This is a talk we gave at AIGA's Pivot conference on Transdisciplinary Design, and also gave at Parsons for the Transdisciplinary masters there.

1. TRANDISCIPLINARY
DESIGN
Gill Wildman and Nick Durrant
Carnegie Mellon University
&
Plot
We're Nick and Gill and for the past ten years we have run a small innovation agency in London called Plot.
But for a couple of years we are here in the US based out of Pittsburgh courtesy of The School of Design at Carnegie
Mellon University where we have been the temporary occupants of their Nierenberg Chair of Design which is both a
great honour and a privelige.
Ted Nierenberg established this chair with the purpose of stirring the place up a bit. Which we have been trying to
act on... and well we haven't been fired yet.

2. This wonderful image comes to you courtesy of the late great Hugo Gernsback, populariser of all things
electromechanical in the mid twentieth century.
So what does it depict? A knowledge worker from the then future — surrounded by the demands of work
and instruments of communication.
Those of you with keen eysesight won't have failed to notice the giant felt sock/hood insulating and
isolating the worker in their own world, also aided by a breathing tube and canister of breathable
something or other... It may or may not be as effective as noise cancellation headphones.
But there's something wrong isn't there about the metaphor and situation of the knowledge worker just
sitting there breathing their own fumes...?
And it could even have been any design worker of the past 60 years — just pop a Macintosh in front of
them for the last 30 of those years...
In fact it's been a problem for every profession, and it's something to do with the impact of the intense
specialisation of forms of professional practise in the second half of the twentieth century, driven by the
intense specialisation of forms of knowledge...

3. The Specialist
And the problem is the specialisation of knowledge and action tends to isolate people in their own
fragmenatary knowledge and private worlds, with their own private languages
And this trend of increasing specialisation and sub-specialisation where to keep up with the sheer quantity of
information in order to keep up with the latest and remain employable and with ever more personalised
information feeds and media it's possible to fill that breathing tube there with highly specialised gases and
nutrients and the little slits for eyes ensure that you are only exposed to just what you want to see at any one
moment...
And the point at which I heard a story some time ago now from a friend getting off a plane overhearing
someone shouting into their phone at Heathrow that they were "a bloody content strategist not a bloody
information architect, and i don't do bloody wireframes..."
was the point at which I realised that there was a real gap here between what Design aspired to be and what it
had actually become in practise, and that people were having to turn themselves into these ever more
differentiated commodities with an endless prolifereation of new titles just in order to deal with an endlessly
mutating post-industrial, post-modern, post-job description, world of work...

4. Vision
So we're going to be looking at the future of design whilst bringing along some valuable things from
the past.
And if it's not yet a Vision, with a capital V, then at least it's some hints towards the possible future
role of Design in the Twenty First Century.

5. A New Role
C19th Craftsman | C20th Draftsman | C21st???
If the big shift for designers between the Nineteenth Century and the Twentieth was the
transformation from "the craftsman" to "the draftsman", then there's another shift going on right
now, driven by a whole new set of forces.
And it's about digging ourselves out of the role that was handed to us in the twentieth century.
Which is what we call "The Technician of Desire".

6. The Technician of Desire
You know... this guy. The most creative guy in the room.
Well. He's toasted.

7. Repositioning Designers
So what we're trying to frame here is a new position that moves us beyond being Technicians of
Desire useful for decorating capitalism.
And it's not about making stupid (or even smart) things pretty.
And it's not about taking a brief and adding pixie-dust.
And its's not about presentation Judo.
It's not even problem solving... It’s more about framing the right questions

8. The Animateur
Experiences
Interactions
Services
Systems
Infrastructures
Strategies
Potential
It's a new role. Which is what we call "The Animateur". It's animating new design spaces and
opportunities in relation to —
experiences
interactions
services
systems
infrastructures
strategies
potential
— and the shape of everyday life in the future.
It’s a much more proactive and entrepreneurial role
And it's more Facilitator of Collaborative Opportunities than Master of Ceremonies..

