The Importance of People Watching

I consider that as a good design thinker, for addressing problems it can be so critical to gain an empathy for those specific group of people which I tend to help or create a product for them.  In order to design for them, I should observe and identify who they are, what is essential to them, and what is their problem…

Therefore, people watching must be an everyday activity for me in order to recognise problems of people and design thinking opportunities.

Craig Twyford, the director of Octopus Analytic in Ted Talks presentation “The power of Peoplewatching"argues that “People watching’ is a common activity in virtually all societies, and today technology has given us more power to vicariously watch people than ever before”.

Indeed, observing what persons and society do and how they interact with their surroundings can let me know what people think and feel. In addition, it helps realize their demands and requirements.  As a designer, by watching people, I can catch expressions of individual’s experiences regarding what they are doing or saying.  This will let me assume and understand the intangible meaning of such experiences in order to reveal perceptions.  which perception can provide this opportunity me to find out the best direction toward a creation of innovative solutions.  The best solutions originate from of the best visions into human behavior.  However, understanding to identify those visions can be harder than you might think. 

But Why?

Since our minds spontaneously and selectively remove some part information without our even considering it.  We should learn to see and observe things with a new set of eyes and need to empathise with what gives us those fresh eyes.

Involving with people directly exposes a huge quantity of information about the way they think and the values they grasp.  Occasionally, such values and considerations are vague to the people who hold them, and a decent discussion and interaction can surprise both the subject and the designer by the unexpected visions that are discovered. Therefore, good and proper designs are created based on this awareness of such beliefs and values.