In this changed world, JSA interior designer Alyssa Pierce takes a look at design through a “think differently” lens in a personal essay.

Questioning norms during the lack of normality

Living through a pandemic, we question what the “new normal” will be. Was there ever an “old normal”? Where do we go from here? Living with the unknown is stressful. We grab onto anything that may give us comfort in order to forget what is going on in this crazy world. But the unknown also offers an opportunity for us to define a “new normal” and to question the ideas and constructs we once lived by.

Designing for “normal” impacts people and can make life more difficult for users who don’t fit the mold. Designers must be sensitive to how their design impacts everyone. We must think differently. This feels like the time to start with a clean canvas and think about the way things should be, not how they were. Perhaps the “new normal” can come from thinking differently and unselfishly; addressing the future and not living in the past.