9. Ethos
Empathy
Imagination
Pragmatism
We will still use designerly ways of knowing, but in a post-disciplinary way —
Empathy
Imagination
Pragmatism

10. New Contexts
Purposes
Knowledge
Action
Practise
We will use these in new contexts —
Purpose
Knowledge
Action
Practise

11. New PURPOSES for Design in the 21st Century
Transformation of Everyday Life
Resourceful Thinking
Reframing Potential
Transition Prototypes
Aesthetics of Use
Impact
1. Transformation of Everyday Life
Our big challenge is about transforming the way we live in the 21st century
2. Resourceful thinking
The challenges of one-planet living will involve a change in the way we see, think about and use resources
(including people). For instance we need to work out how to exist on about five percent of our current energy
use.
3. Reframing possibilities
That means reframing the possibilities of design for the wider community. (We can’t just sell it to “them”, we
have to bring “them” along with us)
4. Transition prototyping
We will need to prototype that transition
5. Aesthetics of use
We need to develop a new "Aesthetics of Use"
6. Impact
And we have to become obsessed with Impact. What difference did we make?

12. New KNOWLEDGE for Design in the 21st
Century
The old and the new
Designerly ways of knowing situated in new contexts...
• New uses for old skills
• New ways of using our skills strategically

13. Ergonomics, Prototyping...
Visualisation , Shaping the Story...
Scenarios of people's dynamic action, Metaphors...
Mapping complex information spaces, Navigation...
Modeling facets of dynamic human experience...
Documentaries of relationships in system structures...
Seeing systems holistically, Stakeholder perspectives...
Charettes, The Open Studio...
Exploring possible future value systems, Embodiment
& Exhibition...
...
There's a big pattern here ***Every time we have stopped talking to ourselves and started a conversation other
disciplines we have discovered or defined a new kind of design.***
• Industrial Design: Ergonomics, Prototyping...
• Information/Graphic Design: Shaping a Story, Visualisation...
• Interaction Design: Scenarios of people's dynamic action, Metaphors...
• Interface/Web Design: Mapping complex information spaces, Navigation...
• Experience design: Modeling facets of dynamic human experience...
• Service Design: Documentaries of relationships in system structures...
• Transformation Design: Seeing systems holistically, Stakeholder perspectives...
• Speculative/Critical Design: Exploring possible future value systems, Embodiment, Exhibition...
• Urban design: Charettes, The Open Studio...
For industrial design it was a conversation with mechanical engineering...
For interaction design it was computer science, cognitive science and anthropology...
• ...

14. Simon says —
“Everyone designs
who devises courses of action
aimed at changing existing situations
into preferred ones.”
The Sciences of the Artificial
Herb Simon's famous definition of design is still true.
1. It's increasingly clear that we live in artifice, not in nature... (The Anthropecene era)
2. It's increasingly clear that it's not just "designers" who are solely responsible for this artifice... (Here Comes
Everybody), and
3. It's increasingly clear that design is about "preferred future" situations, not just predictable ones... (But who
is doing the preferring?)
Much of that artifice has been dependent on fossil fuels.
We may have "accidentally" designed our way in, we have to deliberately design our way out.

15. New Contexts for ACTION for Design in the
21st Century
New contexts for Action

16. Massive Change
Urban Military
Movement Manufacturing
Energy Living
Information Wealth & Politics
Image
Market
Material
The Massive Change
List

17. World Changing
Stuff
Shelter
Cities
Community
Business
Politics
Planet
The World Changing
List

18. Parsons: MFA Transdisciplinary Design
The Systems challenge
The Urban challenge
The Social challenge
The Sustainability challenge
The Sustainability challenge: How can we shift attitudes toward sustainable practices. For example, how does
something regarded as an inconvenience become an afterthought?
The Systems challenge: How we can better integrate ecological, economic, technological, and social systems
so that they work toward common ends?
The Urban challenge: How can designers transform the everyday experiences and worldviews of urban
dwellers to make them both profoundly local and dynamically global.
The Social challenge: Using the idea that design helps shape the social imaginary, how can we use design to
prototype new kinds of behavior and new forms of community.

