Have you ever wondered how one comes up with a genius idea? What does it take to find a lasting solution to a problem? There are many aspects involved in making a successful problem-solving product: the right audience, materials, techniques, longevity, cost, marketing and much more. Designers go through an intense education to master most of these skills. Some come with experience and learning, but a lot of it comes with observation. 

Observation is education, and yet it is often an overseen quality in today’s outspoken world. Most of us want to feel heard, seen and understood today, and this self-absorbed society has found novel ways to express itself on social media. There is no limit to how much or what you can express there. It has become essential to express, mainly because it doesn’t matter if the opinion is educated or well-researched. So a lot of us just fail to observe; because forming opinions is primary now.

We fail to understand that observation is a great tool when it comes to problem-solving. Whether it’s designing an immersive experience at a boutique hotel or your mundane day-to-day tasks, making a simple change through observation can make or break the whole deal. 

So tomorrow, pause your inner critique and start your day by making mental notes. For example, what your morning coffee is like? How does it smell? How does the texture feel on your tongue? Would you feel the same about your coffee if it were a red colour drink? What if it’s not a drink? What if coffee is an arm patch you can wear throughout the day? Will a coffee perfume give you the same energy boost?

Instead of forming opinions of what is good or bad, tomorrow, simply observe.

Read the interview about Nadia B, a painter who defines beauty and meaning in the empty spaces of a canvas. The empty spaces that she brought to us by her power of observation.