Design might be said to be the ‘process of possibility’. The process of creating possibilities for the future, from present expectations based in the past. When a student is then given the opportunity to ‘design anything’, that range of possibilities can seem quite overwhelming. Suggested here, is to firstly understand what a designer creates, and secondly, maybe more importantly, to explore why—one’s individual purpose in design. These questions will target ideas that are filled with content and creativity due to their inherent nature of personal interest and motivation with the project.

Typically, as designers, we define ourselves as those who create potential ‘products’, tangible (perceivable by one or more of the five bodily senses) objects for people, that will somehow improve their lives. It is perhaps more accurate however, to define our role as those who create potential experiences. In this way, and for this discussion, the word ‘product’ may then also include less tangible things such as services, business ideas, cultural rituals, etc. The tangible qualities of the ‘products’ are simply expressions of the intangible experiences they provide for people.

Most consumers simply know they ‘like’ a product, and so they buy it. Successful designers know why they like it. They know that consumers buy products for one reason ... their subconscious desires tell them to. From creation to cremation, all of our human actions are driven by our internal emotional system of instincts, memories, fears, hopes, beliefs, cultural expectations, etc. These form a complex matrix of subconscious desires within us that define our perceptions of what is 'good' and 'bad' for us. The word ‘desire’ itself insinuates a perceived void in our lives, a sense of separation from something that we strive to connect with, mostly through our external experiences. Thus, when a product creates the possibility of connecting a consumer's desires with what they perceive as a 'good’ experience for them  .. a sale is made.

A mobile phone, for example, is not just a portable, hand held object that allows us to communicate with people far away. It is, in fact a device that gives the possibility of experiencing fulfillment of many primal, commonly human desires: the security of having knowledge, personal expression with another human being, and perhaps the most marketable one ... control over one’s time (fearing death ultimately leads to the perception of needing more time). The list goes on and on.

This shows how the product and the desires it appeals to, are directly linked. Going backwards in development then, one sees how the idea to create a mobile phone came from someone recognizing these human desires. That person then believed they could make money by generating the possibility of fulfilling these desires with the experiences a mobile phone would provide. They were right. Hundreds of millions of people across the globe now buy mobile phones because they desire the possibilities the phones allow them.

These new possibilities naturally feed the human tendency to rapidly become familiar with things, and to then expect to rapidly have new things. Existing expectations are then replaced by future possibilities that become our present experiences, and then in turn, morph into our new existing expectations ... add infinitum: the psychological process some cultures perceive as ‘progress’. To appease this cycle of progress, products must fulfill our desires in new ways ... and even more deeply than before.

One way this is done is to have the new products appeal to more of our bodily senses, as those are the gateways to our intangible desires from the tangible world. As technology advances and thins the line between portable computers and portable phones, we see communication not only possible through sounds in our ears, but also through words to be read, pictures to be seen and vibrations to be felt. What's next in the cycle ... maybe expecting to communicate smells and tastes? Why not? It is all about making the desire fulfilling experience more real, and relatable for people.

As a designer, understanding this cyclic process of progress has a great sense of responsibility to it. It is essentially the process of feeding our human desires with products ... the process of developing forms of interaction between the tangible world, and people’s intangible emotions. This has tremendous power for humankind's benefit, but in some ways also for its detriment, both experientially and environmentally.

Experientially, what are we really creating for each other? A good question with many potential answers. It is tough to argue the idea that mobile phones do increase our time efficiency. But how much time is actually saved though if we are working longer just to earn the money for the monthly bill? Do we perhaps even end up retiring later because of all the things we have to pay off first?

Environmentally, this level of concept consideration, and depth of effect understanding, leads to another question that is not, I believe, frequently enough asked ... is the product even necessary in the first place? When one realizes the inevitable end of every product life cycle, that every produced object eventually—in one form or another—goes into the ground, one may begin to ask this more frequently. It takes a great deal of integrity to suggest that the existence of the product itself may be more harmful than beneficial, or to ask if there is another way for people to have that experience that has less effect to others and the planet.

So, in considering a potential new project, one may ask how to best guide this power one has been entrusted with. If one sees that what they are designing are experiences, not only products, the questions may become easier to answer ... although also more numerous. It can be further defining to ask why one is designing, by first questioning one’s self, and by then applying these same questions to others that one is designing for.

Each of us primarily identifies ourselves by our individual values and interests, those things we see purpose and benefits in, are most confident in, and are passionate about ... things we would get up at sunrise for! It is when we express ourselves based on these things, that we are most successful, in both life and in design. Creativity requires self motivation, and it is only natural to be most highly motivated towards things we personally relate a sense of excitement to. So, it is also most natural to pursue the creation of experiences we enjoy. In beginning this process, a single but rather broad question arises, for designing a product, or one’s own life itself ... What future experiences do I want to create for myself and for others?

From this, can flow more specific inquiries: What activities interest me most? How do I spend my private time and my public time? What desires do I have that are yet unsatisfied? What materials do I enjoy interacting with? What technologies do I understand or want to promote? What scale of product, between hand held and architectural, most interests me? What things do I have the most difficulty with that could be made easier? How can I assist others in improving their lives? What would I be proud to contribute to humankind? Each these questions can, and do, spawn thousands of product ideas.

Our individual answers are not enough though, as we are part of interdependent world, which requires respect to others as well as to ourselves ... specifically as product designers. So to discover even more potential ideas, and more about your self, return to the questions above, replacing ‘I’ and ‘me’ with ‘other people’, and replacing ‘my’ with ‘their’. A designer must understand the implications of both the experiences they are creating, and of the products being produced. What am I really creating for the present and the future ... for myself, for others, and for the planet?

All of this to say, that when a designer steps into the shoes of a marketing person—considering the conception a new product, or improving an existing one—it is an exciting time of possibility and responsibility. It is essential to realize that what designers create are not only tangible products, but the present and future experiences those products provide. And, it is the most successful designers to know why they are creating, and are secure in their values, not only towards their designs, but in all of life’s endeavors.

One must be able to challenge their values periodically and be willing to accept new possibilities for themselves. To courageously, constantly question their perceptions in order to grow and continue the renewal and improvement of themselves and others.After all ... what is design anyway?