The Impact of Language. For

brands and new market innova-

tion, words have become increas-

ingly important. As concepts

and ideas get more complex and

the marketplace becomes more

saturated, tone, voice, and lan-

guage are quickly becoming key

differentiators in the cluttered

world. Overwhelmed consumers

are gravitating toward products

that resonate emotionally or

can accurately and effectively

communicate the reasons to

believe in their offering—ignoring

those that don’t. Therefore, for

any answer to any opportunity,

semantics are a vital component

of the process. Definitions have to

be descriptive of the precise posi-

tion and intent of the solution but

must also have a tone that meets

the consumer on their level. If it

misses, it will be ignored.

Language should be argued

to seek out the most appropri-

ate terms for a concept. The

disagreement and dialogue will

either result in the assignment

of a term, removal because it is

deemed inferior or coopted, or the

invention of an entirely new term.

As a constant, language should

be considered, assessed, defined,

refined, and rejected across all

levels of the problem; it should

also be governed by and with the

same rigor as the problem defini-

tion process. Collaborators should

drive out the unique to build a

vernacular that is differentiated,

protectable, and that resonates

with the audience it is intended

to serve.

Emotion and Egolessness. There

exists an interesting dichotomy in

the mind of the designer. Armed

with empathy and experience,

designers are capable of getting

into the heads and hearts of

users to uncover the motivating

values for a product or activity.

Over time, experience allows

the designer to gain confidence

and make the right choices that

lead to a quicker or better result.

With the increase in confidence,

ego can often follow. While con-

fidence through experience is an

important and useful trait for

designers, ego can make collabo-

ration difficult. Part of the shared

understanding in a project group

is that everyone on the collabora-

tion team is a peer respected for

their opinions and experiences.

The influence of ego in a group

changes the dynamic, moving

focus away from the project and

removing the fluidity of team

thought. Though it is a fine line

to walk, designers need to be

confident enough to believe in the

value they bring without reaching

the level of ego.

As it pertains to projects and tasks themselves, emotion derived from confidence and interest in the subject lead to pas-