Making old things do new things
I saw this “home-made waterproofing for a power cord,” hanging from a tree by the side of the road in Beijing (China). As we can see, its primary purpose is to provide water proofing for an extension cord being used outdoors. This inspired me in a few important ways:
- Creativity in constraints – solving a problem with limited resources.
- Connecting unrelated things – linking unrelated things and developing a solution by combining them creatively.
- Learning from things around us – the solution reminded me to stay observant and learn from the many ideas and inspirations around us.
- Staying humble – this solution also nudged me to stay humble and learn from people who might not be professionals and yet be very good in solving problems. The shopkeeper who designed this is not trained in design and yet she still found a novel way to solve her problem. Great design ideas can come from anyone.
Overall, it’s uplifting to see design ideas coming alive and solving everyday problems in unexpected ways.
I love this example.
(Copied here from the Q & A forum)
Hey Jesse, Tara’s comment above points that this example can also be seen as an example for satisficing. Her comment got me thinking.
Can I conclude that satisficing is all about human tendency to be satisfied with anything/ any solution that’s ‘good enough?’
Contrast this with our desire to seek perfection and optimal outcomes. Where does this behavior sit in relation to our tendency to satisfice? Is time the only factor that determines our tendency to satisfice? In other words, if time were not a constraint will we stop satisficing?
Does this mean that (stereotype alert) Germans and Japanese satisfice less than other cultures? Does this mean that engineers satisfice less than salesmen?
Sorry, this question is not tight enough, I’m still thinking through all this. We can discuss more on Monday. Thanks
Hi Saurabh, Thanks for sharing what inspires you (and thanks Tara for commenting). You said it that great design ideas can come from anywhere/anyone. So one hand, there’s value in understanding the principles of design, practicing, etc. and your example also suggests to remain open to possibilities, including “unschooling ourselves” often to think more laterally. I look forward to seeing how you might tie in these 4 ideas in your work going forward.
Thanks Krithika
I love this. I wondered if it was also an example of satisficing. 🙂
Yeah, that’s a great way of looking at it. It sure is satisficing in the physical world. You made me think about satisficing in a new way, i.e. outside the world of software interfaces and digital products.