Prof. Banny’s lecture on Design Thinking was very engaging. I liked how he proved a point about stimulating the brain when presented an uncommon scenario and how a common item can be used in an uncommon way. For his example, we imagined a scenario where we were trapped inside a burning house, locked in a room, and brainstormed to use a chair to break through a window (ordinary items that became tools for survival). Design thinking can break loose conventional ways to thinking through a problem.
Moreover, I liked how he emphasized about understanding the perspective of the user of the product and learning to frame the right question. We like to design what the product should be from our own perspective rather than ask and understand what the needs of the user are. To make a lasting impact, we have to design with the user in mind, targeting the right problem. As Banny said, the stakes are too high to design something marginally useful. In the coming weeks, I hope to research more about how farmers use food storage systems and the asking the right questions to find the right problem.
Stanford Anam City Project | Nigeria 