Paul, Lauchlan, and others,
Clearly, the case of design making and design thinking isnıt one of those
either/or situations. These two components are not mutually exclusive.
Irrespective of his negative perception of certain design schools, I cannot
believe that Dan Saffer would want some kind of automaton who cannot think.
Worse, I cannot believe that he would want all design schools teaching the
same curriculum.
The picture painted by Saffer is not as simple as he makes it out to be,
i.e., design schools are not teaching designing but only design thinking.
The spectrum of industrial design programs in the USA is very broad. It goes
from strong skills-based programs to programs more focused on innovation and
entrepreneurship. Choices abound, both for the students applying to programs
and to employers hiring graduates. That said, it is very much a buyer-beware
environment. Students need to know the exact nature of the program they are
applying to much like employers need to be aware of the type of designer
graduating from certain schools.
For design educators, the choices allow for diversity in curricula. Some
schools will continue to graduate people with strong skills while others
will focus more on a knowledge-based education. The reason for these choices
is quite obvious: design, like most everything, is changing. As Daniel Pink,
the author of A Whole New Mind, recently stated in a talk at ASU, ³...if it
can be done faster then computers will do it; if it can be done more cheaply
then it will be off-shored to China or India.² Bill Moggeridge pondered the
latter with IDEO in a recent quip on CORE 77 when he said that his firm was
contemplating sending its form-giving activities to IDEOıs Shanghai office
because they could hire ten industrial designers there for the price of one
in Silicone Valley. This too is a reality. Are some schools educating
students for jobs that wonıt exist in five years?
Jacques Giard, PhD
Director and Professor
Cross-College Programs
BA/MSD/PhD
College of Design
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-2105
P 480.965.1371
F 480.965.9656
|