Design fixation often happens when designers jump to an early solution and seize on the first cool idea that comes to mind based on what they already know without bothering to really investigate the real issues and new ways of thinking.
Then, they get stuck in an endless loop of trying to make the problems fit their cool 'solution'
At its worst a designer may ignore the user's needs and produce a 'non-solution' to a problem that didn't exist in the first place, which either makes everything much worse than before, or is simply a waste of time and resources!
Oftentimes design fixation may take the form of The Fear of the Blank Canvas, where a designer just doesn't know what to do first, or it may be that a designer gets half way through a project and just has a Brain Freeze and needs to stop trying to think about a problem because it looks like they have exhausted all avenues of thought.
Design Fixation can happen at any point in a project - if you need to break out of unproductive thinking then try some of the following strategies.
- If you don't have all the answers - ask more questions: Ask indirect questions, e.g. if you don't know what surface finish to use then ask about the user's needs, the environment of use, what manufacturing alternatives might be used, where will it rest (on display or in a drawer?), how will it function when not in use? What forces will it have to withstand? If you ask only questions about what you think you need to ask you will stay stuck in the same constraining mindset. If progress is slow you may simply be relying on your own talent and what's on the inside of your head rather than getting to understand and work with the actual issues out in the real world
- Revisit your design brief and specification(s)- is it all still valid? What seems too vague? Do you have a method of measuring the success of each specification point? Does the user agree with your aims? Check in with them!
- Ask again- Why are we doing this? Re-examine the core motivators of the design task to see if they are still valid
- Discuss ideas with the user to get feedback
- Identify assumptions you have made that you didn't have to- what decisions did you make previously that now seem so sticky they will not let go of you? What ideas did you fall in love with that are incorrect and damaging to progress?
- STOP THINKING! Stand up, walk around, do something physical, make a model, quickly create something in 3D for another design problem
- Break out of your design fixation by applying something RANDOM to the project- the more unrelated the better - and allow your naturally creative brain to use lateral thinking and open up new directions of thought
- Completing routine, repetitive tasks, that occupy your full attention but don't require any creativity, gives your conscious mind a break. This creates a space for your unconscious mind to carry on solving the problem for you while your attention is elsewhere. As a wise elderly relative once told me - "You should chop more veg!" And she was indeed wise. (Other things to try - rearrange a bookshelf, hoover your house, wash some dishes, fold the laundry, put your desk and stationery in order, tidy your room)