Idea Map

       We watched a slide show of idea mapping. It is not a newly way to develop ideas. People have done to develop critical thinking and some scientists have applied this strategies to discover possibilities. "Sometimes, the old way works the best, huh?" Using a map to represent ideas is helpful because people can visualize their ideas and see a clear relation between each element. 
       Idea is the first stage of creativity. Designers have to find a "focus." Once the focus is determined, let it grows like a plant. Whatever thoughts and ideas are derived from the focus, they are interacting with each other. Then, designers should try to see a clear relation between the focus and its components so that a solution can be found. Because the "components" are like  little pieces, it is designer's job to put them together.
       Idea map can go infinite as designers can put in as many thoughts as possible; therefore, creativity has infinite potential to go beyond its "boundary." The "boundary" often means "stucked." A focus does not only stretch out one branch but many other different branches. They are "possibilities." The possibilities have possibilities. If the focus here is "idea map," I can develop many ideas such as using idea map in crime analysis, political campaign strategies, consumption habits, and etc... Then, I can pick one of them to start develop more possibilities within that single subject.
      Idea map is useful for designers because it can be used to solve problems. It's like mathematic, designers need to set "problem" as focus then start discovering ideas to solve the problem. 

Designer of 2015, Competencies

       We had a group discussion about designer of 2015, a list of expectations for future designers. One of the expectations is "Understanding of how systems behave and aspects that contribute to sustainable products, strategies and practices." I confused about the word "systems" at first as I was thinking about social system at large. Later, Jimmy helps to define the word "systems" as network, or spider's web. I think it means that designers have to learn to play under certain rules in a game, which refers as "systems."
       Not only society is a social system, but also any group can be a system. In business, people learn how to survive without getting fired. In politics, people learn how to hide scandals. In design, designers observe the "systems" and resolve problems by using "designs." I think designers have to be able to foresee consequence of their designs by understanding how "systems" behave so that strategies can be applied. This should sound a bit abstract or overboard. For example, designers devoted into the 1st-generation iphone product came out with the main idea: "simplicity." If the entire market is a system that has problem, the designers resolved the problem by creating iPhone that shape the fate of future mobile devices. I would say that the newest Windows 8 system outruns the IOS system because designers were able to see how "systems" behave and what the mass expect. Regardless of market system, social system also plays major role in constraining designers' creativities. For example, China, one of the socialism country, would not allow designers to create something that highly promoting beliefs that are not "socialism." That means designers have to decide either to "obey" with the system or "change" the system.