Before we tell you about the insightful & engaging session, let us explain what Aha Moment means. All of Design has the power to be Magical. The true purpose of words & visuals together with great form & function is to leave the experiencer with aha moments to cherish. Mr Krishan Jagota curated a fun yet highly informative session with various engaging activities. It was under Pink City Design Confluence at ARCH College of Design and Business to help the audience understand the same in a better way. He addressed the Design Thinkers and stated the importance of creating Aha Moments in life irrespective of their fields.
About Krishan Jagota and his expertise:
Krishan Jagota is Head of Product Design and works as Product Lead and Brand Strategist at Sideways and is the President- the Association Of Designers Of India (Mumbai Chapter). Sideways is one of its kind, a creative problem-solving company based out of Mumbai. He believes that a workplace should be diverse and free to establish creative experiences for the customers through innovative projects of brand strategies.
The flow of the session
His session was full of engaging & insightful activities and a delight to attend. Here is how it went:
Activity 1: Com- magic tricks:
- He opened the session with Com- magic tricks, a perfect blend of comedy and magic.
- He also involved Ms Archana Surana, Founder of ARCH College of Design & Business, in executing the trick. The trick was about how he could make her feel magic and let the audience enjoy the experience.
- Through this activity, he explained the importance of perspective and how one should not try to change it according to convenience. In the design world, you never know whether the story portrayed by a Design Thinker’s work is perceived with the same narrative by all the people around the globe or not. It all comes down to what one sees and perceives.
Activity 2: Synchronised clapping game
- Mr Jagota explained the most common interruptions designers face through this activity. He made the audience understand the importance of listening and following the necessary rules instead of hustling without any proper direction.
- He further added that the world had evolved so much that today we lack an understanding of the importance of these small moments. These Aha moments only make our design more lively.
- This activity also conveyed how essential it’s to co-exist and keep the integrity of creation with some unique secretive touch of one’s individuality on the path of actual rules. One can do it by building a bridge and creating a perfect balance of known and unknown Aha moments.
Activity 3: Elevator Pitch
- This game was about how the Design Thinkers should represent themselves in front of someone they admire and would like to work with if given an opportunity.
- He asked the audience to imagine a situation where they get to meet their dream boss for 30 seconds in an elevator. What would be their Elevator Pitch?
- In this activity, he suggested that the learners should not communicate about ordinary things such as University or Courses. Instead, the learners should tell who they are and what they love. It should be in a manner that the dream boss feels connected with the story and ideology you share.
Ways to achieve Aha Moments:
- One of the ways to achieve Aha Moments that he spoke about was how being relevant is more important than blindly force-feeding technology. He compared the following two service-oriented brands – Starbucks and CCD – Cafe Coffee Day to explain the role of relevancy as per the target audience.
- Starbucks wants its customers to experience an environment where they can work, while CCD concentrates more on people who like to hang out at a place that feels friendly. So, believe in conveying your design stories, not just the product.
- This activity conveyed how every profession is about giving services to people, be it different ways of escaping reality through the entertainment industry or creating a homely experience.
The continuous chain of idea game: NO-BUT & YES-AND:
- In this, he demonstrated team-building by becoming a good listener and using the correct words with the help of student volunteers.
- Inadequate listeners unknowingly demean the other person by saying NO-BUT when they start sharing ideas. Whereas, when one says YES-AND, it allows exploration of more options and various ideas and modifications. It boosts the morale of the fellow people around you.
- Krishan Jagota exemplifies the meaning an action of a person holds for another, without any verbal communication. What if someone interprets it wrong, but the other person plays along to analyse where it goes and what one can learn from it. So, communication is the soul course of being a great designer.
Final Word
Towards the end, Mr Jagota made a beautiful statement that “you should never bound yourself to any fixed template and explore the freedom of thinking out of the box”. Also, every Design Thinker should understand thoroughly that the brand value of a company, design, or product is not highlighted by its outer appearance. It is enhanced by the message and purpose behind the creation because “how you do anything is the highlight of how you do everything.”
So, Design Thinkers should first get the upper hand in their core competence. They should never lose their differentiating factor along this journey, making them unique and creative. The designers can create many Aha Moments by making their design familiar and interactive as per the reflection of their personality. Some personal essence in the design adds to the relevancy of the design or product. Therefore, with this Session on Aha Moments at ARCH College of Design and Business, one can understand Aha Moments’ true meaning and essence to establish a powerful and transformative experience.