I am Lorenzo Bruno,
Product Designer for work and in life.
What’s a Designer?
(my work in progress definition)
A designer is someone that wants to improve something by studying an effective solution (and planning a path to achieve it) with a focus on the User.
Designed solution = studied solution = a designed solution is such when it does have researched and validated reasons behind and they are tailored to the humans that are designed for
/ Explanation /
// Wants // express the will and the commitment
// Studying // express preparation behind to achieve the right knowledge to then make precise decisions that will make the solution
// having a focus on the User expresses the goal of the improvement, not just finding a solution but finding an effective solution for the user that needs it
// User // express the designer focus on the human being, not on every human being but just on those who need a solution for that issue
/ Experience /
I have been working in many design fields, refining my skills, for the past 10+ years, build up a strong process with a multidisciplinary mind.
In the past 5 years, I have been focusing in overseeing the full product lifecycle of digital products, taking in consideration business needs, interfacing with various external expertise and always having the User as a focal point to guide the journey.
/ extra knowledge /
I am interested in behavioural science and fascinated by human behaviours, being humans the focus of my work. Because of this, I am also knowledgeable in accessible design (in particular WCAG 2.1 web standards) aiming to provide all users with the best experience possible regardless of limitations or disabilities.
Embracing the Journey Mindset
A journey is a process of growth, learning, and exploration towards a desired destination or goal. It emphasises the importance of focusing on the present moment and finding value in each step taken. By embracing the journey mindset, individuals can shift their focus to appreciating the daily progress. It involves accepting the result is just a byproduct of the journey itself.
The Funnel and the Sieve
When designing a product or more simply finding a solution to a problem the process of filtering is key. Once we have clear the scope that will lead our work we look for solutions, these solutions will then be filtered to keep the most suitable and merged in a Frankenstein solution that we can call the alpha model / concept of the final product. We can divide this filtering process in two main steps: the “FUNNEL” and the “SIEVE”.
Focus, Clarity and Simplicity
When a website (as any other product) is built and maintained with focus on the original main purpose for the website itself to be live ( information, brand recognition, …), and when that purpose is made simple to achieve for the user throughout the navigation, in this case, the website, will just need good, recurring content update (and small planned adjustments as a result of long term testing).
Purpose > Feature > Shape
Have you ever tried to get out of the house without opening the door? Or getting ready for a fancy party and putting on your trousers before your underwear? (you’ll be for sure the soul of the party)
Do tasks completed in different order bring to the same result?
When approaching a project (or simply an issue), the function/solution that will resolve the project will need to be defined after understanding the main purpose that the project has to fulfilled.
Sharpening the Ax
When we face an issue that we need to solve, or a project for which we need to find a solution we can follow mainly two strategies. We could rush to solutions or slow down and think first.
Short ThoughtsContext
Context is the key to unlock proper understanding and so ultimately to find solutions.
Without context, we can’t understand people’s needs, and in general, without context, we can’t understand things in life.
Any path can be right or wrong. Any solution can work or not work. All depends on the context, depends on why, where, what and how.
So generally this is why it is imperative to understand before acting.
Simplicity = balance ≠ scarcity
Minimal information gives room to our mind to breathe and grow. The essential is not the minimum you can get but it’s the best of the best that you get after filtering.
Simplicity = balance ≠ scarcity
Leaders (and bosses)
The leader thinks and acts for his or her people (or team) and aims to find what can improve their life.
A boss, instead, thinks and acts for himself or herself to find what can improve on his or her life (rather than his or her people, or team).
I believe being a designer means thinking about people wellbeing, so designers can be great leaders, and also (good designers) can’t be bosses.
Design and Art
Design is informed and has a purpose. Art can be born just out of fantasy and can have no meaning or purpose, or it can solely exist for its own sake (like a dance).
Empathy
I believe that a core skill for any human and even more for any designer is Empathy.
As designers, our key role is to understand first; understand our teammates, understand our users, understand our stakeholders. Empathy does allow us to do this with an open mind from human to human.
I believe this should be one of our greatest strength. It guides us when in our craft, making us better human first, and so as designers.
Outcomes
When I interact with a client, I don’t seek solutions from them but rather a vision.
I try to understand what is the outcome that they look for and why they want that outcome. I take out the pressure from them by studying a solution.
Interesting Books
I think that this is one of those books that everyone should read again and again. I think the title is misleading, this is a book about people, how do our mind work, how to respect each other and how to be happier together. Useful for me as a designer and even more useful as a human being.
This book allowed me to understand where we come from and so why we act as we do. Definitely a great book for everyone interested in humans and our behaviours and so I think it is key for designers.
I started this book when I was little but I didn’t connect to it at the time. I took it again a little while ago and I now think that this is a book for “grown-ups” more than for kids, a guide to keep our mind open and to be kind. Every time that I read it or listen to it I find something new to learn.
This is one of those books that you have to read again and again to understand the full value, during the years has been very useful in my life and in my work. If used as a guide it really shows the “the power of habits”. This should be a must for every designer or entrepreneur.
Growing I started to realise that you have a better chance of living a good life if you focus on being healthy and wealthy. For the first one we get some knowledge from our parents but for the second one we are, most of the times, completely unlittered and we make our choice based on assumptions. This book not only gave me the basics to grow wealthy (even if I am still work in progress on that) but it taught me how to learn in general and from who, it taught me how to be patient and how to keep my faith up.
I think that this book gives hope to all those people who like to give. An interesting, and definitely not common, point of view (backed up by research) on how people who succeed are ‘givers’.
The Sprint book gave a real boost in shaping my current design process. Other than sprint techniques to gather a full picture in a short time, it taught me that everyone can and should add value and how to get that.
This book shows that everything can be treated as product and ash such it can be designed and improved like any other. It showed me what a good work environment could be and it encouraged me to take action to achieve a more sustainable work life.
Lost and founder gave me a view spot on the entrepreneur life, and it showed to me that, like everywhere in life, we should be allowed to make mistake and that we can’t always plan everything in advance, sometimes we need to start and improve in a reiterative process.
This book, even if quite basic in its content, it delivers well a life lesson, we all have problems in life, we can’t always avoid them but we can choose which one are worth giving a f*uck about.
