DESTINATION: PLAY an investigation involving the use of play to overcome the fear of leaving the comfort zone
a project by
TWONEIDEAS ELLA.Z.M
THE COMFORT ZONE
The comfort is a place of no fear, no anxiety and no discomfort. In the Comfort Zone, one feels safe and relaxed about what they are capable of. The Comfort Zone is a boundary we set and are afraid to step out of in fear of judgment of others when we fail to attempt something that is new and unfamilar to us.
THE COMFORT ZONE
UPON STEPPING OUT ANXIETY / FEAR DISCOMFORT STARTS POURING INTO YOU
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THE FACTORS CAUSING DESIGNERS TO NOT STEP OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE
FACTOR . N O 1 / FEAR OF JUDGMENT
HA HA!
A HA!
SORRY !
H
ERm...
Tim Brown in his TED talks described an exercise, which required the audience to sketch the person sitting next to them in 30 seconds. It ended with laughter, apologies and a little embarrassment. Brown pointed out that the situation only happens when being carried out by adults. When one becomes an adult, one starts becoming less adventurous and is afraid of what impressions they leave when presenting ideas to the peers around them.
IDEA PRESENTATION SCENARIO
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FACTOR . N O 2 / WORK & PLAY
Another reason why designers do not step out of their comfort zones because people keep separating work and play. In the article, IDEO: Big Innovation Lives Right on the Edge of ridiculous Ideas by Jake Cook. Cook interviews Brendan Boyle and Joe Wilcox of IDEO’s Toy Lab. Brendan realizes people treat work and play as two separate entities as if they are not able to integrate. If they do attempt to, they will still differentiate it from work and treat it as a break time. At IDEO, work and play is a portion of their daily creative process, it is constant and they do not have a particular time for either.
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FACTOR . N O 3 / EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
X=Y+5 ÷-+x=
Apparently the education system seems to play a big part of one of the factors. Ken Robinson says schools kills creativity in a TED talk. Robinson believes that “creativity is as important in education as literacy” and it should be on the same level of importance as education. Children are not afraid of getting the question wrong. They will boldly give the answer a try even if they are wrong. “If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original.” Unfortunately by the time they grow into adults, they become afraid of making mistakes because the national education system stigmatizes mistakes.
MISTAKES = HOPELESS
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FACTOR . N O 3 / EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
MATHEMATICS LANGUAGES HUMANITIES ARTS
Robinson explains, “In every location in the world, the hierarchy of subjects are the same. Mathematic and languages, then the humanities and the bottom are the arts.” Within the arts also exists a hierarchy with music and arts on the highest then drama and dance. Robinson questions why there isn’t an education system that teaches dance everyday like how mathematics is being taught. Robinson calls for a reflection on intelligence. Intelligence is diverse, dynamic and distinct. The world could be thought up visually, through sound, by movement or through physical activities. It is interactive and one can learn though the observation of things. Lastly, everyone should not be treated the same because people are all good at different things. If the person is placed in the right education, environment with like-minded peers, one can excel and go far.
IGN! DES
TYPE!
LAYOUT! GRIDS!
LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE
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DESIGNERS ARE LIMITING THEIR POTENTIAL BY STAYING IN THE COMFORT ZONE
THE “ OK PLATEAU ”
Without stepping out of the comfort zone, these designers will reach a wall and realize they have stopped improving. Joshua Foer’s book, Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything talks about the discovery of the Ok Plateau. In 1960s, the psychologists Paul Fitts and Michael Posner broke down the 3 stages of the process of anyone learning a new technique. The first part is the “cognitive stage” discovering and understanding through thought, experiences and senses of how to achieve it in a more efficient way. The second is the “associative stage”, in this stage you use lesser focus but make lesser serious mistakes and you got better at it. The last stage is the “autonomous stage”. This is when you have gotten to the skill level you feel is sufficient enough for you which is good because you can pay attention to other things that need it. This is also when you stop improving and this means you have hit the “OK Plateau”.
registering knowledge
COGNITIVE STAGE
30 MINS
10 MINS
ASSOCIATIVE STAGE
AUTONOMOUS STAGE
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BE GOOD GOALS VS GET BETTER GOALS
PROVE THAT HE CAN CREATE ALL THESE
Grace Saunders suggests that one reason designers could be limiting their potential could be because they are setting the wrong goals. There are two kinds of goals, “Be Good and Get Better goals”. Be good goals: It pushes you to create “perfect” work; you set a high standard, which you have, little confidence in achieving. You want to prove something. Get better goals: It makes you willing to progress, it gives you the urge to constantly improve yourself and it is learning from others by asking for help.
