The Consumer Design Agenda?

Design education in the UK is still closely associated with the philosophy and principles of Fine Art and many UK
Universities place a great emphasis upon the value and strategies employed by the Fine Art community. Many
other Departments of Design maintain either an Arts and Crafts or Bauhaus tradition of Design. A small number
of institutions focus upon the relationship between Design and Business with a concerted effort to instil a greater
awareness and understanding of the importance of Design in a business context.
All of these approaches are valuable in their own right and clearly celebrate the rich diversity and opportunities
available for Design graduates within the creative industries. The range of models have one common
denominator; they provide an education for Designers to generate products which people use. Yet how does the
Designer know what the consumer/user wants? How does he capture the most appropriate requirements to
inform his Design development? How does he know that what he provides is acceptable, or better still exceeds
the customers expectations? For too long now the Designer, regardless of discipline, has used his own individual
personal judgement in determining what the consumer/user should have, predominantly satisfying his own
creative predilections and leaving the success of his Design largely to speculation.
The paper will discuss the developments in user-centred Design in business and academia and the implications
that this has upon the Designer being equipped to capture more accurate information about the consumer/users
aspirations and values. The implications of which will undoubtedly be a new Consumer Design Agenda for the
next generation of Designers.