In the light of my latest delicious bookmark posting today Core77 attracted my attention by pointing to a current online article in International Herald Tribune. Among others it sheds some closer light on Paola Antonelli’s view on design’s relationship with science and technology.
At the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, CH “… Alice Rawsthorn, the design critic of the International Herald Tribune and a former director of the Design Museum in London; Paola Antonelli, senior curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York; Hilary Cottam, who develops design solutions to problems in education, health care and other public services as co-founder of the London-based agency Participle; and John Maeda, the digital design star and newly appointed president of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)…” shared their view on the future of design.
As touched above the overarching domain according to their view is that the challenge for Design/Designers is to link the gap between technological advances and relevance for the end user. This clearly confirms my ongoing quest for integrating the topic of “Management of Technological Innovation” into curricula of both undergraduate as well as post-graduate design management programmes.
Jim Rait Says:
January 29th, 2008 at 14:38Visit Jim Rait
I really struggle with why we find it difficult to allow technology to arrive in the form of products/services/experiences that make the life of the customer/consumer/user better. I would think that reading Andrew Hargadon’s account of Edison, electricity and lighting up the city should be compulsory. Edison deliberately made his bulbs the same light output as a gas mantle to be sure of acceptability because he had the insight expressed by Michael Schrage as “Innovation’ isn’t what innovators do….it’s what customers and clients adopt.”
Applying Kranzberg’s First Law
“Technology is neither good nor bad, nor is it neutral.”
we might say
T”echnology is the answer.. What was the question?”
Ralf Beuker Says:
February 1st, 2008 at 23:13Visit Ralf Beuker
James, thanks for visiting my blog and dropping an insightful comment! Highly appreciated. I will for sure incorporate this in my future musings about technological innovation!