Why am I studying design thinking?

I am not a design student.

I don't have fantasies of designing cars or clothes. I am sitting here and unable to even think of the name of a luxury brand.

I am an Army Officer - Defence Project ICT Manager, Product Owner and all-round fix-it person. I make shit happen. So why am I studying Design Thinking and Creative Intelligence? At the beginning of this week, I would have said - it is a core subject.

Oh did I mention, I am honest?

About ME

Twenty years ago, I was a Drama, History and English Teacher. I love art. I have an expensive collection. Before children and the idea of kids painting my walls with my pastels, I use to paint abstract and watercolours. The idea of doing a design subject now is overwhelming.

My lightbulb moment

At first, I wasn't sure I would get anything from this subject. After reading the assessments and module blurbs, I was more confused. Then I started to piece the puzzle - the design. This is exactly why I am studying a Masters of Digital Transformation and Creative Intelligence.

I want to use this subject to fix a work problem. I want to redesign a part of my software that is ineffective and breaches security settings. I want to create a user-friendly function that can be used by different schools around the country and make people think this is worth it. I want to turn black and white and useless into colour and functional.

Research and ideas

I have been reading about UI designer Jide Lambo from Finland. He works on creating branding that describes the cohesion of the elements. He tries to join both mobile and web versions together to continue the branding for cloud-based applications. This is super important for me in my job.

I believe that branding and continuing the design style across the entire product range is crucial and creates a sense of professionalism and continuity for the user. My software has continual branding and colour scheme. My UI is also the same for both iPad and web browsers. This makes use so much easier to track business process mapping, as it is heavily workflow and data input centric.

Usability

Usability is the key!! While Andy Budd describes the importance of UX and usability so important.

Wire-framing is not just a step, but it is a method to the end state of success. Proper planning, stakeholder engagement and UI testing done right will ensure that the time invested is worth the effort. However, I still wonder do I need persuasive design as he discusses. Is it an oxymoron when the user is in the military? Don't we just order them to use it?

Because my software is heavily business process driven, I had to ensure that no matter the device, the usability has to be logical and functional. I need to ensure that my stakeholder's different business processes are considered and the most suitable enterprise solution can be built. This is a big concern for the final assessment.

Why design?

So, back to the beginning, why I am studying design thinking and creative intelligence?

I still don't want to be a "designer". I don't want to invent the first flying backpack or the next luxury dress. I am studying design because I have real-life problems. I plan to use this subject to research and build a solution to my current design disaster!!

I am excited to take my pile of mess and turn it into something beautiful.