19. New PRACTISES for Design in the 21st Century
(response to Parsons MFA TD)
Design-led research (Platform Creation)
Complexity Modelling (People and Systems)
Reflective Collaboration (Playing with Others)
Critical Reflection (Opportunities not Problems)
Fitness Prototyping (Everyday Life)
[New Practises for Design in the Twenty First Century]
1. Design-led research – articulating a research challenge and exploring it through a design process (platform
building)
2. Complexity modeling – visually modeling complex systems and social structures to yield new insights
(People and Systems)
3. Reflective collaboration – working flexibly in multidisciplinary teams to respond to and resolve highly
complex challenges. (Playing with Others)
4. Critical reframing – examining challenges and turning them into design opportunities (Opportunities not
Problems)
5. Fitness prototyping – discovering an appropriate resolution of a challenge that belongs to no single design
field. (It belongs to everyday life)

20. Transdisciplinary?

21. Transdisciplinary?

22. scope
1. Scope
Some of the subjects we pointed to are huge, and need scoping. What's inside and what's
outside of the project?
It's also about preferred futures - 30% more people in local work, 60% more local food in
local restaurants, 20% less crime stats, less obsesity and so on
These help us find a starting point
it's all about the everyday, but in a preferred future
Finding the right acupuncture point (to use JT's perspective) - the place of maximum
effect with minimum intervention
And it is best when it is a question
"How can we….?"
It sets up an open ended context - what do we need to make that happen?
"How do we increase/decrease/improve x with the resources and situation we have now
and in the future?"
or given what we have, what preferred future do we want?

23. champion
2. Champion
Most design projects are limited by the vision of the client.
In traditional design, many decisions have been made before something becomes a brief,
In transdisciplinary design, the client is in a position where s/he can see a wider vision
than most design clients, and also has a wider scope of influence
Someone who can commission work across boundaries
and understands the value of taking an approach that crosses disciplines
and values the role of design in projects that can create multiple forms of value
not all of which are financial, and may be new ways of measuring things
There are some of these people commissioning work at the Federal, large City, UN or EU
level, but they are not always design-aware, nor are they looking for designers. But that
will change. The success of the IPod meant that business people thought about us, and

24. people & platforms
3. People & platforms
For most designers, the thought of bringing more people into a design situation is enough
to get them running for the Advil.
Most will tell you war-stories about crazy clients, and we even have a term for: design by
committee - it brings us out in a rash…
But for this kind of work, the people are essential parts of what happens. The source of
expertise. The design team. The inspiration for ideas.

25. people & platforms
Lets start with the people
It involves the composition of a suitable diverse group of people who have a stake in its
outcome
people who are open to an exchange of views, methods, tools and ideas
which means that all come to the session as knowledgeable, even the users, or citizens
who will use the output of the work
the group should be open for new information they need later, and allow people to
remove themselves if they see
its a platform for not for argument and debate, but a co-creative space to create
something unique
how it is organized depends on the participants, for example groups with conflicting
interests need the opportunity to discover common ground and purpose
getting them to focus on the opportunity space rather than the old conflict or blockage
as designers we need to be comfortable with different forms of quality and equal respect
for professionals and amateurs

26. platforms for new
No one frame of reference, or set of ideas dominates, which means you get many torches shining
light on the problem, and a very sophisticated view emerges.
The designers in us find ways to map this complex system, so that we can help people identify
challenges and opportunities
The combination of models and tools help us to understand the complex issues involved and
generate ideas.

27. we can see elements of
the kind of work we are
talking about in current
projects
‣Legible Cities
‣Macon Money
‣Change Model
‣Taxi 07
signpost examples

28. Legible Cities: Bristol

29. Legible Cities: London

30. Legible Cities: 5 minute walk

31. Macon Money: local meaning
Knight Foundation and Area Code
"The question here was how do we get people to meet across the city?"

