Helsinki Design Lab 08 Blog

Helsinki Design Lab Blog

Helsinki Design Lab Blog

Welcome to the HDL08 Blog! This forum is a platform for you, Helsinki Design Lab 08 participants, to continue your exchange of ideas and thoughts. We hope you will actively participate by posting and by commenting other's posts. Remember always to comment with your full name - who knows what future joint ventures might arise from this networking possibility!

We have now posted the reports from the Open Space sessions, some pictures and video clips taken during the event in addition to participants CV's in order to help you continue to expand your network.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions concerning the blog or ideas on how to improve the blog.

Happy blogging & commenting!

Summary of last day's Open Space Workshops

EAST MEETS WEST: DESIGN IN 2030?

• BEING IN ARMONY WITH “A DIFFERENCE” (AUTHENTICITY)
• FROM HUMAN-CENTRIC TO COMMUNITY-CENTRIC DESIGN
• DESIGN= FINDING THE GOOD/ RIGHT WAY (FOR THE FUTURE)
• EAST-WEST-NORTH-SOUTH – ALL MUST BE CONSIDERED EQUALLY

STEWARDSHIP

1. It’s multidimensional. Structure, process, business model all come into play. Top down, quasi open, bottom up.
2. Need a MANIFESTO to articulate how to realize the design agenda going forward – local and gobal.
3. “Start ups” are an intriguing model for experiments, integration, funding.
4. New model for funding initiatives/experiments is also needed.

DESIGN SOCIETY

• I.D. = 1/1000 => manifesto
• ID role as a “glue”
• “cultural engineering”

RESPONSIBILITY

• Individual responsibility high
• possibility to influence
• must take responsibility
• act, don’t wait

ITA-PRINCIPLE

DESIGN & ENERGY & HUMAN

• Need for design benchmarks
• Need for processes for global design problems
• The multi and trans disciplinary nature of design
• Design by the end user
• Energy human interaction a goal benchmark

DESIGN AS POLITICS

1. LEVELS OF DESIGN THINKING AND ACTION
2. STONE IN THE POND EFFECT – FROM DETAIL TO MACRO INFLUENCES
3. AWARENESS F CONSEQUENCES, E.G. GLOBAL WARMING SOCIAL EQUALITY
4. GROUP PROCESSES OF NEGOTIATION (GOALS, INVESTMENTS, COMMITMENT)
5. EABLE DESIGN ASSIMILATION BY & ACROSS DISCIPLINES

GOVERNANCE, MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE

• Vision and target driven -> visions and targets that reflect strategic challenges of mankind
• Re-allocation of resources -> strongly away from more-of-the-same
• Changes in consumption and production patterns – changes in value chains

HUMAN CENTRIC/ PRACTICE ORIENTED DESIGN APPROACH

1. FOCUS ON HUMAN PRACTICES
2. UNDERSTAND THEIR CONTEXT (PLACE, TECHNOLOGY, NOWLEDGE, CULTURE ETC.)
3. UNDERSTAND STAKEHOLDERS’ EXPERTISE, NEEDS AND PREFERENCES
4. UNDERSTAND INTERACTIONS IN THE SYSTEM
5. FACILITATE A PROCESS OF CREATING A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF THE SYSTEM
6. PROPOSE A PROTYPE SOLUTION/DESIGN

FURTHER NOTES ON THE FINAL SESSION:

We have become “Buddhist designers “, i.e. we must have a holistic view.
In Western terms this would be a phenomenological approach.

• South- North: the weight/significance of each

Buddhism – not a state of nirvana where nothing happens but a dynamic concept.

• We should look for harmony – yin and yang: the dot means life; it’s a balance of moving things
• A Buddhist designer is in harmony with everything around her, but also aware of her personal capabilities
• Negotiation: figuring out the design approach to a wicked problem places the designer within a conflict, so it is difficult to be harmonious. There will be a lot of disagreement on design in the future.

We should create a manifesto: the role of design, the needs of design etc.

