uxcamp europe 2014: let's talk about inspiration

Let‘s Talk about Inspiration

UXcamp 2014

Why am I doing this?

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!?

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Interviews

Sabrina Aderkast – Design Student / Artist

Markus Günther – Author (Xorafedi)

John Janus – Java Developer

Nadine Mischke - Marketing

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What is inspiration?

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UXcamp Europe, Pascal Clausen: Finding Inspiration 66

„The process of being mentally stimulatedto do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” - Oxford Dictionary

Image: Alan Miller: Philosophy and Inspiration https://www.flickr.com/photos/liquidindian/427162166

What is inspiration?

Integral part of creative process

If creativity is a skill to combine given elements to somethingnew, inspiration is the way these elements are gathered

MG: „A kind of fuel for work, but also a foundation. When you'reinspired, you get an input and work with that. Still there remainsa part of it which can't be explained.“

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There is no right or wrong in inspiration

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How important is inspiration?

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How important is inspiration?

JJ: „In Development it can be more about finding your way intowork and problemsolving. There is some kind of basic structureor convention that you follow, but you also have your own visionof how to do things.“

MG: „I think you need to seperate between big inspiration, kindof like the starting idea and little inspiration to keep going whenyou already started working on something.“

NM: „You are always looking for the best solution for your tasksand in a way you're applying what inspires you to your ownsituation. You see what is different or what is missing. It helpsfinding new projects“

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But what does that mean for us as UX-Experts?

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You can seek inspiration but youcan‘t force it

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There still is sudden inspiration…

…but it‘s also about pushing yourself in the right direction

SA: „If you already got an idea of what you want to do you canwork in that direction.“

NM: „It‘s a 50/50 ration beetwenn seeking and being inspired“

MG: If you start seeing the world as full of potential stuff you canwork with and start combining your observations in your head, you can train being inspired.

You can seek inspiration but youcan‘t force it

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19.06.201407

– 08.06.2014

UXcamp Europe, Pascal Clausen: Finding Inspiration

How can you find inspiration?

Image: zev: because who's to say we are the only ones? https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddleoak/6153761489

Take your time

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Take your Time

Image: Eduardo Amorim: Paz a vocês, amigos : ) https://www.flickr.com/photos/bombeador/3130004800/

Take your time

Trying to get lost in thoughts

Silence, Nature, time for yourself...

For me: public transportation

MG: „Boredom can be used as a way to gather inspiration.“

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Change your point of view

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17

Change yourpoint of view

Image: Daniel Kulinski: frog perspective https://www.flickr.com/photos/bombeador/3130004800/

Change your point of view

Take a step backwards

Write down or visualize the problem (e.g. mind-maps, userstorys, flowcharts)

Talk to someone to people(especially form a different domain)

NM: „I find inspiration while talking with people, about theirviews or the way they work.“

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Observation

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Observation

Image: Spreng Ben: Quarters Only – New York https://www.flickr.com/photos/sprengben/5441103463/

Observation

In general beeing open minded and paying attention at the rightmoment

How do random people react to situations (Guerilla Usability Testing)

NM: „Through daily life, like for example if I see a colour ordesign I really like:“

SA: „Take a relevant term and just start searching the web, jumping from one topic to another“

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The work of others

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The work of others

Not only the obvious...

… if you look closely even a salt shaker coud be inspiring

Sparks your own creativity

All of my interview partners look at other works for inspiration

Look at the details and try to imagine the process behind it

Trying to think in what if scenarios

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Architecture

Andrew Zusman - Architecture As Design Inspiration http://usabilitygeek.com/architecture-design-inspiration/

“Architects, like digital designers, consider both organization and flow.”

Many similarities in context, constraints and resources

Author calls it: “…a beautiful merger of art and science”

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But, should we really spend much

time looking at the work of others?

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But, should we really spend muchtime looking at the work of others?

Aren't we (intentionally or unintanitonally) copying?

Can we be truly innovative, by looking at what everybody else did?

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Final thought: It's less aboutthe mehthod or technique,

than about yourself

Sources

Oxford Dictionaries: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/inspiration?q=inspiration

Andrew Zusman - Architecture As Design Inspiration http://usabilitygeek.com/architecture-design-inspiration/

Images

Slide 6 Alan Miller: Philosophy and Inspiration https://www.flickr.com/photos/liquidindian/427162166

Slide 14 zev: because who's to say we are the only ones? https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiddleoak/6153761489

Slide 15 Eduardo Amorim: Paz a vocês, amigos : ) https://www.flickr.com/photos/bombeador/3130004800/

Slide 17 Daniel Kulinski: frog perspective https://www.flickr.com/photos/bombeador/3130004800/

Slide 19 Spreng Ben: Quarters Only – New York https://www.flickr.com/photos/sprengben/5441103463/

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