Firstly, I truly benefited a lot from this lecture, which centered on the theme of “curiosity”. I learned about various aspects of the topic, such as what curiosity can help us with, the difference between shallow curiosity and deep curiosity, and what I can change and apply in the future when designing for users in the field of interaction design.
How does curiosity help?
It helps us build and strengthen relationships between people, or between designers and users, so that we can understand each other better. In the process of getting to know each other, we will be less tense and stressful, and at the same time stimulate thinking and inspiration, and make the collaboration better through the progress of creativity. In addition to this, appropriate curiosity can de-escalate conflict and reduce hostility in the course of a conversation. well-intentioned curiosity makes people less wary or tight-lipped, which makes it easier to enter into deeper conversations as well. Being around people in such a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere every day is good for our physical and mental health, and perhaps even increases our life span.
How is deep curiosity different than shallow curiosity, and how can it inspire interaction design students?
The difference between deep curiosity and shallow curiosity lies in the questions asked and the dimensions we can explore through them. In deep curiosity, we usually ask more open-ended questions and avoid restrictive questions so that the other person can say more. On the basis of these questions, we are able to explore multiple identities in the other person, as well as their emotional changes and their story. This is worth learning for interaction design students; our designs need to be user-centered, so what the user thinks and feels is of utmost importance to us. One quote from the lecturer really struck me, “deep curiosity helps you see the many layers of a person, and reach their soul”. Only by deeply understanding the different dimensions of the user can we design something that will satisfy him/her the most.