DESIGN THINKING

“Confused about Design Thinking and how it can
help you relate the best design principles to your
flooring scheme ?You’re not alone.”

Andy Potts, Marketing for Paragon Carpets.
Design thinking isn’t one thing, but a bundle of mindsets and
philosophies all wrapped up in one term, which obviously has
the potential to lead to ambiguity and misunderstanding.
First, Andy emphasized, design thinking starts with empathy.
When designing anything meant to be used by another
person, whether that’s a lesson, curriculum, classroom layout,
or an imaginary city, the designer must understand what that
person (an ‘end-user’ in design lingo) needs.

In the case of
designing for education, for example, the designer can’t just
design a pretty building; they must think about the needs of the
people who will study there, as well as the available resources,
the budget, and the impact that building will have on the
surrounding landscape.
The design thinking philosophy requires the designer to put his
or her ego to the side and seek to meet the unmet needs, both
rational and emotional, of the user. Designers must generate
ideas-lots of ideas-and prototype them through rendering with
manufacturers something Paragon Carpets provides daily.
Most designs will fail but Design Thinking forces designers to
keep an open mind until a best fit rises to the surface putting
aside ego or emotions.