Today, however, designers work on organizational structure and social problems, on interaction, service, and experience design. Many problems involve complex social and political issues. As a result, designers have become applied behavioral scientists, but they are woefully undereducated for the task. Designers often fail to understand the complexity of the issues and the depth of knowledge already known. They claim that fresh eyes can produce novel solutions, but then they wonder why these solutions are seldom implemented, or if implemented, why they fail. Fresh eyes can indeed produce insightful results, but the eyes must also be educated and knowledgeable.

Norman, D. (2010). Why Design Education Must Change. Core77.

The designer of the future is a mix of psychologist and anthropologist, sociologist and ecologist, system theorist and futurist, activist and reformer. The designer of the future has a deep understanding of the human mind and the interdependent social fabric it inhabits, as well as the inherent complexities of ecosystems, both natural and artificial, that support our planet. The designer of the future can connect past, sustainable traditions with the prospect of radical, future change. Able to lift others from poverty and reject systemic structures of oppression, the designer of the future aims at decolonizing design while also decolonizing the future. Able to dream the impossible and show us where we could be going, the designer of the future is both a realist and an optimist who is able to display perseverance in the face of disaster as well as conviction in a better outcome. In the process, thoughtful and respectful design can be established based on inclusion, codependence, and interdisciplinarity.

Lima, M. (2023) The new designer: rejecting myths, embracing change. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: The MIT Press.


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