Abstract
Ongoing uncertainties associated with the future put stress on people in general and on design students in particular. The rise of AI, economic and geopolitical challenges, and other factors create an ambiguous, uncertain environment where it becomes difficult for young designers to plan for a bright future. How can design education address those fears and transform them into inner sustainability in front of the ongoing challenges? Designers are trained to solve others’ problems, but design methodologies can also help designers. Regarding business, designers traditionally employ Design Thinkng to propose innovative competitive solutions. On the other hand, Futures Thinking, a methodology that is gaining more and more popularity, explores alternatives that are awaiting in the future and that evolve from ongoing patterns. This methodology is used for businesses to develop a strategy for striving in diverse future scenarios. The same can be applied regarding design careers. If we implement a Futures Thinking exercise to address the fear and anxiety concerning future career paths as part of the curriculum, we could create awareness and acknowledgment of students’ feelings and the limits of the education system in preparing young professionals for the future. Through an iterative Futures Thinking practice, we create a space for students to take control over their career paths and for educators to integrate student feedback to achieve more flexibility in the curriculum. This paper shares curriculum plan that incorporates such educational practice along with the first results of its implementation
Presenters
Mariia ZolotovaAssistant Professor, Industrial Design, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Jiangsu, China
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Thinking, Learning, Doing: Plural Ways of Design
KEYWORDS
Design Education, Futures Thinking, Design Methodologies, Student Well-being, Career Development
