This is a series of thought maps of my design process done for D100 (Design Thinking). Each of my thought maps shows influence from the three most important people in my life, my mom, my dad, and my best friend I grew up alongside. They each help to tell a story about how my design process has come to be.
The first map is influenced by my Star Wars loving father, a man who tends to look at things as very black or white. As Yoda once said, and as my father loves to repeat, “Do or do not. There is no try”. This directly influences my logical mindset. Thinking in Yes or No terms, one approach is always somehow better than the other, and there is always a correct answer.
My second map is influenced by my closest friend, someone I have always competed with and who has taught me that there is little point to comparing one’s self to others. Although we have constantly measured up to one another over the years, as we’ve grown it has become increasingly clear that there is little point to measuring one’s worth this way. In this way, my intuitive thinking has grown, as instead of looking around at other’s work and success, I first act based on what I feel is correct for the situation.
My third map is influenced by my mother and her often repeated mantra: “Butt in chair”. As a child, my mother always stressed the importance of ritual and routine. Her mantra quickly translates to “Get to work, and keep working”. With one’s butt firmly planted in their chair, it becomes easy to produce iteration after iteration. From here, I can use my own judgement and meaningful thinking to interpret what merits each iteration has, drawing from each draft and slowly evolving my product.
Finally, we have the composite mind map, featuring my abstraction of my design process.
