What will COVID19 do to our work as Designers?
It was amazing to be a part of the Disrupted II event, organised by Ajeenkya DY Patil University , Pune along with other Industry Leaders.
What will COVID19 do to our work as Designers? Snippers from a few points I shared.
I am of the firm belief that Empathy takes centerstage now. We hope designers can take this moment to get back to working on projects that have a a strong purpose and solves problems.
I also feel that it is in a way to understanding better what Victor Papanek meant years back when he said Design for the Real world. Our ‘real’ world today is changed drastically.
With the information around us, and the interconnectedness we have, the world has become more complex, and so has our understanding of complexity around us. The context may have been different then, however the intent remains the same.
To me, design as a problem solving tool, will find (if not already) its calling in addressing larger Systemic level challenges. It is well understood that worldwide, every existing system has been / is being tested. From citizen welfare to education to healthcare to mobilities to governance. From the role of the individual to the role of the different stakeholders.
Systems Thinking is all the more important and will see a new wave, as also discussed with one of my professors, Erik Stolterman Bergqvist from graduate school some time back.
You name it and the existing systems are going to go through a overhaul. Designers need to seize this moment to come at the forefront to handle complexity. They will need to change the perception of themselves in the views of the other stakeholders.
I remember having fond conversations with Christian Guellerin (Executive Director at L’École de design Nantes Atlantique) as well, who rightly puts the point that Designers are well suited to get to managing fairly complex projects.
But for this to happen, we need to go beyond trivialisation of design to being that which makes us create better interfaces. We will need to get to more collaborations and not work in silos.
There is no doubt that technology will be a strong enabler in the days to come and it is here to stay. We need to understand how best to leverage to our solutions we propose. A designer acts as the critical bridge between the different stakeholders. A bridge that must stand strong, no matter what the situation.
I have learnt so much in the company of these amazing people Sudhir Sharma Hrridaysh Deshpande, Jay Dutta, Himanshu Khanna, Hari Nallan and Kadambari Sahu, who were also on the webinar.
Thank you for the opportunity.
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