On Design : Design @ DoD
Design is a field unlike any engineering in the terms of its approach towards the “problem” or “need” in question. In no way its greater or menial than any of the others though.
The first thing that design has taught me is to observe; how things/systems function, how they interact; my own version of that being stripping something down to its bare basic minimum form, purely as an act of better understanding.
2nd thing we learnt was to think; not just sitting and staring at the blank space but also to think by using our hands.
These two things tend to remain etched in watever we try to do.
Design is about an act of creation. The output we tend to produce falls in certain categories; these categories being the design discplines. Product design, interaction design, communication design, system design are some of the discplines you come in direct contact with.
The 4 year course consists of the first year being common with the whole batch. Sadly no course pertaining to design is directly taught. But some of the engg. courses do prove helpful in the long run.
Rest 3 years as we saw were three phases; the first being an introduction, followed by exploration and finally the last year is more inclined towards application of the same.
As from what we experienced, there were 2 approaches that were dominantly followed; one being the, culmination of a know how of multiple disciplines; which yields a better understanding of the “whole picture”; while the second approach sought sticking to one discpline and going deeper in it.
Softwares were mere tools, too overwhelming at times. They are means to achieve a design, and not the design itself. The end product of any process has to come from the designer and not the tool.
The greatest strength are peers and peers alone. Disussions always prove fruitful, even if they seem to go against you. Majority of our understanding comes from our sharing of thoughts and work. Feedback is certainly the most important part of design, atleast for the years spend in academia. Obviously this one thing demands keeping insecurities and egos aside, for good.
Lastly, for me it has been a prerequisite to enjoy what i am doing. This though proves to be a weakness at times, is the thing that keeps us attached to our work and peers.
