The term “Design Thinking” was discussed, dissected, and disputed Tuesday at “Design Outside the Lines”, a panel event co-hosted by Industrial Designers Society for America and Fab.com.
THE ARTIST: Dror had a visceral reaction to the phrase “Design Thinking”. How can there be such a thing when all around us is designed? “Everything that wasn’t created by nature was designed by a human.” Design is “all-encompassing”; the process is “holistic”.
THE PHILOSOPHER: Evan seemed careful not to commit to one camp or another, to invalidate or lend support. “I’m not sure I know what that phrase means exactly. Most things are on a spectrum, you know? It’s all about figuring out where you fall.”
THE CAPITALIST: Phin, who works at a venture capital firm, compared “Design Thinking” to the scientific process. Designers are like scientists – they test hypotheses. Good designers make mistakes and recover from them (“the faster, the better”).
THE ACADEMIC: Jennifer has pondered this question before. “It’s not an ideal expression of the design process, but it’s the best we have for now.” With a soured yet hopeful outlook, she reminded us that no one has mastered the intersection between business and design. “It is still a work in progress.”
But alas, there was one thing everyone could agree on. When asked if New York is the best place for designers and entrepreneurs alike to prosper, each panelist took his/her turn to impart a wholehearted “Yes!” into the microphone. Gotta love NY snobbery; it really does a wonderful job of bringing us all together.