
p77
the best design has to offer much more than making problems go away … additive forces … it help us live well by producing and elevating new kinds of value, such as engagement, participation, and happiness … at its root, is simple people making useful things for other people.
p91
There are two successful outcomes when a design focuses on its audience: resonance [stories] and engagement [frameworks].
p91
“What if the audience is smarter than I am?” … it seems silly to not have a way to gather their thoughts, opinions, and proposed solutions.