Observing the Ordinary can make you “Super Normal”


ObservinginthegreathallA design tip from Tim Brown of IDEO…
Once a Day, Deeply Observe the Ordinary.
Good design thinkers observe. Great design thinkers observe the ordinary.

Make it a rule that at least once a day you will stop and take a second look at some ordinary situation that you would normally look at only once (or not at all)—as if you were a detective at a crime scene. Be curious about the familiar things we normally take for granted. Why are manhole covers round? Why is my teenager heading off to school dressed like that? How do I know how far back I should stand from the person in front of me in line?

If we immerse ourselves in what Naoto Fukasawa and Jasper Morrison call “the Super-Normal,” we can gain uncanny insights into the unwritten rules that guide us through life.

Try it today. What did you observe today?

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