Workarounds in the design world are little hacks people make in their day to day life to make things easier. Often subconscious they are little changes that fix a problem or make things go smoother. I teach at The New School and this week’s homework was to look and document workarounds we encounter. For class we read Thoughtless Acts by Jane Fulton Suri, a lovely book about the benefits of being a keen observer of how people are already solving their problems.
This felt like a perfect assignment for getting back into the swing of Small Walks. You see workarounds everywhere and once you’ve calibrated your eyes to them it’s hard to miss.
Look for workarounds
During your small walks this week look for little workarounds, hacks, and fixes in your surroundings. I spotted things such as a fence fixed with a window screen, cones on-top of cars to avoid tickets, written signs to fix address confusion, and lightbulbs wired to new power conduit to test the power.