P! AHH!
E!
HEL
LET’S SE KEEP CALM & LET ME SEE HOW TO HELP
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INTRODUCTION OF PLAY TO THE COMFORT ZONE TIME TO MOVE OUT!
H
SE NNA E?
WOW!
LOOK AT E! MIN
ERE YOU GO !
WA
INTRODUCING PLAY
Brown introduces play by using children as an example. From the previous exercise that the adults did which we mentioned earlier, the children who carried out the exercise produced a different response. They were eager to show off their artwork to anyone who wishes to see it. Brown highlights that a study displays findings of children growing in a trusted and safe environment are the able to play freely. Brown believed the creating of an environment that feels trusted and safe would evoke the same kind of play into adults.
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INTRODUCING PLAY
David started IDEO with his goal of forming a company made up of best friends, as “friendship was the short cut of play�. I would think the concept as the way Brown explains it is that when you are around friends, you feel safe and you do crazy ideas together. Brown also points out that many creative workplaces usually have a representation of play to remind their employees to be playful, become accustomed to their space and be get along and work well with their team mate. He showed the playful areas of some creative offices, for example in PIXAR, the animators worked in little wooden huts and decorated caves. Play is a bridge for new ideas, opportunities and creative confidence.
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INTRODUCING PLAY
ONE + EA
IDE A T
W0
ID
This project believes that to challenge designers to leave their comfort zone, the concept of play by viewing the design process more of play than work can be able to change designers’ mindset to be more experimental and this will in turn allows them to try new ways of approaching design.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY COOK, J, 2012, IDEO: BIG INNOVATION LIVES RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF RIDICULOUS IDEAS, 99U, VIEWED 28 AUGUST 2012,
MCDONALD,E, 2012, LENERT & SANDER: IT’S TIME TO LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE, 99U, VIEWED 28 AUGUST 2012,
http://99u.com/articles/7080/IDEOBig-Innovation-Lives-Right-on-the-E dge-of-Ridiculous-Ideas
<http://99u.com/articles/6958/Lerne rt-Sander-Its-Time-To-Leave-Your-C omfort-Zone>
DISNEY’S INTERACTIVE PLANTS AREN’T JUST MAGIC. THEY’RE PRACTICAL MAGIC, 2012,CO.EXIST, VIEWED 28 AUGUST 2012,
MOHR, T, 2010, IS AN INNER ARGUMENT HOLDING BACK YOUR PRODUCTIVITY, 99U, VIEWED 28 AUGUST 2012,
http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680369/ disney-s-interactive-plants-aren-t-ju st-magic-they-re-practical-magic
<http://99u.com/tips/7200/Is-An-Inn er-Argument-Holding-Back-Your-Pr oductivity>
FOER, J, 2011, MOONWALKING WITH EINSTEIN: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF REMEMBERING EVERYTHING, PENGUIN PRESS, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
SAUNDERS, EG, 2012, GETTING BETTER VS BEING GOOD, 99U, VIEWED 28 AUGUST 2012,
LINDSKOOG, D, 2011, STAY IN YOUR COMFORT ZONE, PSYCHOPOEIA, VIEWED 28 AUGUST 2012, http://psychopoeia.com/2011/06/30/s tay-in-your-comfort-zone/
LOOK, C, 2010, EXPANDING YOUR COMFORT ZONE: KEY TO SUCCESS, VIEWED 28 AUGUST 2012, http://www.attractingabundance.co m/eft/expanding-your-comfort-zones/
<http://99u.com/tips/7150/Getting-B etter-vs-Being-Good>
KEN ROBINSON SAYS SCHOOLS KILL CREATIVITY, 2006, VIDEO, TED, VIEWED 28 AUGUST 2012, <http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/k en_robinson_says_schools_kill_crea tivity.html>
SERIOUS PLAY CONFERENCE, 2008, TIM BROWN: TALES OF CREATIVITY AND PLAY, VIDEO, TED, VIEWED 28 AUGUST 2012, <http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_brow n_on_creativity_and_play.html>
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