Design is a field that brings together creation, imagination, and thinking about people and situations. When we learn how this field is organized, we’re better prepared for making things better. Design’s a funny word. As a verb, it describes an action of planning and creation. As a noun, it points to an entire field of …
The word design is all over the place; what does it mean? In this new series, I walk you through what design is, how it works, how to do it, and explain why you’re already a designer and how to become better at it. My mother recently told me that every time she hears the …
The focus on human qualities in understanding design can come at the cost of disconnecting people from the world they inhabit. Don Norman, one of the most widely known designers, recently attracted a flurry of attention with his call for something called Humanity-Centred Design. The idea is central to his latest book. The argument that …
Humanity-Centred Design or Designing for Living Systems? Read More »
A new documentary profiles the life and perspective of Bruce Mau, a designer who had contributed more to my passion for the field than any other. Bruce Mau is an enigma. He is a designer in the fullest sense of that term and has demonstrated the power of design thinking (in it’s fullest sense of …
Energy powers innovation, creativity, motivation, and the will to make change happen if we design for it. Change requires power. Power comes from energy. Without the energy to power change we will go nowhere. Yet, much of what we design in our innovation plans lack a power plant to fuel change. This power plant involves …
Design thinking is best approached as a habit, not as an exercise. Just as ‘critical thinking’ isn’t meant to be applied sporadically to one’s life, neither is design thinking.
Design is about making things with intention, craft, and care, but above all, it must inspire. Without inspiration and excitement, there is no action.
Marketing is largely about identity and stories about identity. Marketers want to influence what you do (choose, use, purchase, etc..) and how you experience what you do when you do it. To do this, they know the importance of design and the stories to accompany that design. Design, when done well, is partly about creating empathy with those who are to benefit from the products of design and the best products out there are ones that apply empathy and guide behaviour at the same time. Storytelling is the vehicle that links them together.
Higher education strives to prepare learners to meet the scientific and technical demands of a changing world, yet does so in a manner that seems antithetical to change. What gives? I explore this in a little further with insights from complexity science.