• The whole community should take on the challenges discussed at the HDL
• This would be an “open source” process
• We are building up a global platform; this is not the issue of an individual institution
• Design has many levels; rings of influence: politics is a result of all our actions
• The future is unknown but can be visualized
• Design has a new role: to create models that society can adopt
• Now we talk about the human-centric approach, but in 20 years the focus  will be on community-centric approach
• Companies are organized according to business units. This limits R & D.
• Often we are only adding a little bit to what already exists, not building totally new ways (there is also no funding for this kind of thing.)
• The innovator’s dilemma: whether to improve the existing pattern or to do something radical
• A lot of people just want minor improvements and don’t want to take risks
• Holistic nature of the goals; innovation is multidisciplinary; how to we bring the other disciplines into the discussion?
• We should have some benchmarks, some solutions to wicked problems , e.g. the energy problem

Social design and innovations – last wrap-up of conveners

Questions discussed in groups:

1. How could designers engage in the social / third sector? How to do well by doing good? Companies should be more socially oriented.
2. What in design forms values? How can design firms engage themselves in values? Inhibitors? What are designer’s values? Deriving some value from such activities?

• Social innovations: new design approach for designers.
  -> Need for cross-fertilization: but designers aren’t necessary social actors
• There is a role for the designer as a catalyst and facilitator (not a star designer) in processes. However, traditional training of designers isn’t up to these duties: different skills are needed in the project leading (group psychology, leading skills). As in most education systems the role of the designer as an individual genius is promoted.
• Designer can have an outsider’s value.
  Once a designer starts to design human systems it’s not about handicraft or art anymore: adopting the new architecture becomes really important.
• Even in the traditional design role they are trying to affect people’s behavior (use certain products, act in certain way): so actually the change isn’t so radical. But in social design the change doesn’t come through an object but through communication. Other factors are more important.
• This issue is also important among other groups – so it is not only about designers.
• Especially in social design designer shouldn’t be the ultimate leader but a servant for the people (s)he is designing for. Design can shift his/her role in planning roles.

Common thoughts after the final Open Space workshops 25.6.2008

Human centricity means understanding human behaviour and needs

• Understanding human motivation as a source for inspiration in design
• understanding human behavior
• understanding how human relationships are changing -> patterns of behavior

Design education needs to evolve

• Balancing fluidity and constants in education
• Education & employability: focusing on specific skills vs. a broad understanding in education? tools vs. awareness Economic vitality vs. social vitality; how public funds are used. How are the decisions about directing the public funds made?
• Fixing a city bit by bit or building a completely new neighborhood? Repair or replace. How to tackle the challenge of repairing existing environments vs. creating new ones.

Sustainable development and design

• Ecology needs to be a base line and constant sustainable development, a curtain between us and reality designing conflicts vs. designing solutions
• Different ways of using ecological aspects in design art as a way to reveal conflicts
• A need for professionals to have new skills in deeper understanding - not skills vs. understanding, but new kinds of knowledge-based skills, evidence-based skills
• Holistic approach to problem identification and problem solving? Holistic problem-mapping
• Spending time anticipating or permanently ready for crisis? Need for the wisdom to know what strategy to apply to situation & the power to act or react accordingly
• Multiple strategies

HDL Summary

HDL 08 Video Clips

Summary:

Workshops

HDL 08 Video Clips

WS 1:

WS 2:

WS 3:

WS 4:

Interviews

HDL 08 Video Clips

Iterview 1:

Iterview 2:

Iterview 3:

Iterview 4:

Iterview 5:

Iterview 6:

Iterview 7:

Iterview 8:

Iterview 9:

Open Space

HDL 08 Video Clips

OS 1:

OS 2:

OS 3:

OS 4:

OS 5:

OS 6:

Speeches

HDL 08 Video Clips



Anne Mieke:

Freeman Lau:

Jarmo Eskelinen:

Kanyika Kini:

Esko Aho:

Video Clips

Clip 1:

Clip 2:

Clip 3:

Clip 4:

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.