According the title ” The future of design when you come to a fork in the road, take it”
on the website: https://jnd.org/the_future_of_design_when_you_come_to_a_fork_in_the_road_take_it/.
After reading, I have some opinions as well.
1. Which fork in the road would you take – craft or future? Why?
If I had to choose between craft and design, I thought it would be difficult for me to choose which side to go. I love craft so much and I believe this is the basic foundation for current and future visual art. Without the past – craft, we would not have what we called design today. But at the rate of social development, craft needs to be spread to consumers through many different distribution channels. And we need technology to support traditional crafts to do that. And to optimize designs today, I would choose a combination of craft and future.
(https://bassamsalem.com/2013/12/01/letters-to-a-much-younger-me-on-lifes-biggest-decisions/)
2. What is the intent of design thinking?
The design originated from crafts so it has been for a long time. So there are many people who think that “design” is merely making a specific object (such as a product, a script, an architecture …) transform them into those things more beautiful, more neat or have more emotions. By the late 2000s the word “Design Thinking” had actually appeared in many industries and became more popular.
First of all, design thinking is a way of thinking, for example as logical thinking, creative thinking, strategic thinking, etc., design thinking is an expression of a philosophy that is used in daily life. Besides that, design thinking is an iterative process to re-frame the problems but bias toward action.
The purpose of design thinking is to reach customers, help them analyze problems, empathize with their situation, and then offer solutions in a more creative and appropriate way.
3. What are the key principles and methods used in this field of practice?
Design thinking helps us expand the problem, explore it in more depth by systematic methods to discover the true needs of people and society. By studying the problem, identify the impact of the problem on people, then propose all possible solutions and test to consider the feasibility of the solution. Thereby people will have practical experiences, considering the suitability of that solution. As we can see, design thinking supports people to apply many different methods to solve the issues, encouraging us to change the perspective to bring the best method for life and demand.
Today many design thinking processes are developed and expanded. In my opinion, I will focus on the five-phase model proposed by the Hasso-Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, which is also known as d.school because it is clear and easy to understand.
The five phases of Design Thinking, according to d.school, are as follows:
- Empathise – with your users
- Define – your users’ needs, their problem, and your insights
- Ideate – by challenging assumptions and creating ideas for innovative solutions
- Prototype – to start creating solutions
- Test – solutions
4. How do you foresee design thinking becoming part of your own design practice?
I am currently studying fashion design. In the fashion industry, there are many processes to produce a clothing product. I need to take measurements on the model, design drawings of a garment suit the customer’s demand, from drawing on paper to flat drawing on a computer, giving measurements and structure about the garment. The tailors will use my technical drawings, follow that to make the final product. If I just use the traditional way, I will be a tailor, not a designer. In my opinion, the designer is required to be master all the processes of making a garment, but in order for this model to be mass produced in large quantities, up to thousands of products, I must know how to use technology to convey the original idea on the sketch to technical drawings and factory to help me complete this series production.
To meet the needs of today’s fashion market, I need to research style, trendy colors, customer preferences from which to bring suitable clothing products. Right from the start I need to use design thinking, then give a sample product to consider the reaction of customers, thereby drawing the conclusion that this product should be adjusted accordingly about the price , quality, color. I need design thinking to help me complete these steps. So I believe design thinking will become an integral part of my future design path.
This is my poster about preserving the earth, I want to convey the message that let us join hands to protect a green and peaceful earth. I chose images of trees, globes, flocks of birds and blue sky. Apply the first lesson of contrast, alignment, repetition, proximity to design this poster.
And to further enhance the effect, as well as create a 3D effect for the poster, I cut out some colored paper and pasted it on some parts of the globe to create an appeal.
I hope that you enjoy the idea and share with me how you feel. Thanks !
Nita huynh design 