The concept of an operating framework is to organize your time and effort into specific areas of focus. In theory, and with appropriate discipline, an operating framework can accelerate one’s development in one or multiple areas. The very nature of writing down one’s goals (or visually representing them) can plant these ideas and objectives into one’s subconscious, and this becomes a very powerful motivator even if you aren’t explicitly thinking of the framework on a daily basis (you shouldn’t be).
For example, here is an example of a partial framework from 2007 (Plane 6 – “Foundation”):
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While I listed electronics and software development within this framework, I didn’t end up spending a lot of time in these specific areas. And that’s where the evolution of an operating framework becomes relevant; where are you focusing your energy? And if you aren’t spending your time in certain areas, is this necessarily a problem?
In the Immersion (Plane 10) framework shown below, there is now a clear separation of what I’ve focused on in the past and what I ultimately need to focus on in the future. This is a radical shift given that I’ve typically had to justify and take on multiple, parallel tracks that had little relationship to one another – other than the fact that one path was for survival, and the other more aspirational. By logically separating these skills from the “core”, they will eventually become dormant and by default, the skills that I want to develop will have developed due to this increased focus (i.e. a self-fulfilling prophecy).
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Layered above these “dormant” skills are multiple layers of activity – all leading to a radically advanced portfolio along with an increased level of interaction weighted more heavily in the real-world than in the digital realm. What’s truly important here is that this increased interaction ultimately stems from a broader range of experiences. Not surprisingly, this has a dual purpose; the greater one’s experiences, the greater one’s ability to learn, identify challenges and design solutions to those challenges. Experiences represent a designer’s playground.
Finally, one concept that perhaps serves as the basis for this framework is John Maeda’s concept of “post digital”:
[Post Digital] is a term that I created as a way to acknowledge a distinction between those that are passed their fascination with computers, and are now driven by the ideas instead of the technology. […] the “post digital” generation refers to the growing few that have already been digital, and are now more interested in Being Human.
Ultimately, this is exactly what Immersion is all about – I’m less interested in the technology for technology’s sake. Rather I am interested in using technology to increase idea generation to make people’s lives better.
