I have always been curious about design and though I have dabbled in it occasionally, Lauren is someone I turn to when I need ideas and inspiration. As a designer, I just had to invite her over to The Creator’s Roulette. I have so much to learn from her! I hope you will enjoy this conversation about design, schooling, learning and more.
Lauren, welcome to The Creator’s Roulette! I am thrilled that you are here. I love all our conversations but this is super special because other people will get a peak into our world. 🙂
What got you interested in design?
It feels like design kind of found me by accident. I had originally thought I wanted to be an architect. I really liked the idea of creating spaces that people made their own, lived in – something that was a part of someone’s life. But, I didn’t get into architecture school, I did however get into the Industrial Design program at the University of Alberta.
Soon, I learned I didn’t want to be an architect – too many rules and regulations – I wanted to be a creator. Someone who looks at “problems” and explores new ways on how to solve / address them. This is where design became interesting for me, it became a way to look at the world through a new lens. The world became a big puzzle, every person, every object, every idea, an opportunity to create something new that could change the way how we engage with the world. This was exciting!
That indeed sounds exciting! Though I did not study design myself, it is these same aspects that data analysis and visualization has which keeps me motivated to be in it. Every new dataset comes with its own challenges and assumptions that people often don’t realize. And as the analyst, it is my job to find those areas that will help them innovate and gain new insights.. Engage with the world a bit differently. 🙂
On Being a Maker
What’s your earlier memory of making?
My earliest memories of making are of childhood crafts at the kitchen table with my mom. She would buy these craft sets, holiday ornaments and such, heat up the glue gun, lay down old newspapers and we would get crafting. It was really where we formed our bond, through creating together.
I have a couple of degrees and after many years of studying at university level, I sometimes wonder what I took away from the structured environment of the classroom to my career. What are your thoughts on that?
The one amazing thing about a design degree is that a majority of the classes are studios. Most of my classes were 3hrs long, with most of the time spent applying what you learned. In industrial design we did things like design and build furniture and in visual communications we would design and craft book covers. Skills that if you chose to go either of these traditional design routes would have been very helpful!
I’m going to side track us momentarily because, you know, book covers?! I want to learn more about that! I stage books for my instagram page but I haven’t had a chance yet to think about what the process of coming up with one snapshot of a book is, hoping it would appeal to a person browsing on the Internet or a bookstore.
Oh what a fun question! Everyone has a different relationship with a book, a different understanding, so creating a cover that speaks to a universal experience of a book is an unbelievable challenge! I’ve only done one cover design thus far, but an interesting way to design visuals like this is to ask yourself: what is the “flavour” of the book? Is it like bubblegum or steak? Is it charred and burnt or soft and luscious. Understand the “flavour”, how it tastes to read the book (if that makes any sense at all) and use that as a tool to design the cover. The flavour is really the mood of the book, but more visceral.
On Education in Design
Coming back to my prior question about education, tell me more about your other courses. Were there any that you were not expecting?
There were also classes that taught the more psychological side of design. To be a good designer, you have to learn how to design for others, not yourself. To do this, we were taught how to do design research: how to interview someone and ask the right questions, how to observe the ways people engage with the world and see what you can learn from that. I had an amazing design education at UAlberta. In fact, the biggest problem I had with my education was finding somewhere to apply it fully afterwards. These skills, when I first graduated, weren’t really understood and companies and public sectors didn’t fully know what to do with people like me.
I have now found a perfect role for me, User Experience Researcher. I’ve turned the thing I loved about design from the very beginning, understanding people, into a meaningful job, and I don’t think I would have found a path here without my education and the ideas it opened me up to the world of curiosity it built in me.
That’s valid and I believe it takes some time to fall into the right place where your skills and passion combine together. I work with you and see you use visual design all the time in my mind but what about industrial design? Do you see yourself helping out with how teaching spaces could be arranged or the kind of productivity tools that we could add to our office spaces? Have you had the opportunity to apply some of those skills already?
After school, I quickly learned industrial design in it’s formal method, designing furniture or products, wasn’t my path. But, I did use all those skills to create a mindset that allows me to do what I do today. Instead of being the person who designs these teaching spaces or productivity tools, I hope to use my skills to shine a light on what makes people get joy out of their environment (physical spaces, digital tools, environmental culture etc.). By using the industrial design skills of ‘understanding our users’, I hope to do work that has meaningful impacts on people. Luckily, the work I’m doing now is definitely taking me towards that direction.
On Design in the Real World
What is the hardest project you have worked on?
The hardest project for me is not any one project, but the point in the project when you have to present the final product. The thing you hold so dear – the moment when you present it to the world, that is hardest than any project.
Why do you think that is? Do we expect people to be judgemental of our work (which they will be, whether seniors or peers), or are we afraid to show our creation for other reasons? What are some ways to combat this fear and not let it bog us down? How do you deal with that pressure, knowing that it comes up at the end of every project?
For me, the best way to deal with it is not to have a big reveal, but instead have people see if throughout the process and, where possible, co-create with others. This approach has been beneficial in so many ways, the biggest being, the end result is usually so much better than what would have been possible if you had kept it secret and concocted it on your own! You get different viewpoints along the way and peoples feedback allows your to build confidence as you go. So that by the end, revealing it to the rest of the world isn’t so scary, because those that matter have seen it and perhaps even had a hand in helping you build it (even if all they did was sharing a comment or critic) .
How do prior projects inspire and help you do better in unseen situations?
Prior projects show you how you can attack the next one in new ways. I like to take stock as I finish chunks of a project, ask myself: How did that go? What worked? What didn’t? What did I learn? How can I apply that next time? This has helped me to learn ways to critique and create simultaneously. This I find is the best way to inspire in many sorts of unseen situations. Asking yourself, “why?” in these moments can lead to all sorts of helpful insights.
Another lesson I’ve learned: lean into flow states, but make sure they had real gems in them. Just because it was flowing, doesn’t mean it was flowing down the right stream.
Thanks, Lauren! Those are gems in themselves which you shared here. 🙂 If you would like to connect with Lauren, she is on Instagram!
Cover Photo by Neven Krcmarek on Unsplash
The photo with the quote by Ben Kolde on Unsplash
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