Freud, psychology and design

So what's the point of talking about Freud on a site for a business that designs and builds websites and apps. I guess the point is about knowing just how we react to design, the things that influence the products we create and understanding the reasons why we get it wrong.

My loose definition of 'Freudian design' is 'to understand the way that we don't understand why we do things the way we do'. A lot of people think that design is just about the end product- 'I need those designs' barked the product owner. The new layout, deep contrasting colours, the fonts used, inspiring content and sensational feeling of looking at a product that is well thought out and crafted. All of this is true but I am talking about 'the way'. The way that we do it. Its the way that defines the output at the end of all of this.

It's the way we do it that counts. Let's start with a proper definition of what design means before we go into the psychoanalysis of a design process, according to the British Design Council:

Design is what happens when people use creativity to solve problems.

https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-work/what-is-design/

This is helpful because immediately this points at the heart of the matter. Problem-solving.

Lets extend this definition with understanding what design thinking is as this term is often used in SCRUM...

Design Thinking is a user-centered method for creative problem solving.

So how does Freud fit into this...

Well how we solve problems can be influenced by culture, education, personality and even mood but often I've heard that design shouldn't be about ego. What I think is right and how I think things should look. I actually disagree.

The way things look cannot be democratised endlessly. It cannot be redrawn and mapped out according to the 'user community'. If it is then its abstracted to a point where it doesn't suit anyone. If it's built around the individual and their unique way of seeing things then things can still get pretty confusing pretty fast. But a well trained individual with a sound grasp of design process and principles can avoid the psychosocial and focus on good design.

I have made some pretty amazing wire frames only to be told that the head of eTrading didn't like it. But why, I liked it, it seemed decent to me, it follows principles and functions well. So I guess I get all psycho analytical, and this is where Freud comes into it. I have to really listen to that person and hear what they are saying. I have to know their personality and ego to work out what it is that they want without listening to the words coming from their mouths. Its a hard one and part guess work but part of the reason why I read Freud in the first part I guess. Listening to their Id, ego and superego all at once and still trying to think of it in that way plus being creative, stylish, cool but effortless and edgy and blah blah blah starts to wear thin.

I like the playful nature of design. The 'create' part of creative, I can't imagine how good design actually works but I always think back to Steve Jobs where he had a vision and strived to make that vision real.