Week 1
Lecture
Module Overview
Goal is to develop long range strategic thinking towards designing for a sustainable future. Meant to deepen your awareness and critical understanding of ethical issues and sensitivities with critical and cultural matters of differences.
Train to think different from our own disciplines. We are not known as simply product, interior, etc designers, but simply as designers. It is not prescriptive in which tasks are given to student, but more on self-learning and individual research and reflection. It is meant to explore and develop our own opinions on different subject. Provide us an opportunity to look at situations from different perspectives so we can develop better and more insightful solutions.
Move from multidisciplinary to interdisciplinary to transdisciplinary. Solutions can come from a different domain different from my own. The course seek to develop us in finding solution from other forms of designs.
ASSIGNMENT:
1)Â Â Â Â Trend Research Report (details given next week)
2)Â Â Â Â Reflection Journal: Each lesson we will be given a questions that we have to answer. Keep it to 300 words reflections. Can include illustration, images, and video. From week 1-9 and a final module reflection at the end. Should be focused reflection. Due: Week 17, 27 Nov 2023
LECTURE 1A: THE ROLE OF DESIGN, THE DESIGNER AND FUTURE MAKING
What is Design?
Is design part of the service industry? Do we just provide service to other
Design is a discipline of doing. Design aims to be practical, always attempting to improve upon current circumstances
We may not be able to solve a problem entirely and they may not be able to solve the problem. But design can change things
The Act of Design is the Systematic Attempt to change the future
What does Design mean to you?
What do you think is the Role of Design in Society?
Both questions will be discussed during tutorial
Current system is we are given a proposal and have to design to solve it. The argument is place that design should come in when we see a problem. And Design should be placed in a bigger role to change lifestyle. Its start with why you want to do it and not what you are designing
Why do you practise Design? Why do we do what we do?
Design is collaborative, about connection, about people
The role of designer is changing. Not in producing fantastical form but also visualising the possibilities of new industries.
Design Thinking: Diverge but converge into 1 idea
Future Thinking: Diverging into multiple ideas
LECTURE 1B: VOLATILE, UNCERTAIN, COMPLEX, AMBIGUOUS
VUCA
Volatile: refers to the speed of change in the industry, market or world. It is associated with fluctuations in demand. Breeds opportunities in a high volatility market.
Uncertain: refers to the extent in which we can confidently predict the future.
Complex: refers to the number of factors that is needed toto be accounted for, their variety and the relationship between them.
Ambiguous: refers to the lack of clarity about how to interpret something
Purpose VUCA is so that we can apply it to our research.
A growing number of companies are building foresight teams to prepare – not for the nrxt big things, but for what might or might not happen.
Wicked Problems: problems that just can’t be solved by ourselves
They are to complex to completely eliminate and solve it.
Because wicked problems are the ones worth the attempt to solve – We need to be humble and tackle them as a collaborative.
We can’t solve problem on our own. We need to approach it together. To tackle these problem is to provide an alternative solution instead of the entire problem.
Human centred design: make life of human better (Not just convient)
Reflection
Reflective Questions:
What does Design mean to you?
What do you think is the role of Design in Society?
Why do you practise Design?
How can Future Thinking be applied in your practise?
How will you navigate a VUCA World as a Designers?
Relections:
Design is a natural progression of life and it is a reflection of change. Design is the facilitator of change and the answer to change. And Change is always constant in our world. Hence, we always have to have Design.
Everyone can design and create new things but the reason designers exists is to lead its overall direction. There are many ways things can change. But who decides which is good? Designers are the ones at the forefront in directing such a change.
I desire to bring about change, good change in this world. Even if it is small, I believe that I have been gifted with the ability to design. And I want to allow it to be used mightly for good.
I have only learned design thinking which tends to converge into a single solution. But I often see how things are not so clean-cut, and even design thinking narrows the problem further down. But I see that through future thinking I can see the problem more holistically and understand the impact of the solution I am proposing.
A VUCA world brings uncertainties and changes. And it is scary but that is why design exists. If there was an easy solution, then design would not exist. Design is the weapon that we have to face the ever-shifting landscape of the world. And hence I cannot fear uncertainty and change, for that is what I carry in me as well, the capacity to change and the uncertainty of myself. What is important is to embrace it and not falter in challenging it.