KOCHI:
Designers of present days need to have a deeper understanding of the problems of society as they have moved from handling machines to shaping ecosystems, according to Filippo Cuttica, who teaches at CIID Summer School.
“Technology is growing at a rapid pace, while society’s reaction to issues is constant. Designers are at the forefront of defining future ecosystems and cultures. Many of them have moved from user-centric design to citizen-centric design,” he noted at the #Design Kerala Summit that commenced here.
Addressing a panel discussion on ‘Product and Service Design Innovation’ at the December 11-12 event in Bolgatty Event Centre, Cuttica said India had an “incredible technology background”. Thinking out of the box goes hand in hand with having diversity, perspective and seniority, added the speaker, who is also Creative Director, BBC. “It is from different points of view we get ideas. The nature of the current world is interconnected, and there is the need for new methodology and new type of learning.”
The Kerala government is organising the two-day summit as part of a Kochi Design Week, seeking to leverage path-breaking design solutions in rebuilding the Kerala that was ravaged by floods and landslides in August this year.
Satheesh Nair of Ernst & Young said story-telling is a novel method in service design, which is about understanding the customer. “Whatever changes come, customer centricity remains constant,” added the Executive Director (Experience Design) of the leading audit firm. “Understanding the ecosystem and the customers’ aspiration are important.”
Siddharth Balachandran of Airbus Bizlab Leader-India stressed on the importance of quality education in design. “But we don’t have a system that tells us to think out of the box ideas.” According to Sairaj Vaithilingam, Practice Head, Mobility/UX, Wipro Digital, the fundamental thing about design thinking is to understand the customer.
Richard Antony, Director, India Operations-GDS, Ernst & Young, was the moderator. On Wednesday, the summit will have panel discussions, interactive sessions, debates and dialogues centering round designing of a futuristic and sustainable ecosystem for Kerala. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will address the valedictory session.
The event is free for the public to experience the Design District and exhibition area at Bolgatty Island.
