When it comes to everyday household chores, it’s easy to go through the motions. But if you apply the principles of design thinking to these tasks, you can make them more productive, meaningful, and enjoyable. Design thinking isn’t just for designers or for big, important projects. It’s a useful tool for planning, problem solving, and achieving better results in your daily life.
If you can use a methodical approach to tackle everyday problems, you’ll find it’s easier to determine what’s needed, minimize work, and build solutions that work for you. In fact, design thinking promotes practicality, adaptability, and intentional choices at every phase of a task.
Applying Design Thinking at Home
The essence of design thinking is to understand the need, to define the problem, to try to figure out the solution, and then to go through the process of iterating on the solution based on the facts. So, in the household, what this might look like is a lot of observation around how things are being done and thinking about what’s frustrating about that and changing that.
This replaces assumptions with intention. Instead of putting out fires, design thinking can also prevent fires by knowing about them ahead of time.
I watch people’s day-to-day activities.
The first step in design thinking is observation. Through observation of mundane activities, one can find repetitive actions, waste, and space for innovation.
Notice how many times you repeat something, the things you use to accomplish tasks, and where you get frustrated. That will give you a better idea of what should actually be optimized, not just what seems annoying in the moment.
The Real Problem
A lot of home-based frustrations come from a lack of clear problem definition. Something might be a hassle, but the real problem might be that your storage space is inadequate, the tool you’re using is not good, or that the process isn’t well-defined.
Proper problem identification is key to preventing unnecessary solutions. In the example above, reorganizing a storage area might be a more effective way of dealing with the series of delays than purchasing additional containers.
Pragmatic Problem Solving
One of the principles of design thinking is to generate multiple solutions before selecting a final one. At home, that doesn’t have to mean some kind of brainstorming session; just be willing to consider a few different options.
Think about alternate configurations, instruments, or series of motions. Even minor tweaks like rearranging the position of items or streamlining processes can make a big difference in everyday activities.
Test and Refine
Not every solution is successful on the first try. Design thinking includes prototyping and iterating.
Because you’re testing this change on a small scale, you can make adjustments without the need for any long-term commitment. If a solution doesn’t help to streamline your workflow or enhance your working conditions, you can make changes or find an alternative. You can iterate and refine your process without having to worry about sunk costs.
It’s more practical to focus on functionality rather than striving for perfection.
Design thinking prioritizes practicality over the perceived notion of perfection. Something that functions every time is better than something that looks perfect but doesn’t function properly.
The concept of practicality aids in sustainability during daily life situations. A change is more likely to stick when it works in the context of daily habits.
Let’s make things simpler.
Numerous household activities could be streamlined to eliminate unnecessary stages. Design thinking can support the discovery of which stages could be simplified.
A combination of less motion, less tool switching, and well thought out material organization can make things much easier to do. Simple is faster, more accurate, and more fun.
Enhancements for Home Users
There is a human factor in every chore. There is a tool involved. And there is an environment. Design thinking is about making that interaction as seamless and convenient as possible.
Ergonomic work patterns, convenient interfaces, and readily accessible instruments make work easier, less stressful, and less tiring.
Long-Term Habits
Repetitive use of the design thinking process enables one to form good habits. Eventually, the optimal system becomes second nature; it reduces decision fatigue and stress.
Those tiny tweaks and enhancements add up to a more harmonious, efficient and enjoyable living space.