Design for the Future

As it has been said many times over the course of this semester, Industrial Design is a diverse and multidimensional field. We all come from different backgrounds, different perspectives, and different aspirations. However, no matter what each of our specific areas of interest are as designers, one thing stands out above all: We are problem-solvers. We live in a world with many problems. These problems can be as subtle as the psychological effect of the color of a new hair dryer on its user, to the growing millions of humans who cannot feed themselves or find safe drinking water sources. It is our great privilege, and great responsibility to have the job of creating solutions.

I have found that throughout my education here at RISD, my views about what problems I wish to solve have changed, and they will likely change in the future. I know that I love to research, to find out about new and innovative solutions, as well as to see how problems have been solved in the past.

One category of design, which I had not thought in depth about until this semester, is humanitarian design. Some of the most serious problems facing mankind are occurring across the globe, and even in our own backyard. As global warming becomes more and more prevalent, we are seeing an increase in natural disasters. Massive hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and floods have started to affect major populaces, in the developed and developing countries. This has created a strong need for an organized and comprehensive response by those who can help. Up until this point, supplies and aid to these disaster areas has been well-intended, but not well thought out and designed, and I think it is a great opportunity for designers to have a medium in which to find innovative solutions which will have a positive impact on thousands, or even millions in need.

However, the events that cause people to flee their homes and live in fear are far too often not caused by nature. War and violence leads to millions of displaced persons and refugees every year. The same opportunity for innovation and creative solutions lies here. I chose to look into the problem of displaced persons and refugees for my current project in Reactive Matter. This also incorporates into my earlier statement about my love to research and find new ways of thinking about problems. Over this semester, I’ve been exposed to new materials which are being developed which can truly have a great impact on how we live and sustain ourselves as a species. These smart materials can harness the energy of the sun, at a much lower cost and energy consumption then traditional solar panels; they can bend into any shape imaginable and then return to a flat piece of plastic; they can create electrical current from the motion of your steps on the floor; and they can even filter saltwater and even raw sewage into clean, potable water, with minimal energy. It’s been a great opportunity in this project to be able to think of ways to apply these new and exciting technologies to such an extreme problem, and I hope to continue doing so in the future.

I hope that we all can find a niche in which to use the skills and ideas we have collected here at RISD and use them to create real and positive change in our world, and I strongly believe that we as designers can make the change we need.