Design as a Conversation

When we think about the meaning of the word conversation, we think of a back and forth exchange of information between people. Design is a means of conversation. It is a way to communicate information to people, but more importantly the people can communicate back by indicating their reaction to a design. The designer is then moved to change or add to their design to communicate more effectively.
When thinking of design as a conversation, and trying to find an easily noticeable example, I can't help but think of TV shows where the viewers are invited to watch and vote. American Idol is one example, but my favorite is America's Got Talent.

Image from Pop Tower
http://www.poptower.com/

When I watch America's Got Talent, I am the listener in a conversation. I am taking in the information that is designed to be watched by the directors and contestants of and in the show, and I am analyzing it. I judge the contestants' performances, and laugh at the silly cuts that the director adds in. At this point I am an observer.

To a certain extent designers are always affected by the public. When designers are communicating whatever it is they mean to get across, they have to make sure that they will have an interested audience, and to do so they must take the audiences' desires into consideration. But in a show like America's Got Talent, the observer becomes a more direct participant in the design conversation. The audience is invited to vote for their favorite. The winning contestant gets a show in Vegas. In essence, the audience is designing the outcome of the show and also the upcoming Vegas show that will be available for them to attend. Effectively, the audience becomes the speaker in the conversation. All design works in this same way. America's Got Talent is just a more obvious conversation.



Fighting Gravity was a favorite of mine this year on America's got talent! Watch this video here or click here
America's Got Talent is coming on again. Think creatively... what could a designer do that could be a Vegas show?
Got an idea? I say AUDITION! http://americasgottalentauditions.com/new/la