Rethinking the Role of the Contemporary Designer: Is There a Mismatch Between Theory and Practice in Design Education?

Abstract

Nowadays, factors such as the accelerated cultural dematerialization, the unprecedented participatory culture, and a new kind of social values have become crucial for understanding the human experience. This scenario implies an inevitable revision of design, and its educational approaches so it is adaptable to new circumstances. The relevance of this study lies in the critical approach used to review the current design models, and the discrepancy that has been observed between research processes and practices, and the effective practice and application of design. We will thus be discussing the (underdeveloped) competences and skills of today’s designers, namely relating to the participatory approach and the decentralization of their role. These latter concepts are of fundamental importance to reflect on the articulation with the immaterial and relational culture of current days. We argue that what is new in the concept of design is its understanding as a process. It should thus be considered a means to achieve an end, and not an end in itself. As Dunne (2008) states, the design has the potential of being ‘a tool of doing’. Therefore, design is seen by the latest research within the field as a means to drive flexible solutions, to produce continuous adaptations in order to contribute to a constantly changing context. In this book chapter, we will thus underline that the education of the future designer should (i) incorporate an articulated understanding of the problems, which are considered within a system or web of relationships, and (ii) promote the development of competences and skills that are essential to manage a consciously decentralized role by using open and flexible methodologies applied to different actors.