1. Communication & Design
Effective communication in the design process
In lesson 1, we had re-recognized what communication could have achieved in a design process.
Though I believe there are many different or complex interpretations of communication if you search online. To me, communication is simply a lifetime daily action that we would apply in every moment since we were born. Or, even when we are still in our mother’s belly, by kicking her to let her know our feelings, isn’t it?
When we finally came onto this planet, the first thing we learned was to cry.
Cry so loud to send out our thoughts and message. Then we learned to listen, speak, talk, demand, compromise, etc. Nevertheless, all of the above processes are only aimed to create a method to keep others and ourselves in the same “channel” same “page”, to express and understand each other needs.
From Communication to Design
As time goes by, the ways of communicating are more intricate compared to our childhood. Crying is not the only option to express our needs anymore. In my experience as an interior designer, effective communication is a must-do procedure to ensure the project can deliver on time. Things will be smoother if the project kick-off under clarity and direct communication.
Case Sharing: A Mansion House Project
One of my projects in 2020 is a 1500 sq. ft house with a backyard mansion garden. It locates in mid-Kowloon near the splendid sea view of Victoria Harbour.
Empathizing Our Clients
Our client is a middle-aged entrepreneur who wanted a modern and luxurious interior design style with a warm and cosy atmosphere for his wife and two children.
In the first few rounds of our proposals, the design concepts aimed to approach the SoHo lifestyle for the clients. Upon review and review, feedback and comments were sent from our male client, which was quite different from what we understood before.
While we found out our client’s acceptance range of luxury style, we knew more about what they genuinely wanted throughout testing (presenting) the above prototype (mood boards). Thus, we returned to define the design direction for the following presentation —
- Key expectation 1 — The client wished to receive a “Wow” reaction from his guests.
Solution → To fulfill his expectation, we applied a 7500mm length custom-made art graphic feature wallpaper on the dining area. - Key expectation 2 — Warm & Cosy yet luxury
Solution → Simplify wooden tones but add on stainless steel detail to touch-up.
Also, after the discussion with other members, we implemented different focal points in each room, proposed functional yet contemporary design solutions.
Conclusion
Mislead by Indirect Communication
There is a marketing team between the designers and clients in our company structure. Therefore in our design process, we rely on receiving messages from the marketing teammates.
Team-working always helps to expand comprehensive support to each member. The ideal situation for us should be when the marketing teammates can deliver the most critical information to develop the design concepts to increase overall productivity. Nevertheless, if the communication process does not go well, either internal or external, it could create a loss of valuable assets (i.e. time, ideas, morale).
Particularly in our case, we were drowned in the “indirect communication process”. Not to mention, there was over 70% of the requirements and feedbacks sent by our male client only; the inputs of other stakeholders were not enough for us to emphasize all members, which somehow led to insufficient message exchange.
How to reduce the noises and improve the performance
- Internal Noise: Company structure → indirect communication → created misleading messages
- External Noise: Not all end uses have expressed their thoughts → hard to fulfil/take care of all their needs
I believe all the stakeholders should have at least one to three times face-to-face meetings, ensure direct communication is happening. The designer could observe the clients, imagine and try to understand their needs, avoid any confusion during the discussion.
Moreover, drafting the meeting note is highly recommended. This is not only a simple function to keep a record but also a way to present your professionalism to clients that you have listened to and cared about them.
Last but not least, cross-checking & double confirm is a good habit for communication. Furthermore, chat groups are more convenient to get a quick response nowadays, but we should still apply email to keep proper records, as it would be easier to chase back all relevant info. with subjects and dates, which can help all of us stay on the same page.
