The Flâneur Approach to User Experience Design by Sarah Doody.
The entire article is a delight but Sarah’s take on how to prepare ourselves for random insights resonates with me:
So, how can we prepare our minds to recognize and respond to moments of random insight? Turns out the French may have an answer: flâner, a verb that means “to stroll.” Derived from this verb is the noun flâneur, a person who would stroll, lounge, or saunter about on the streets of Paris.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, a flâneur was regarded as somewhat lazy, mindless, and loafing. However, in the 19th century a new definition of the word emerged that captures the essence of what I believe makes a great user experience designer.
By this definition, a flâneur is more than just an aimless wanderer. The flâneur’s mind in always in a state of observation. He or she connects the dots through each experience and encounter that comes his or her way. The flâneur is in constant awe of his surroundings. In the article “In Search Of Serendipity” for The Economist’s Intelligent Life Magazine, Ian Leslie writes that a flâneur is someone who “wanders the streets with purpose, but without a map.”
I rather like that image, “wanders the streets with purpose, but without a map.”
I always start the day with things I would like to blog about but some (most?) days the keyboard just gets away from me. 😉
I haven’t kept score but my gut feeling is that I have discovered more things while looking for something else than following a straight and narrow path.
You?
(See Sarah’s post for the qualities needed to have a prepared mind.)