In today’s living environment, with increased uncertainty (non-linearity) in which conventional wisdom does not apply, we are confronted with issues, such as the declining birthrate and an aging population, as well as environmental and energy problems. The original roles and functions of design, such as discovering problems, constructing hypotheses to solve them, and visualizing hypotheses, are increasingly required in various fields of society. Further, the hypotheses for solving the abovementioned problems are expanding, developing, and diversifying from objects to things, and even to visions for the future. In the new SD course, students will learn how to think about design from a multifaceted perspective through a curriculum provided by faculty members with diverse design-related specialties. They will also be able to acquire a concrete, practical approach to social implementation through collaboration with QBS/QREC. We believe this course will be useful for strengthening the role and function of design. I look forward to being involved in education and research with many of you in the SD Course.
TAMURA Ryoichi
- Design Management
- Design Systems
It is important to solve the problems faced by the target of design as part of a system, in addition to solving the problem at hand. In order to do so, it is also necessary to solve problems not only in a vertically divided design domain based on the specific design target, but also in a holistic manner, focusing on various stakeholders involved in the design process. Therefore, I focus on the system aspect of the design target and conduct research on each aspect of investigation, analysis, evaluation, and planning of the system.
Specifically, I am conducting research on “1) management of the design target as a system from the perspective of its users and makers” and “2) management of the design act itself as a system” regarding design management. Recently, with the aim of enhancing the quality of life (QOL) and well-being of consumers related to the former (1), I have been conducting research on “services” based on the expansion of design objects and “the elderly” based on changes in users.