Being Designerly - Cultivate Curiosity

In this series of posts about Being Designerly, we explore ways to be more creative by thinking, feeling, and acting like a designer. The previous post discussed how successful designers Put People First; this one is about Cultivating Curiosity.

Curiosity is the desire to know.

Young children are naturally curious, constantly exploring everything around them. However, as they grow older, their curiosity often gets suppressed. They are taught to seek answers rather than explore questions, and those answers are just a click or prompt away. There are several other factors that hinder curiosity, such as self-consciousness, the fear of not knowing, and the fear of being ridiculed. And we’ve all heard the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" being used to discourage curiosity.

“Curiosity killed the cat” is only one-half of that old saying. The forgotten second part is, “but satisfaction brought it back.” The satisfaction of exploration, learning, and discovery keeps curiosity alive and thriving. Curiosity takes us on a journey with unknown outcomes. This journey often challenges our thinking, encourages us to shift perspectives, and opens us up to diverse views. People who cultivate curiosity tend to be smarter, more creative, and ultimately more successful.

In his book, "Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It," Ian Leslie delves into three types of curiosity. Diversive curiosity is superficial, while epistemic curiosity is deeper and more disciplined. Empathic curiosity focuses on understanding the thoughts and feelings of others. While diversive curiosity can be distracting, epistemic and empathic curiosity enrich our connection with the world, adding layers of interest and complexity to our experiences. We should cultivate epistemic and empathic curiosity.

When people are curious, their first instinct is often to turn to a search engine, voice assistants like Alexa and Siri, or, these days, ChatGPT. If their search ends with the first result, it often ends up as being simple trivia. However, if they feed and cultivate that curiosity, it can lead to new knowledge and deeper understanding.

Genuine curiosity is like a muscle that can be trained and strengthened through regular exercise.

How can we cultivate curiosity?

Ask questions

Ask questions to explore or learn more. A good starting question is “Why?”, sometimes repetitively to get to the actual answer. Questions like “Why not?” or “What if?” may not always have a direct answer, but may prompt others to stop and think, or shift their thinking. It is natural to look for answers when we have questions. But digging deeper after the immediate answer will help develop your sense of curiosity and, in turn, knowledge and learning. 

Adopt a beginner’s mindset

A beginner’s mind does not have preconceived notions or the set ways of an expert. It sees things with fresh eyes, asking seemingly basic questions with the goal of understanding something or finding different ways to do something better. Curiosity often stems from a gap in knowledge and understanding. This means that the person should be willing to admit that they do not know everything or may be mistaken.

Don’t be afraid to appear foolish

How often have you held back from asking a question because of the fear of sounding foolish? Asking questions is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of self-awareness and humility in not having all the answers. When you think you understand something, asking questions will help you uncover other perspectives. 

Curiosity doesn't happen by chance. It requires an inquisitive mind and a willingness to explore. Cultivate curiosity for continuous learning, a growth mindset, and more fulfillment in your professional and personal life.

Curious about the next designerly behavior? Say no more - in two weeks, we will discuss the designerly skill of observation. You should also sign up for curated content on the topic every other week at news.beingdesignerly.com. I hope these will help you, designer or not, be more creative and innovative by being designerly!