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AHO WORKS STUDIES 2012-2013
Design Studies
Designer’s Century
design, for design studies, and for IDE. Firstly,
we see that we are designing intangible experi-
ences rather than physical objects. This means
that we are trying to design how the user will
regard tomorrow’s payment process, not just the
terminals or apps required. Furthermore, we see
that discussions about design, such as that with
respect to health services of the future, cannot
be undertaken without discussing the frame-
work conditions and the very organisation of the
services concerned. Service designers are just as
much designing the organisation that will deliv-
er the service, as the service itself. This demands
a new understanding and new working practic-
es. Ultimately, this means that designers partic-
ipate in discussions of a strategic nature, which
in turn means that the designer is contributing
just as much to the course the organisation is
setting as to the interactions that the customers
will have with the service along the way.
Given the accelerating complexity and a
growing expectation by users/customers that
society will contribute to their lives, the need
for a systemic understanding of both challeng-
es and areas of opportunity is fundamental! At
IDE, system oriented design (SOD) has been
developed so that the future will be shaped
with the help of design thinking.
The past few years have seen a double
movement within the field of design. Design
has diverged into new areas and disciplinary
domains. Simultaneously, it has converged into
a generic field where specialized subdomains
within it have blended into each other, mak-
ing the boundaries increasingly blurred. As we
enter the “designer’s century”, the Institute
of Design faces the urgent need to continue
on the path of building an institution robust
enough to meet its challenges and line up with
its visions.
