A closer look at the design process
I said that I applied the design process to solve my health issue. It is true, but explaining the process may be beneficial because behind its fancy name hides something quite simple. There are a few steps in the process, and many more can be added. In the simplest form, it comes down to (a) preparing something, (b) testing it or trying to use it, (c) learning from it, and finally (d) making changes to the original, closing the circle—or, in the design language, the feedback loop. Repeat the steps until the satisfactory result. That's it. Very simple.
I use it all the time. For example, when I needed bookshelves, I started with a piece of paper, sketching how the shelves would look. Next, I created a little mockup with a bit of cardboard to see what depth would feel nice. Since making and installing a test product before I was happy with the result was out of the question, I cheated using Photoshop. After taking a few photos of where the shelves would go, I Photoshped in the shelves with some books on them. It helped me to see the proportions, the depth of each bookshelf, and finally, to calculate the amount of material needed. The rest was easy - the first unit was installed in the living area of the house. Then, I applied all the lessons I learned to construct the second unit that was added to the den area by the kitchen. Imagine, design, build, learn, and redesign if needed. Repeat.
It was no different when I tried to use it inside my Health by Design Project. For instance, it took about a month or so to figure out a few options for breakfast that would satisfy my needs and tastes. But it took two years to finally got to where we are now in the breakfast design. Every day we tried to alter our granola or the warm organic oatmeal - another option worth exploring. So in my case, the taste was the secondary objective, still important but not critical. Instead, I looked at the ingredients, especially the sugar amount and the nutritional value. Unfortunately, the feedback was not instantaneous, as with the bookshelf project. Before trying something new, I had to wait a few days to see how my body responded. And last but not least, I had to consider the rest of my family. Although getting better was the overarching goal, I also wanted to enjoy our breakfast together and cooking something different only for me did not feel right.
To be honest, after a few ideas that did not work, it was a process of finding a substitute or eliminating an ingredient. Early in my recovery process, I would add some organic, plant-based milk to my granola. My wife would eat the same granola without the milk. Later, we both tried to add a few spoons of organic yogurt. In the next iteration, we opted for a few teaspoons of organic apple sauce. And finally, while keeping the apple sauce, now we mix with it half of a teaspoon of organic, dry blueberry powder. At some point during my yogurt phase, I added half a teaspoon of organic Moringa powder and mixed it well before adding granola. After removing yogurt from my diet, I would mix organic Moringa powder with a quarter glass of water and drink it - I don't mind the horseradish taste. I do the same with organic barley grass powder. However, it is definitely an "acquired taste" - the flavour is nasty.
Overall, under a name that may be a bit intimidating, it is a very simple process that people have used for thousands of years. The first Design Thinker was the guy in the cave improving his stone axe, at least to me.
Find out why I got sick and how "incurable" became "curable."
