Being responsive vs. reactive

Having a knee-jerk reaction to a situation can serve a purpose. Like when a fuzzy critter pops out unexpectedly from behind a trash can. Instinctively jumping backward makes sense, from an evolutionary perspective.

Having a reactive response as a design team? Not so much.

As designers, we’re doing emergent work, which means we’re making decisions and moving forward based on what we learn along the way. That should, in theory, give us regular opportunities to sit with what we’re learning and be thoughtful about next steps.

But that’s not always how the cookie crumbles.

You may react quickly because you feel pressure and urgency to do the work faster. Or because you feel emotionally triggered by a specific situation or perspective. Or because you have a homogenous team that is so “on the same page” that you don’t see the need for further reflection and discussion.

When we don’t intentionally build in—and prioritize—time to reflect on and encourage discourse in our work, we can end up in reactive mode.

When we’re reactive, we act quickly and often without much thought. That’s not the zone we want to be in as designers. Reactivity can lead to less impactful design. It can also fracture trust between team members and collaborators.

So what’s the alternative? Being responsive.

When we’re responsive, we’re taking time to consider what’s happening and what we’ve learned. We’re creating space for discussion and considering various perspectives. We’re naming intended expectations and exploring unintended consequences. We’re choosing how to respond, rather than simply doing.

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