• Richard Caddick
• 10 Feb 2012
• No Comments

Earlier this week I gave a short talk on the importance of using imagination as part of the design process. I identified a number of traits based on the lives of creative people that could help us become more imaginative – and in turn help us develop better and more interesting products.

One of the traits I pulled out was observation. Getting out into the real world to experience life from a different perspective.

In preparation for the talk I came across a lovely story which unfortunately got left on the cutting room floor, so I’d like to share it with you now:

Simon Parker understood that cycling around London was difficult, and decided to create the London Cycle Map to help us out. The story of his passion and how he went about it is something that all designers can learn from. Here’s an exerpt from an interview with him. The full version (and the map) can be found here – http://cyclelifestyle.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27&Itemid=32

“To the dismay of his parents (who wanted him ‘to get a proper career’, as Parker tells me) he began avidly researching the idea. He took a job as a taxi driver so he could earn money while exploring the streets of London, chatting to his passengers about the hidden local byways which would form the ins and outs of his plan. London’s worsening traffic congestion only emboldened him, and over the years he sketched a network that evolved in tandem with his knowledge of the capital. Then, four years ago, Parker decided to substantiate his ideas further with the advice of a professional cartographer. He borrowed thousands of pounds to do this, but their ongoing collaboration has produced a polished, stylised draft of his London Cycle Map. It fits handily in a pocket, capturing the behemoth of London in an eight-inch visual network.”

How many of us would go to these lengths to design a better product?

Footnote

If you’re interested in getting involved and help see the project through to completion – with clear way marked signage around London then you can sign the petition here: http://www.petition.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign/