[M.K. THOMPSON] Design means life, however we define it

Design is the focus of many of my research projects and the subject of most of the courses that I teach. It is the topic of many of the books that I read and the conferences that I attend. It is a daily part of my life and my work. And yet, my understanding of "design" may be completely different from yours.



The word "design" means different things to different people. Some immediately think of fashion design or interior decorating. For others, it evokes thoughts of drafting, computer-aided design and graphics. To patent lawyers, design is a technical term for a specific type of intellectual property that can be protected -- separate and distinct from copyrights, patents and trademarks. Sometimes these interpretations seem worlds apart.

Even within the same field, experts may use the term to mean different things. Engineering design can involve variation, adaptation, optimization or invention. There are different stages of design: conceptual design, system-level design, detailed design, etc. There are even different types of design. For example, developing something that is the very first of its kind is "creative design." Constantly improving a series of photocopiers or automobiles is "platform design."

The very definition of the word "design" is hotly debated among and between disciplines. The dictionary is no help. One online dictionary that I checked included 17 different definitions. Experts can`t agree either. One of my colleagues defines design as an activity to create "functional and purposeful" artifacts. It is a reasonable definition to use for engineering design, but where does it leave the fine arts?

Some art is both functional and purposeful. Science museums often feature intricate kinetic sculptures which shuffle balls through winding contraptions. The MIT Museum has a fantastic sculpture by Arthur Ganson that dumps oil on itself in a ritualistic self-lubrication routine. Gothic architecture featured flying buttresses which were both functional and beautiful. But most art performs no action and supports no load. Its purpose is to be enjoyed and to evoke emotion or thought. The Mona Lisa will not grease a squeaky wheel. She has no engineering function. She only smiles. Does that mean she was not designed?

At its most basic level, design is a human activity which combines resources (knowledge, skills, tools, materials, etc.) to meet a need, accomplish a goal, or create an artifact. Design uses water colors and windmills. It creates machines and mosaics. Design encompasses the full spectrum from art to advanced technology and everything in between. It is not one of these things -- it is all of them.

Design influences every part of our lives from the buildings that we live in and the roads that we drive on, to toys that we play with and the food that we eat. Breakfast cereal, the packaging that it comes in, the advertising campaigns that urge us to buy it, and the stores that sell it are all designed. Our homes are full of artifacts designed by other human beings to serve some purpose.

In my living room there is a cute pink fluffy hat that I purchased several years ago from Baskin Robbins. It has a function: it keeps my head warm. But it serves two additional purposes: it makes me smile, and it reminds me to eat more ice cream. All by design!

Design is not limited to products. We also design systems including governments, hospitals, universities, and cities. Nor is design limited to tangible artifacts. We design philosophies, laws, economic policy, and educational curricula. Even the way that we communicate involves design. Documents, books, newspapers, and websites are all designed.

There are so many definitions of design, in part, because design is fundamentally an interdisciplinary activity. Designers must be creative and expressive, concerned with form and feeling. These traits are commonly developed in the arts and humanities. But designers must also be logical, precise, and well organized individuals who support their decisions with facts and figures. And, they must ensure that the artifacts perform all required functions. These characteristics are associated more with science, technology, engineering, and math.

Design is about people, their needs, and the way that they interact with their environment. So designers, knowingly or not, are influenced by psychology and the social sciences. And, because good designs must be affordable and commercially successful, designers must also understand and apply principles of business and economics to their creations.

Design is taught and practiced by many different people in many different places and for many different purposes. It can be seen in everything from the earliest stone tools to the complex systems that we send into space. Throughout history, design has been one of the defining characteristics of humanity. We design, therefore we are -- even if we can`t agree on what design means.