Design Thinking in Everyday Life
I recently moved out of my house to cut down on the rent and decided to move in with my boyfriend as I now work from home due to the pandemic. My boyfriend and I flew down to the city, and we had only a weekend to get tons of stuff done. I spent the whole weekend running errands, chatting with random strangers to sell all my furniture on the Facebook marketplace. I wish I had taken a time-lapse of the move-in and move out experience. It was insane. I successfully managed to sell most of the big stuff. We packed my suitcases and were on our last legs to get rid of the remainder.
As we look around my house, we saw scattered things all over the floor. Random mix from staples to utensils, rice cooker, art supplies, bags, clothes, and a plant. We were guilty that we were letting it go to waste. We didn’t have any option other than letting it go.
____________________________________________________________
We were blaming each other that we could have planned ahead of time, donated, or figured out alternatives. We headed to UPS to buy a carton box for the miscellaneous stuff.
Now we have a box that’s full to the brim with random stuff. We checked out my apartment mailroom, where the residents have put up items for give away. The items spend weeks and months in that room without getting noticed. I was worried about all my stuff being thrown to the garbage can! Then I thought, why don’t I apply design thinking to everyday life.
Problem: Worried that our box and plant will go to waste if left unattended.
How might we increase the chances of someone taking our box and plant?
Just like in Design Thinking, instead of getting discouraged about roadblocks, think about the problem in reverse. As we looked at the box, I thought, why don’t we reframe it. How might we make it fun, exciting, and inviting enough for someone to take it?
