Since René Decartes suggested we were only "minds" in the 1600's we've struggled with over-rationalizing everything. This has created a divide between what is rational and irrational, and has made intuition suspect. An emerging school of psychology is now clearly debunking this misperception, showing that we understand the world viscerally—with our five senses first—and our rational mind second. This is great news for designers because, ironically, it's rational evidence that intuition is a powerful and legitimate design approach. This truth has been primarily discovered through metaphors. Quips like, “that’s over my head”, “her looks could kill” or “he’s cold-hearted” reveal deep connections between our physical senses and our emotional experiences. Designers regularly use this language to talk about their work, but it is only recently that we’ve discovered these aren’t subjective descriptions about what we make. They are deep seated human truths, actionable principles.

1. A
SCIENCEOF
CREATIVITY
@IDEO @RMICHAEL

4. Why do we have
preferences for
aesthetics?

5. What is underneath?

6. vs.
Reason is
transcendent.
René Descartes c.1630

7. LET’S BE IRRATIONAL.

8. embodied cognition

9. Your Body
is your
Mind

10. weight
firmness
°F
conveys value
influences conviction
influences
perception

11. emotional warmth compensates
for lack of physical warmth

12. facial muscles that help you smile cue happiness when used

13. SO
WHAT?

14. METAPHORSare the clue

15. Future is forward?
orientation, posture, stance

17. Feminine is soft?
materials

18. BULLSH*TTING

19. healthy?
advanced?
inviting?

21. healthy
advanced
inviting

22. © Jo¥2 via Flickr

25. What can you try
TODAY?

26. CLEAN
DIRTY
HEAVY
LIGHT
CLEAR
FUZZY
WHIMSY
HEAVY
MOVING
ANCHORED
RESTING
ETC...
COLD
WARM
DARK
LIGHT
TIGHT
LOOSE
FRESH
OLD
LOUD
QUIET
DEEP
SHALLOW
look for studies that explore these words
from abstract to visceral
WHAT GESTURES/SENSATIONS/EXPERIENCES
MIGHT ILLUSTRATE YOUR DESIGN CONCEPT?

27. a bridge to being post-disciplinary
FROM TANGIBLE TO EXPERIENTIAL
Craftsmanship, and articulation of it,
empowers us to apply our knowledge of
manipulating physical matter to non-
physical systems.

29. HEAVYR.MICHAEL HENDRIX @IDEO