Introduction

Whenever I introduce myself in a professional context, I make sure to mention that I’m a civil engineer turned designer. However, I often struggle to explain this transition and why it’s not as unconventional as it might seem. At their core, both professions are about solving problems—different problems with varying requirements, constraints, and goals, but both are rooted in problem-solving nonetheless.

A couple of months ago, as I began (and continue) my career transition, I started thinking about how I could transfer some of my skills to the design field. While doing so, I reviewed old files and documentation from projects I led and participated in. Some of the work was messy, while some looked fine. I was also reminded that when I was working on digital transformation in construction, I had already been reading about and applying methods like design thinking. I intuitively used research methods to solve problems, speaking with people (users) to understand their needs and pain points related to my work.

This approach hasn’t been limited to my engineering career—it has extended to my experiences in the shoe industry in Brazil and the retail industry here in Canada. To be completely honest, I’ve always been curious, constantly reading, applying methods, and closely observing everything around me. Whenever I encounter something odd, one question always comes to mind: is it a design issue?

Those design issues can range from checklists to infrastructure, from packages to portable toilets, and I decided I would start writing about my observations, thoughts, and insights on them. If you are reading this, please feel free to get in touch and share your thoughts about your own "design issues" as well. Also, I did some research if anyone has this "Is it a design issue?"title already and couldn't find, but please let me know if I accidentally copied someone's idea.