As society continues to evolve and industry grows stronger, design is no longer as simple as a craft, but a way to increase human interaction with society, identify problems, and enhance the experience of one’s life and workforce. So at this point should we continue the traditional craft or follow the mainstream practice?
- 1. Design as a Craft
While craft design as skilled create useful and beautiful items. . But with the increasing sophistication of 21st century technology for home, business, education and entertainment, the skills of crafts are no longer sufficient. They can add value, but they can’t lead the way. And with the problems of resources, pollution, climate, etc. now affecting us all, craft education is not enough to solve these problems.
- 2. Design as an Evidence-Based Discipline
With the introduction of new technologies, humanity needs a new form of design to address these problems. The solution came from development outside of design. The result is called “interaction design” and its core idea is human-centeredness. Human-centered design is based on the following principles: 1. ensure the causes and needs, 2. be evidence-based, 3. require iterative testing and continuous updating.
- 3. Design Education
In order to become the designers of tomorrow’s leaders, educators must encourage students to explore and learn more about technology. But design is much more than building pleasurable objects.
- 4. The Fork in the Road
1. Skills and practices: using the growing power of technology to create beautiful experiences that create beauty and delight in our lives.
2. Mindset: focus on solving the major problems of our time: health, famine, environment, inequality
- 5. Two Futures for Design
As the future of design evolves and explores the two forks in the road, it may not be necessary to choose one. Designers need to do and think, to think while doing, to keep design updated, while using craft as a foundation, like painting and such.