The last several years have seen an evolution in the way designers approach different design problems. Whether it’s the development of an effective marketing campaign for a new product in a saturated market, or the creation of a new mobile app, designers face a new pool of challenges.
These design problems as they have evolved call for adjustment in how we approach them and their solutions.
Fast Turnarounds
The world is currently more highly connected than never before. Communication is very fast and information is shared in seconds between continents. The biggest consequence of this global close interaction is universal problems that expect immediate solutions. The present day designer is thus confronted with the challenge of offering solutions within this quick turnaround. The designer is required to be more creative and innovative than ever before as the scale of the design problems continue to bulge.
Cultivating Human Experience
The lines between human experience, creativity and technology are continuously growing feint. The advancement of technology is set to knock some human skills out of the design process as automation takes over the role of bringing out some aspects of design. Creative designers are also required to find new ways of embedding human experiences of memories, culture and stories into the creative output.
The awareness of the role of design by designers in shaping human experience has led to most of them reinventing themselves as strategists who advocate for an integrated approach of solving problems. This has been inspired by contemporary cultural, social and economic changes like shrinking spaces, retail chain changes and new residential living patterns.
Balancing Thinking With Doing
Design thinking has redefined design and the world can now perceive design in a bigger context than just creating a product. However, there is the challenge of losing the unique characteristics of design in actual implementation while paying attention to the emphasis of the thinking.
Social Justice And Design Problems
Social justice concerns underscore a main consideration for all design activities on both global and local scales today. Designers are more than ever required to articulate the individual, group and ecological benefits of their product, and find a balance between meeting competing demands and social well-being of users.
Custom Designs
As consumers’ interest with customized products increases, the designer is compelled to give the consumer a greater hand in influencing the shape of the final product. While it is an amazing opportunity for the consumer to express their tastes, it presents a big challenge to the designer, especially where the user has little knowledge about the product. Consumer input in the form of online reviews to products is also a common phenomenon today, and designers can actually use the feedback in prototype testing.
References
- http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662706/the-7-biggest-challenges-in-merging-design-and-business
- http://www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design/14-biggest-challenges-design-today-31619475
- http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Culture/Lifestyle/2014/Mar-10/249751-new-challenges-facing-product-designers-present-opportunities.ashx
- http://www.dezeen.com/2015/01/23/lucas-verweij-opinion-design-industry-problems-issues/
- https://medium.com/shyp-design/the-design-tools-we-really-need-67c79f835ca9#.trk2zlpu7