Bill Moggridge - What is Design?

As the title, Bill Moggridge in his lecture addresses the question of ‘what is design?' and he also mentioned many examples of good design and bad design as well as process and changes that happened around design. One of the main point that he presented is that design is not just about making a beautiful or fancy products but almost everything is designed, almost everything that is used and man made is design. Therefore, it can be said that other professions that we previously think are far different from a designer; like chefs, business people, etc; they are also designers. 

He then points out some examples of good designs in various areas ranging from design for disability, fashion design to architecture. Contrarily, he also points out some bad design as he stated that someone couldn’t recognize good design unless he take a look at the bad one as well. The remote control he used as the bad example simply expresses the fact that sometime simple is better than adding complicated details that might bring confusion to the user and thus become an unpleasurable product.

Human-centered design is again highlighted but this time it is not only interpreted as a design that focuses on the user experience but it is also about the sustainability of it. These days people has become more and more care about environment and thus, we as designers are reminded to think carefully what is the effect of our design on earth.

The issue of sustainability also aroused in this lecture but he didn’t talk only about the disassembly or the process of choosing material but he also highlighted the expanded concept of sustainability as a global aspect. He introduced the profile of Professor Shinichi Takemura who has been learning how the world is connected in an very intimate way, either the connections between people or the connections with the surroundings. The tangible earth demonstration by Professor Shinichi Takemura really caught my attention, not only it is the first interactive globe but it also strongly captures the interconnectedness of our world, how one aspect could affect many other aspects as they connect with each other in so many different ways.