#ivoke

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Zain Ashraf Mughal

Zain Ashraf Mughal is an outstanding Pakistani when we talk about youth who have contributed something of significance in the world of social entrepreneurs. Zain is the brains of Seed Out, a registered Non-Profit organization that helps in micro finance the people who are left in the dust, the people who are too poor to reach out to social media outlets or crowd funding for their ventures. Seed…

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1/2 of 2nd Lec: A process for ideas + design

In the second lecture of this course, a speaker called Glenn Smith came to talk about his job as a designer for a company called ivoke.

"ivoke is an ideas company. We are an energetic, multidisciplinary team who work directly with our clients to turn creative thinking into profitable, market ready products and services." ivoke's website introduction.

It was interesting and I look forward to different speakers in the future. Glenn talked alot about the process ivoke goes through to come up with ideas. It's amusing to think that even though design is part of a process there is a process for design-which just makes me think that the process for ideas could be infinite like the effect of placing one mirror in front of the other.

The first slide of his presentation simply said, "Open"

Before the lecture ofically started I already began mulling about what it could mean while others beside me chatted away. 'Why choose 'open' as a word to begin with? Why not 'start' or 'go'? Could this imply something? It's simple...and reminds me Aladdin for some reason. Open sesame...Is he implying that we have to unlock something?' It went on, and as a habit I didn't come to a set conclusion nor did I want to because he was bound to tell us anyway. And he did.

Glen explained he put that slide there because he wanted people to be open minded, open to different ideas. This is what ivoke does as a company. They're job is to transform existing things in terms of use for companies to gain an advantage on the market against other products. Styling-where they aim to make something aesthetically pleasing whether or not it is useful or practical in that way this is mainly for commercialism once again. [depends the product as well, I suppose]

They also embrace failure and test ideas early on using low-cost methods. This is understandable. Referring back to my odd example in my first post,it makes obvious sense. Simply put: To compete through designs to gain market dominance.

Now more onto the process. ivoke's approach is set in three stages.

One: to identify the needs and the markets wants.

Two: to think is to build upon the 'identify' step and create ideas to form solutions

Three: to create the chosen solution generated in the 'think' step then creating it.

The process is simple to follow and allows success. It's seems like 'common sense' thinking. We do this a lot in our lives already without realizing it. I suppose the more aware of the process you go through the better the process will be in future.

He mentions the 'double diamond', one of the design processes. The first stage involves divergent thinking in the broadest sense in creating choices. By the middle stage there is the 'brief' when you can start to see what direction your going in. Next a more convergent outlook in making choices. By doing these three things it should result in an outcome, where you have gained a lot of knowledge and information required for making or changing something. [This is probably more related to ivokes' approach.]

Put simply it's just creating choices and making choices to attain a desired outcome. This combination of divergent and convergent thinking is smart and efficient.

Glenn then briefly talks about design strategies. Writing one down can help clarify thoughts and coincidently find flaws in what was initially thought as good. Another tool for the process? Obviously, though it would be more so in the later stages.

Collaboration is the next on the agenda, stating no one designs anything. Even if you are drawing, for example, a dragon, you would have been influenced to draw that dragon a certain way and have a reason why you drew it at all. I suppose he was also referring to working with other people.

History, personality, experiences, disciplines, evidence, capabilities and so on. Two people? Double the resources and ideas. Nothing is original, it's more of how you execute ideas in this current society.

"Thinking is your greatest asset" is

I'd have to agree with this statement. We wouldn't be the humans we are today without the power of our minds. Thinking is something you can do anywhere. Creating stories, artworks and other such things can all take place in your mind.  Of course what you know and learned from experience would greatly influence what takes place in your mind how you would think.

Near the end of the lecture he started concluding with things he wanted us to take away from this.

To immersive. In life and opportunities.

To absorb & ask. [Do this enough to the point of driving people insane without the 'absorb' part].

To record. Ideas, observations and questions via any media. 

Lastly be open minded to possibilities and ideas for 24 hours.

...

There is always lucid dreaming.