{"id":8877,"date":"2016-02-23T10:09:58","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T18:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/?p=8877"},"modified":"2020-07-30T13:02:15","modified_gmt":"2020-07-30T12:02:15","slug":"unflattening-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/unflattening-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Unflattening design"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"opening_paragraph\">Apologies if you clicked on this post expecting a proposal for the next visual design trend to replace flat design.<\/p>\n<p>We won\u2019t be having a heated debate on skeuomorphism, or on the affordance of flat buttons. But we will be trying to get new perspectives on design, taking inspiration from Nick Sousanis and responding to <a href=\"http:\/\/spinweaveandcut.com\/ch-2-finished-odyssey-final-sequence\/\">the imagery<\/a> of his great graphic novel <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Unflattening-Nick-Sousanis\/dp\/0674744438\">\u201cUnflattening\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/02-large.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>This<\/em> is your design problem. At least, this is how <em>you<\/em> see it. It\u2019s very clear to you, and you don\u2019t understand why that\u2019s not the case for everyone else.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/03-large.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Take this engineer. <em>This<\/em> is how she would describe it. To your eyes, it looks unnatural and convoluted.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/04-large.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Or what about this designer on your team? <em>This<\/em> is the way he talks about it \u2013 completely missing what you see as the core of the problem. It\u2019s like you are living on different planets, unable to share a common language.<\/p>\n<p>Or perhaps it\u2019s just a matter of perspective.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/05-large.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/05-large.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Our left and right eyes combine their two individual images to form a single vision. Similarly, different points of view on a problem help define a richer picture. They <em>unflatten<\/em> our perspective.<\/p>\n<p>The design problems we face aren\u2019t flat \u2013 they\u2019re overflowing with multiple dimensions, which introduce new constraints and opportunities. It\u2019s time we started using perspective to create better design decisions.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/06-large.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"opening-your-second-eye-and-some-others\">Opening your second eye, and some others<\/h2>\n<p>Most of us have a natural tendency to stay in our comfort zone. As designers, we&#8217;re reassured when we\u2019re sitting in front of our screen, playing with Sketch or Framer. We spend time building prescriptive frameworks to rationalize our work. It\u2019s how we end up creating systematic step-by-step design processes that tell us to <em>always<\/em> start by sketching our ideas on paper, that there <em>must<\/em> be a prototype phase in a project.<\/p>\n<p>By industrializing the way we work, we\u2019re just flattening our perspectives, becoming very effective at always doing the same thing and missing opportunities to be truly innovative.<\/p>\n<h3>Knowing when to unflatten<\/h3>\n<p>However, doing the same thing all the time can sometimes be useful. Design is best described as a constant switch between two mindsets: an open one (exploration\/diverging) and a closed one (execution\/converging). John Cleese explains this well in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Qby0ed4aVpo&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;t=574\">this amazing talk<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWe need to be in the open mode when we\u2019re pondering a problem, but once we come up with a solution, we must then switch to the closed mode to implement it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The most difficult part of design is switching between these two modes; they require radically different mindsets. Good designers need to alternate between being very naive and totally confident. More importantly, they need to know <em>when<\/em> to be naive, and <em>when<\/em> to be confident. Often, designers are confident too early. But a confident designer with a flat perspective is usually heading straight to the land of missed opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>Being naive, on the other hand, is the first step towards unflattening. It helps us challenge our habits, to fight routine, and tackle the problem from different angles.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"look-from-a-different-angle-what-if\">Look from a different angle (what if?)<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/07-large.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Getting new perspectives is all about variation \u2013 variation in the places we work, people we work with, and tools we use. A very simple exercise is to tear yourself away from your desk and your screen. It\u2019s incredible how working in a different context can bring new perspectives. It\u2019s one of the reasons why so many big companies have adapted a design studio or lab.<\/p>\n<p>Constraints can also help put you in a different context. Mobile-first design is an interesting example. A large part of its success comes from the fact it\u2019s a very constrained approach. The constraints of mobile encouraged Uber to strip everything back to one button ordering. And we now have the phenomenon of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DavidSacks\/status\/389183045548273665\">Uberfication<\/a>, with products and services available with a tap of a smartphone.<\/p>\n<p>Another interesting constrained approach that is really easy to apply to any design project is to try tackling a design problem through <a href=\"http:\/\/getmentalnotes.com\/\">random behavioral triggers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"zoom-in-how-and-out-why\">Zoom in (how?) and out (why?)<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/08-large.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/08-large.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The mental models we use to manipulate problems are a bit like fractals. They\u2019re recursive patterns of systems \u2013problems inside problems that you\u2019ll want to explore in different resolutions. Like a painter who\u2019s constantly switching between the small details and the big picture, you need to develop a mental agility in the way you manipulate models.