This document discusses how ordinary experiences in life can provide opportunities for innovative design. It notes that 70% of life is ordinary and can be messy. Examples of ordinary experiences discussed include the elderly, veterans, cities, condoms, and buying a house. The document suggests taking a holistic view of problems, revisiting old problems without assumptions, expecting users to change over time, and integrating online and offline experiences. It advocates finding passion in order to develop the best ideas and provides an example of someone who revisited life after war and found new integration of work and life.

1. The Beauty of
Ordinary Design
Brynn Evans
Apr 22, 2015
Illustration by Ben Marsh, UsTwo

2. Brynn Evans
UX Designer, Android
@brynn

3. The Beauty
of Ordinary
Things
Harriet Scott Chessman
bit.ly/beauty-ordinary-things

4. How does this apply to
design?

5. 70% of life is ordinary
Henry Wessell, Incidents. Exhibit showing at the Tate Modern, London, 2015

6. Life is messy
Henry Wessell, Incidents. Exhibit showing at the Tate Modern, London, 2015

8. Elderly
Photo by flickr.com/photo/dtanist

9. Photos by flickr.com/photos/24716663@N06
theguardian.com/society/2012/aug/27/dementia-village-residents-have-fun

10. openideo.com/challenge/mayo-clinic/ideas/overdelivery

11. Veterans
Photo by flickr.com/photos/usarmyafrica

12. Photo by flickr.com/photos/bosstweed
bit.ly/poppies-london

13. Cities
Photo by flickr.com/photos/uxud

14. https://www.apple.com/uk/environment/climate-change/

15. Condoms
Photo from theweek.com/articles/455793/meet-11-condoms-future-selected-by-bill-gates

16. gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2013/03/Ground-Breaking-Ideas-Sought-to-Improve-the-
Lives-of-Millions

17. youtube.com/watch?v=kMriPq9k278

18. Buying a house
Photo by flickr.com/photos/aldenchadwick

20. What’s the common
thread?

21. 1. New approach to old problems
2. Deal with change over time,
emotion, embarrassment
3. Integrate experiences online /
offline
4. Many are services, with lots of
touchpoints

22. What can you do?

23. Benny
bit.ly/beauty-ordinary-things
Revisited life anew
Surprised by how different
he was post-war
Found a new way to
integrate work & life
Found his passion

24. Revisit old
problems
how can this be made better?
throw out assumptions
fix real pain points

25. Expect users
to change
track your users over time
adapt to changes
Photo by flickr.com/photos/thomashawk

26. Integrate
online &
offline
take a holistic view of
experiences
consider the real context of a
problem
Photo by flickr.com/photos/blltz

27. Find your
passion
best ideas come from
deep passion
babylistregistry.com

28. The Beauty of
Ordinary Design

29. The Beauty of
Ordinary Life

30. Photo by me
This might not be the
life you expected, but
it’s the life you were
given...

31. Photo by me

32. Thank you!
@brynn
google.com/design