Noticing & Looking Closely

A First Step To Thinking Like An Innovator

Part of Harvard's Project Zero Agency By Design thinking routines, noticing and looking closely are key parts of gathering background information and beginning to think like a designer. When we pay close attention, look closely at something's parts, purposes, and complexities, we start to notice how things work; why they work the way they do; and where systems can be changed or need to be changed. We had some experience exploring how to "look closely" as we did a little background research on our own identities. Now, we will use this first step in the design cycle to directly observe ourselves and our daily lives. Just like a true scientific investigator, you will record observations in order to uncover patterns and understandings about your life and those around you.

Observation Templates

As scientists, how we observe may be just as crucial to an experiment as what we observe. Take a look at these 4 observation methods below. For the next week, you will need to gather data and observations about your life. Consider which template you would like to try for yourself. You do not need to stay with the same template for the whole week, but you should find a way to make observations of your life each day for the entire week. Have fun gathering data on yourself!