<\/p>\n<p>Zoom in, start to think about <em>how<\/em> to answer your problem and get a closer look at the details. Zoom out, try to get back to first principles step by step, asking <em>\u201cwhy?\u201d<\/em> after <em>\u201cwhy?\u201d<\/em>, and see the big picture.<\/p>\n<p>By zooming in and out, you\u2019ll realize your design problem is made up of lots of smaller problems, but is also part of lots of larger questions that represent many different systems you can explore. Finding these connections will transform your view of the initial question.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"borrowing-some-eyeballs\">Borrowing some eyeballs<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/09-large-b.png\" alt=\"https:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/09-large-b.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Exploring a problem by yourself is fine; you\u2019ll get quite a long way with \u201cWhat if\u2026?\u201d, \u201cHow\u2026?\u201d, and \u201cWhy\u2026?\u201d. But if you want to travel faster and further, there is no better way to get a radically new vision on a problem than listening, borrowing, and integrating other people&#8217;s mental models. That doesn\u2019t mean you need to accept or follow everyone\u2019s point of view. But you do need to be aware of them and their potential to enhance your own view. Nick Sousanis explains this question very well:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIn recognizing that our solitary standpoint is limited, we come to embrace another\u2019s viewpoint as essential to our own.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The problem is that to integrate new mental models, we need to leave our own initial thoughts behind us. That\u2019s a very difficult process.<\/p>\n<p>Why do we build memorials and monuments after a war? We create them so we can free our minds. That way we don\u2019t have to always think about these events, or even to worry about forgetting them anymore. There&#8217;s now a physical artifact that acts like a totem to remind us, so we can start filling our minds with new material.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s the same reason people create to-do lists. And it&#8217;s exactly what you should do when pondering a problem. Whether it is a Post-it Note, a storyboard, or even a prototype, find a way to unload your mental model in a physical format. By creating artifacts that save your ideas, you clear your mind to make room for new ones, especially those from other people. Because it\u2019s too easy to nip an idea in the bud when your head is already full.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"become-a-modeler\">Become a modeler<\/h2>\n<p>At its essence, design is a modeling activity. Our job is to define and share mental models with our users, our colleagues, and even with our \u201cfuture selves\u201d. Being able to unflatten those models by constantly manipulating them, and by slowly revealing a larger and richer map of interrelated ideas is one of the most important skills of a designer.<\/p>\n<p>We should always be pushing to unflatten our perspectives. Because as Sousanis says:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cOur world is never smooth nor flat anywhere.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Apologies if you clicked on this post expecting a proposal for the next visual design trend to replace flat design. We won\u2019t be having a heated debate on skeuomorphism, or on the affordance of flat buttons.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":8881,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"category":[5],"tags":[166,153,145],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-8877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-product-and-design","tag-creativity","tag-product-design","tag-ux"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Unflattening design - The Intercom Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Most design problems aren&#039;t one-dimensional. 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They require multiple perspectives to get to the best solution.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/unflattening-design\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Intercom Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intercominc\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-02-23T18:09:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-30T12:02:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/hero_12482.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1248\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"591\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Julien Zmiro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@zmiro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@intercom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Julien Zmiro\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/unflattening-design\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/unflattening-design\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Julien Zmiro\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/50fa80b37feabe5cab42d2bea8a8eb9e\"},\"headline\":\"Unflattening design\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-02-23T18:09:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-30T12:02:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/unflattening-design\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1206,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/unflattening-design\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/02\\\/hero_12482.png\",\"keywords\":[\"creativity\",\"product design\",\"UX\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Product &amp; Design\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/unflattening-design\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/unflattening-design\\\/\",\"name\":\"Unflattening design - The Intercom Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/unflattening-design\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/unflattening-design\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.intercom.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/02\\\/hero_12482.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-02-23T18:09:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-30T12:02:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"Most design problems aren't one-dimensional. 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