Contributor's comments

Summary of contributors' reflections on facts, meanings and future actions for design on basis of the Helsinki Design Lab 08 process

Group 1

Facts and meanings:

• There is a need for a manifesto on design; a guide for us and others on how to perceive and interpret the role of design.
• Design is a large and flexible field and the concept of design is changing.
• Design can be a powerful tool to tackle difficult subjects.
• Design thinking can be used in and transplanted into other fields or disciplines.
• Other fields are also learning to use design.

Actions:

• It should be made clear what design can mean. Now it is too often only style etc in the public eye. There is a need to create awareness of design beyond styling and amongst the stakeholders. Industrial design needs to be rebranded.
• Design needs to import analytical forms of knowledge as well as export design thinking into other fields.
• What happens next to all of us?
• There is a strong need for more tangible examples to show what rebranding industrial design and the design paradigm shift/changing role of design means.
• Sitra could coordinate the manifesto defining process in order to find and present the existing design thinking practices as examples of what already is being done in the wider understanding of design.

Group 2

Facts:

• Designers should "Walk the talk" - and Whose talk?
• Design is a larger issue than most people perceive.
• Emerging countries & globalization bring new challenges (to design content & process).
• What is design and what/who is a designer?
• The future education for design/designers needs attention
• Crises and Burning platforms

Meanings:

• Design has a larger impact than before, and an opportunity to make a change.
• Design is shifting from being consumption driven to become a solutions provider.
• The focus shifts from aesthetics to ethics.
• There is a need for shared understanding of what design is and the potential it withholds.
• There is a need for collaboration platforms as well as tools and shared frameworks.

Actions:

• We want a Helsinki Design Manifesto, starting with: "We believe…"
• There is a need for a continuous dialogue, a  Wiki.
• Subgroup findings could be used as a basis.
• A “Designer's Toolbox” to collect best practices is needed both for designers and in order to spread the practices beyond the boundaries of the design world.
• Dedicated groups for each of the selected “wicked problems”.
• Designers need an central convening point; Mini-Davos’s could ensure future collaboration

Group three

Facts:

• There is a need to demystify design and the definition of design has to be redefined. We are still the art and color department. Science and consulting can do research on design but can not define design.
• To look at design as a process could be one approach.
• Experience and emotion based design are interesting possibilities, but no theory of experience exists, only parts and pieces. No theory for experience and emotion beyond design exists.
• There is also the need for redefining design education. 10 out of 650 business schools have design in the curriculum...

Meanings:

• We throw everything in the same pile but we always end up with a process, which is separate.
• “Design attitude” must be lifted up: it makes design. We designers should not fall back on aesthetics.
• We need to open up corporate agendas.
• We need “the random”.
• Design has been process, product, people, profession. Now design is being taken from designers.

Actions:

• We designers should add design process knowledge to others specializations.
• We designers need to get away from silos.
• We designers need to educate people on what design is and can be.
• We designers need to “open up” our sketches.
• We designers should go open source.
• Everybody has to present themselves as an experienced partner – through some door, companies will come in.
• Business managers can use design thinking to open up their thinking, but designers need to open up their thinking, too!
• Designers have a huge playground, but they need to translate that they do in to a language managers can understand.
• Managers do not often know they have a design department or how it works – they need to know.
• Design needs to go upstream - or to stay where it is new? Senior management can and does make distinctions with or without designers, for designers it is and it must be an uphill battle.
• A Design Manifesto facilitated by SITRA would be an a possible next step - SITRA needs designers.
• Sitra can learn from other similar institutions abroad, and also teach and share.
  The design world needs not a manifesto but tangible actions.