For your amusement (or perhaps annoyance). My latest essay on design
education on the core77.com website:
Design Education: Brilliance without Substance
http://www.core77.com/blog/columns/design_education_brilliance_without_substance_20364.asp
We are now in the 21st century, but design curricula seem stuck in the mid
20th century, except for the addition of computer tools. The 20th century
developed craftspeople capable of magnificent products. But these were
relatively simple products, with simple mechanical or electrical components.
In the 21st century, design has broadened to include interaction and
experience, services and strategies. The technologies are more
sophisticated, involving advanced materials, computation, communication,
sensors, and actuators. The products and services have complex interactions
that have to be self-explanatory, sometimes involving other people separated
by time or distance. Traditional design activities have to be supplemented
with an understanding of technology, business, and human psychology.
With all these changes, one would expect major changes in design education.
Nope. Design education is led by craftspeople who are proud of their skills
and they see no reason to change. Design education is mired in the past.
Opening paragraphs of my article on the Industrial Design magazine,
Core77.com, website.
http://www.core77.com/blog/columns/design_education_brilliance_without_substance_20364.asp
Don Norman
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