The Enso Methodology

In the previous article of this series, it was noted how a small team at MOBGEN launched an internal project that focused on facilitating design sprints.

This article is a little different, as it focuses solely on explaining how we reached the name for the project, and the reasons behind our final decision.

In the early stages of the project, we were working under the name: “Design Sprint App”. Which, on the face of things, is adequate and self-explanatory, but clearly not the greatest of project names. We also found this title restrictive for any potential new direction we could take the project in the future. As the title would suggest, the scope and functionality of the application needs to be around design sprints.

Amongst the team, there was a consensus that eventually the project would be named with one simple, all-encompassing word, similarly to MOBGEN’s mobile CMS called ‘Halo’.

How we came to the name

The fantastic team members quickly arranged a short workshop in the early stages of the project, to run through different name ideas and collectively name the project together.

The service designer of our team successfully ran the workshop, during which time we started writing potential names individually, and playing around with synonyms and word association. This eventually created a very large list of potential project names. Once the walls around us were filled with a wide range of possible names, we then grouped them into themes and began voting on our preferred option. Each of us had three votes and could spread them however we wished.

After a lot of thought, the name that received the most votes was Enso.

What does Enso mean? Why is it a good fit?

Simply translated Enso means circle in Japanese.

A more detailed explanation can be found in the origin of the word;
Enso (円相) is a circle that is hand-drawn in one or two brushstrokes to express a moment when the mind is free to let the body create. (source Wikipedia).

It was important for us to incorporate characteristic MOBGEN branding in the project name. Enso fits MOBGEN’s brand as it continues with the circle theme that begun in our logo. Similarly to our other in-house application, HALO, the name Enso is another word that represents a spherical object.

Furthermore, as you can see above in the description of the origin of the word, Enso is something that encompasses creativity and the freeing of the mind. Both of these things are encouraged during our workshops, especially throughout design sprints, making it seem particularly fitting to our project. Also, the representation of the circle is evident in the design sprint, as when we have completed the workshop we need to reflect back on the beginning; did we complete the goals we had? Are there any new questions to tackle? We then start the process over again, coming full circle in our approach.

All of the above reasons encouraged us to believe that Enso is the right name for this project. It’s was a fantastic feeling to have the thoughts and ideas from every member of the team and make the final decision collectively. We are looking forward to what comes next for Enso, keep your eyes peeled!

Originally published at mobgen.com on November 30, 2017.