Exciting new trends in design thinking

Abstract

Design and design thinking are becoming the hot topics and new business processes around the world - yes, business processes! Business schools are adding design thinking courses to their curricula and business professors are writing books on design thinking. Countries like Korea and Singapore are vying to be the leading Asian Design Nations. New, so-called Convergent courses, programs and schools are emerging globally that combine engineering, business and design disciplines and departments into integrated efforts. The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Design Movement is gaining momentum and the personal discipline of Making things is coming back. DIY Prototyping and Manufacturing are gaining ground and opportunities with new technologies and innovations. User-Generated Design is becoming a common corporate process. Design process and design thinking are being applied cross-functionally to such global issues as clean water and alternative energy. And the old traditional view of design as art and decoration and styling is giving way to a broader and more comprehensive way of thinking and solving human-centered problems by other than just a few elite professionals. In light of all this and more, Bill is excited about the ideas of ubiquitous design education for everyone and DIY design as a universal human experience. He is passionate about an idea in what Victor Papanek said 40 years ago in his seminal book, Design for the Real World, "All that we do, almost all the time, is design, for design is basic to all human activity". Just as all humans are inherently businesspeople in many ways at many times, we are also all designers in many ways at many times - it is time to believe this and make the best of it.