We live in a world that often values predictability. But what if we embraced the unexpected? Challenge Card 021 from the Arplaytecture deck challenges us to shift our perspective: “As if you were a child, let yourself be surprised and inspired by unexpected user-related discoveries.”
This fresh approach can help us eliminate assumptions and lead to innovative solutions.
The Challenge Card 021 can be used in the five stages of the design thinking process: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. Let’s explore how to apply it in each of them.
Empathise: Look for Contradictions and Unexpected Insights
The first step is to observe and empathise with the users of your solution. Here’s where the card’s advice takes centre stage:
When you spot a contradiction between what you see and what you expect, it’s a sign that you should dig deeper.1
For example, if you’re designing a park and notice that users avoid sitting in sunny spots even when benches are placed there, ask yourself why. Could you surprise them by designing shade solutions that serve as playful elements, like living tree canopies or interactive installations?
Approach the project with a childlike curiosity, and let unexpected patterns inspire your process.
Define: Frame the Problem Around Surprise
Once you’ve uncovered user insights, it’s time to define the design challenge. But instead of focusing on conventional solutions, shift your perspective to embrace the unexpected.
For example, instead of asking, “How can we make this library more functional?” try asking, “How can this library inspire joy and curiosity in ways users don’t expect?”
Surprises often come from reframing the problem itself. By removing assumptions, you’ll open yourself to innovative ideas.
Ideate: Brainstorm Playful Surprises
This is where the fun truly begins! With a focus on surprises, ideate as if you were a child. What playful, unexpected elements can transform a user’s experience?
You can identify where expectations contradict reality and brainstorm how to use these moments to delight users.
Or ask yourself what’s the wildest, most imaginative twist you can add to a traditional design?
For example, could a quiet café suddenly reveal secret “playrooms” behind rotating bookshelves? Could a staircase surprise users by becoming a musical instrument as they step on it?
Let go of limitations and explore bold possibilities.
Prototype: Test Surprises in Small Steps
Bring your most promising ideas to life by capturing the essence of the surprise. For example:
You can build a physical miniature version of a surprising design element, like a bench that turns into a seesaw when pressure is applied.
Or, use simple materials or digital tools to create an experience mockup. This walkthrough experience will show users how they might interact with the surprise.
The goal is to understand how the surprise will impact users—and whether it inspires delight or confusion. Keep the playful spirit alive!
Test: Observe the Reactions
Finally, test your prototype with real users. Observe their expressions and actions: Did they notice the surprise? Did it spark joy, curiosity, or engagement? How could the design be refined to maximise the payoff of the unexpected?
Iterate on your findings, allowing the feedback to enhance the surprise factor while ensuring functionality.
The Power of the Unexpected
By focusing on surprises, you unlock new ways to connect with users and create meaningful, memorable experiences. As Challenge Card 021 advises, “To recognise these surprises, you must free yourself from your assumptions. The payoff is great: your solution will likely be innovative.”
Embrace curiosity, celebrate contradictions, and dig deeper into the unexpected. The results might surprise you and your users.
Cultivating Surprises Through Cross-Pollination
Wearing the lenses of the Cross-Pollinator transforms this challenge into an opportunity to connect surprises with design inspirations drawn from diverse sources explicitly. While the card invites us to embrace surprises, the Cross-Pollinator role helps identify where and how these surprises can be cultivated by bridging seemingly unrelated ideas.
Cross-pollinators can create something new and better by unexpectedly juxtaposing seemingly unrelated ideas or concepts.2
Broaden Inspiration: The Cross-Pollinator thrives on discovering patterns, metaphors, and techniques from related and unrelated fields. In architecture, for example, how stadium acoustics guide sound distribution could inspire the design of intimate concert halls. Similarly, understanding how pedestrian flows in urban plazas mimic natural waterways might inspire circulation layouts in large public spaces.
Merge Insights: Applying the Cross-Pollinator lens sharpens the focus on blending disparate ideas to create unique surprises. For instance, borrowing spatial strategies from open-plan coworking offices might inform the design of libraries that encourage collaboration while maintaining quiet zones. These connections allow for transformative innovation by combining the best of different approaches.
Use Constraints as Opportunities: Surprises often emerge when limitations are reframed as opportunities. A Cross-Pollinator might examine how compact, multi-functional designs in small apartments can inform modular seating in public spaces, offering both functionality and delight. When viewed through this lens, constraints become fertile ground for innovative surprises.
Refine through Diversity: The Cross-Pollinator role emphasises the value of interdisciplinary feedback to refine ideas. For example, collaborating with urban planners, environmental designers, and even behavioural psychologists can reveal fresh perspectives that elevate surprising elements in a project. Testing solutions across these diverse groups ensures the surprise resonates broadly and effectively.
Ultimately, the Cross-Pollinator narrows the challenge by explicitly linking the discovery of surprises to integrating diverse perspectives and techniques. This role demonstrates that surprises result from intentional exploration, creative connections, and openness to the unknown.
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