Receiving.

The homework reading is pretty straightforward and matter-of-fact. Everything is laid out; a charted strategy for critical thinking. However, I'm finding more and more that a designer needs a far-reaching understanding of cultural relevance. Without an understanding of client or audience or without fully probing the problem you're addressing, your solution (if one gets developed at all) will probably miss the mark (no pun intended).

To a certain extent a designer needs to be a constantly open receptor to the events, ideas and people around him. Our interpretation of this information is only relevant if we've done the research (and subsequent critical thinking) to make it relevant.