Thinking of a Design Problem as a Project and Jury as a Client – Journey from VIRTUALIZATION TO REALIZATION
Hi Everyone,
I am really excited about sharing my thoughts and experiences with you people. So this is something I learnt in the last year of my degree when one of our design teacher told us that ‘When you give a viva, think like you are addressing a client. This is the only purpose of viva being held in our institutes i.e. to know how to present your work.’ Well when I was thinking to talk about it with you people, I also thought what it would be like if we start taking our design problems as if we are having a project from a client where, the Jury may be addressed as client.
When I started imagining it, I found that it will really change a student’s whole approach to design. Here, I want to try to change the ‘student’s thinking and approach’ from the virtual life of academics to the reality of practical field.
Now, if I talk about how to do it. Let’s start from the beginning where we are given a design problem by our teachers. We just need to think that it is not a college exercise but a design problem given by the client. The only change here will be that we will get an experience of handling multiple clients with different thoughts in just one project in the form of Jury.
You must be thinking
1. How will it change our work ethics?
When we see it as a student, we think that if we can’t find a solution we will ask it from our teachers. Sometimes, we just wait for the jury day to know solutions while giving viva. But if we start taking it as professionals, we will be urged to find solutions ourselves before presenting it to the client i.e. Jury.
- We will start researching more by ourselves resulting in knowledge gain.
- We start consulting others more frequently.
- Then we will start learning more in search of the solutions. In fact we will come up with multiple solutions of one problem.
When it is about client, we try to give our best which we neglect sometimes when we are thinking to address jury.
2. But the clients are half known and jury knows more. How could it be same?
Yes, most of clients are the ones we need to guide. But there are clients who know it all and it’s very difficult to handle such clients in practical life. Take your Jury as that knowledgeable client. If you will learn how to handle a knowledgeable client, you can handle any client in your life.
3. How will working this way in my student life help me out?
Well! When we do design as a student, we work and speak entirely different than the way we do it when we are professionals. The design output and viva voice we will come up with in both the scenarios, will be entirely different. You will feel energy and a confidence from within. Your approach will be more professional. Some more benefits are:
- It will help you make better designs
- It let’s you go in depth of your work
- This help’s you understand your project better
- Ultimately leading to better academic scores
- It will make your skills better for your professional life when you will deal with actual clients.
4. But there is Internship to learn that?
Yes, there is internship. But not everyone is allowed in internship to talk to a client. Even if some lucky ones get that chance, then also why not learn client handling in academics rather than waiting for it in reality.
5. Jury is one thing and the client is other. Jury tries to make you perfect and client tries to get his/her needs fulfilled.
Now, I want you to ask yourself some questions.
- Why are you learning architecture?
- Why jury wants you to explain your project first and then points out the problems?
- What is your Ultimate goal?
- How will you achieve that ultimate goal?
You may get the answers of first three questions very easily. But some people don’t know the answer to the fourth one. Let me help you with that.
Your Approach to a Design Problem
Your ultimate goal will be related to success in some way. In our field, success is directly related to the clients we get. No clients no success. So our ultimate goal is to serve the clients and be client oriented. The more clients we satisfy, the more success and positive reviews we get. According to COA, architects are not allowed to advertise. So this is the best way to get clients.
To conclude that, I don’t think there is any harm to learn client handling in academics just by changing your thoughts. Well you can try it for one project. If you like it, stick to it. If don’t then change it. Architecture is more about the knowledge we have. With creativity of course. So why not try it when you are actually supposed to learn things without expectations.
Keep designing folks (:
