The Paradox of Design Education

A revisit and reflection upon my 2011 paper titled *Design Research – A Failure of Imagination?* for the Design Literacy International Network. View the presentation [here](https://designliteracy.net/activities/andy-polaine/).

The original paper was presented as a keynote at the first international Design Research Society’s Special Interest Group on Design Pedagogy conference, co-organised with Cumulus and held in Paris.

Transcript

1. The Paradox of Design Education Dr Andrew Polaine Hochschule Luzern
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3. In a reflective mood 11 years on
4. 4 Themes The Public Voice of Design 1. The Theory–Practice Divide 2. Illusions of Interdisciplinarity 3. Ethics, Humility, and Social Impact 4.
5. Theme 1: The Public Voice of Design The 20 golden years MAY 17, 2004 www.businessweek.com THEPOWEROF A tiny firm called IDEOredefined good design by creating experiences, not just products. Now it’s changing the way companies innovate. BY BRUCE NUSSBAUM CEO Tim Brown (left) Founder David Kelley PROFITS 1ST QTR RESULTS FOR 900 COMPANIES BOOK EXCERPT THE NEW RATIONAL EXUBERANCE INVESTING FINDING THE BEST ONLINE BROKERS cover photogrphy by timothy archibald
6. Reflection The “design project” has actually been a success, but suffers its usual problem. It’s everywhere, thus invisible.
7. Theme 2: Theory– Practice Divide Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash
8. Reflection: The Rise of Product Language “Words create worlds” - Abraham Heschel Photo by Lenny Kuhne on Unsplash
9. Theme 3: Illusions of Interdisciplinarity Photo by Bogdan Nanescu on Unsplash
10. Reflection Will AI tip the balance? Which way?
11. Theme 4 – Ethics, Humility, and Social Impact Photo by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash
12. Reflection Did (service) design deliver the transformation envisioned, or become just another toolkit?
13. Closing Reflections Open Question: Does design education and design research have a role to play in shaping public imagination for the future? Or are we setting up graduates for crushing disappointment?
14. Thank You! Dr Andrew Polaine Co-Lead MA Service Design Hochschule Luzern, Switzerland andrew.polaine@hslu.ch www.polaine.com