Danielle et al,
I agree completely that the changes brought about by designed things (can)
have far reaching systemic impacts, changing in some cases whole ecologies.
And I agree designing to account as much as we can for those expected,
desired, and undesired changes is "a thing".

I teach, they tell me, engineering design. But I don't, really. I teach
about using the tools of engineering to help design new worlds. I use
systems engineering as the "glue" to show my students that the design of a
car's piston can influence the entire economy of the region in which it is
used. And though I'm limited by the bounds of the accredited curriculum to
which we have to teach, I encourage my students to engage with those
broader issues. I know there are many others like me, some who also use
"sustainability" as the honey pot, to attract and engage engineering
students to at least consider the issues. I keep looking for opportunities
to bring in experts in the non-engineering fields who can help my students
understand those features; no luck yet.

I also think the Design Society (https://www.designsociety.org/) is slowly
making headway. Originally an organization exclusive to engineering design,
their approach has been till now rather "organic" - letting those
non-engineering disciplines slowly and *naturally* seep in. While progress
has been slow, I think this approach has been successful in giving existing
members the chance to revise their thinking to allow for broader
influences, while simultaneously attracting new/younger members with
greater interest and training in dealing with those larger issues.

I think good things are coming.

\V/_  /fas

*Prof. Filippo A. Salustri, Ph.D., P.Eng.*
"I do not share your view that the scientist should observe silence in
political matters." -Albert Einstein
EMAIL <[log in to unmask]> | WEB <http://deseng.ryerson.ca/~fil/> | ORCID
<http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3689-5112>

On 11 September 2017 at 03:15, Danielle Wilde <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> Following the conversation about design and funding and the discussed move
> towards the human-centred side of design, I was wondering how people feel
> about this so-called move?
>
> While I understand—and do appreciate—that it’s quite a relief to
> experience more technically oriented disciplines moving towards this
> human-centred side of design; as a design researcher living, thinking and
> working today I can’t help wonder if we might not hope and push for a
> little more movement towards designing in a more-than-human world—where the
> human-centred side of design is certainly attended to, but not as if it is
> some great innovation, independent of surrounding ecologies.
>
> Focusing on human needs and desires in isolation of the ecologies we are
> part of isn’t really working out very well for us as a species (as the many
> millions of people around the world currently grappling with storms,
> floods, fires, drought, war, mass migration, issues with food and water
> security, and more can attest)
>
> I would be interested to hear thoughts on how we might reorient major
> funding organisations towards more ecologically entangled design and
> technology research.
>
> I have seen some successes at the intersection of the social and natural
> sciences (e.g. Århus University Research on the Anthropocene:
> http://anthropocene.au.dk/profile/ <http://anthropocene.au.dk/profile/>).
> Such initiatives are oriented towards thinking. While such research is
> important, their processes and outcomes are not being enacted through
> design, or even translated into what I might consider design actions. As
> I’m sure everyone on this list agrees, design can contribute enormously to
> the challenges we are facing, and yet the large funding organisations seem
> caught in a very 20th Century view, where a move towards the human-centred
> side of design seems like quite a big step.
>
> Do others have examples of where they see shifts in major funding and
> resources being put towards leveraging design and technology research
> towards ecologically entangled ends? Or thoughts about how we might better
> achieve such an outcome, or indeed, if such an outcome is even considered a
> worthy pursuit (perhaps I presume too much?)
>
> All the best
> Danielle
> —
> Danielle Wilde
> Associate Professor, Embodied Design
> Wearable Futures, Design+Diversity
> Director, SDU Body Bio Lab
>
> SDU Design • Department of Design and Communication
> University of Southern Denmark, Kolding
> Universitetsparken 1, DK-6000 Kolding DENMARK
>
> [log in to unmask]
> www.daniellewilde.com
> —
>
>
>
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