As part of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design’s (ICSID) World Industrial Design Day 2010, I was asked to comment on the theme of “Humane Solutions for a Resilient World.”
Wow. What a thought! Let’s think (or not think) humanely for a second… Is our instinct as designers and humans to continually imagine scenarios where the outcome is positive and compassionate for all other humans, not to mention the other inhabitants on this planet? For the planet itself? Certainly not always, but to describe our world as “resilient” suggests that we may be starting in a positive direction.
Design at its best intelligently advances solutions to human needs and promotes the understanding of complex issues. Now that most of us have access to resources, which allow us to communicate globally – for business, on a whim, or when in need, the assumption is that we can respond globally to the areas and situations that require the most attention.
In this vein, I challenged myself to think of specific examples of design solutions that might be considered humane. Here are a few:
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