32. Macon Money: find your bond mate

33. Macon Money: Cashback!

34. Macon Money: & make friends
All photos Knight Foundation - Jessica Goldfin/Mayur Patel, and Area/Code - Kati London

35. Change Model: development & design
"In a time when designers want to do more meaningful work, how do we get designers
and development to work in new ways that are more effective?"
Tisch ITP with Grameen Creative Labs
NGO’s, economists, law and design students, academics,

36. Change Model: exchanging models

37. Change Model: making a new platform

38. TAXI 07: a transdisciplinary team
Design Trust for Public Space in New York
Partnerships with City agencies & community groups
urban planners, information designers, economists, and transportation experts project
manager, photographer, cartoonist and infographic designer.
How can the taxi best function as a part of NYC’s public realm?
How can it be optimally regulated?

39. TAXI 07: working with stakeholders
Stakeholders:
passengers, drivers and owners, environmental groups, accessibility organisations

40. TAXI 07: developing impact measures
Visualising, mapping, developing a point of view that was wide reaching
Making reccomendations that were in sync with everyday realities and constraints
Safe, good value, available and contributing to the sustainability of the City

41. principles
what are the patterns in what we see?
So if there were a set of principles, what would they be?

42. It's a 1+1=3 way of looking at things
It's a 1=1+3 way of looking at things - its about mind sets, knowledge sets and skill sets
Multiplying forces
Trans is more than one - always more than one discipline in the room at a time,
exchanging their perspectives, knowledge, tools and skills

43. A space for new expectations
Create the space for different and new expectations
consider the space well and embed the ethos it in clear terms of engagement

44. The focus is defined and redefined
The focus is defined and redefined
we only know as we gain knowledge of the situation, so we frame and reframe

45. It’s not just for the pro’s
Its not just for pro’s
leave the PHD's, egos and directorships at the door, engage with stakeholders, different
professionals & users, just bring an open mind and your knowledge

46. Diversity is fundamental
Participation is fundamental
diverse participants create relevance and rigor

47. User and citizen centred
User and opportunity centered - stakeholders as designers

48. No end point
Design is never finished
like perpetual beta in software, it gets made as we continues as long as the participants
need or want it to (Tim Brown design is never done)

49. Feedback is fuel
Feedback is fuel
the essential feedback loop is designed from the get go, and monitored

50. Multiple impacts
Multiple bottom lines
money is essential, but other impact measures are what make these projects work

51. Pilot-able, scalable
Pilot-able and scalable
the project gets traction early through manageable pilots, and is built to scale

52. New language
New tools
New forms of designers
New norms of what designers co
New forms of language around how people combine and collaborate
New tools will emerge for framing and reframing
More designers will be sophisticated in their stakeholder engagement approaches
New designer forms

53. For designers and design educators
What does it need from me?
As a designer or a design educator, it depends on where you want to be
You might like to:
• be someone who can create great platforms for people to get together and start new
things
• be a facilitator to events where people need complex processes designed into
compelling activities and events
• be someone who can create an atmosphere conducive to open discussion of differing
viewpoints and worldviews without needing to convert otters to their ways of seeing
• be someone who brings great visualizing methods into the most complex of areas to
help see patterns, opportunities or blockages
• be someone who can bring in prototyping skills of a wide variety and at the right
fidelity to help people make something with which they can think with and try out in
pilots
• and for educators you can be these, or teach these skills…

54. Satisficing
What does this mean for how designer and design educators think??
You need to be open to new ways of looking at the world (that you have not been taught)
You need to be happy with less quality by your standards, and accept that what is is good
enough

55. Animateur, facilitator...
You need to let go of being the sole author of a piece of work, and instead either a
facilitator to or a participant in the process

56. Beyond the traditional
Design beyond traditional solutions, using non-traditional materials

57. Live work
It's all done live, and with people, not taking it back to the studio and finishing it in the
comfort of the studio

58. Capabilities
The output is in new abilities in other people, in capacity, not what you can do
yourself, or how smart you are

59. thank you
time for questions