Will Tatton Talking about design www.willtatton.co.nz

Continuing on design thinking process

Well I had a great day on the mountain in sunny spring conditions and a great ride out west on untracked snow… then called in to see the Lake Taupo house site with plenty of daylight.

What a great place! Pristine lapping clear, oily looking water with a solitary angler out in his waders. I imagined him framed by the bifold doors while lying on the living room sofa.

As I had thought, because the view faces east, the living rooms could be deathly cold in the winter if planned just for the view because they could miss all the winter sun from mid morning onwards! This could be an easy mistake to make. How to get both the sun and the view?

After taking panorama photos the long trip back gave me time to let thoughts gently pursue this.

At the drawing board and computer it has become clear the two are clashing. It seems on this ‘perfect site' I can't get both all day sun and views! But I need both. This suggests a sticking point.

What happens with designing when you can't get what you want to work; when you can't seem to go any further without too much compromise? Must I give up one of these?

a. Hold on there – that's negative thinking – there are a whole lot more options – don't even think about being stuck or bogged down, it's not going to happen.

b. You're in control because you know the limitations – the critical restrictions may now need a new priority order – time to have a look at these again… big picture thinking.

c. Imagine talking your thinking through and explaining it to someone else – this makes it all conversational and creates a progression of thoughts that link together logically towards resolution.

d Feel it's okay to start from scratch again and again without wasting what you've done – it's about sorting through all the options quickly (emphasis on quickly). That means you have the confidence to go right back and start on another path – you give yourself time. Then compare the outcomes of all these paths. Choose the best!