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ODAY THE TYPES of services, forms
Ter media, and methods of creation a

designer will confront in their future
career are as broad in scope as they are
uncertain. It’s no longer reasonable to
study only a discrete area of specializa-
tion that may, four years later, be largely
outdated. Design education has begun
to focus more on fundamentals, design
thinking, and design research, partly in
response to this uncertainty, and with
the belief that it will prepare students
for unknown challenges. Specialization
can’t be overlooked completely, though
learning to learn independently and for
life will prepare students to be respon-
sive to the changes certain in today’s
industry. Institutions must also adapt to
these changes, as financial and physical
constraints impact the delivery of cur-
riculum; these rapid changes challenge
decisions that assign limited resources to
ever evolving needs. Meta-design offers a
new way of conceptualizing how we teach,
what we teach, and with what resources.

Asa form of design practice, meta-
design places significant emphasis on the
process side of design, and the need fora
model that is dynamic and adaptable. It
involves the creation of socio-technical
environments in which people can be cre-
ative, and has been clearly characterized
as the “objectives, techniques, and pro-
cesses for creating [...] environments that
allow the owners of problems to act as
designers” [2]. Central to the concept of
meta-design is that these environments
enable users to “engage in informed par-
ticipation rather than being restricted by
the use of existing systems” [2]. Meta-
design does not define a product or spec-
ify an outcome; rather, it defines and
designs the conditions for a process of
interaction [2]. By focusing on the gen-
eral structures and processes, rather than
on fixed objects and contents, meta-de-
sign seeks to better anticipate unforeseen
changes, with an eye toward adaptation [4].

Christopher Hethrington

Meta-designing
Design Education

Many of the principles upon which
meta-design is based have pedagogical
applications for post-secondary educa-
tors, particularly in the context of art
and design universities, where creativity
and innovation are highly valued. I’ve
often applied meta-design principles to
my class curriculum, in a process that
allows for improvisation, iteration, reflec-
tion, adjustment to individual student
strengths and challenges, and collabora-
tion with both students and community
stakeholders. While this method can pose
many challenges to students who are
more familiar with structured regimens,
it encourages invention, autonomy,
responsibility, and even play. All of these
levels of engagement are central for
developing the skills needed to prepare
students for what Horst Rittel refers to
as wicked problems [5], that are “ill-
formulated, where the information is
confusing, where there are many clients
and decision makers with conflicting
values, and were the ramifications in the
whole system are thoroughly confusing”
[1]. Meta-design principles provide tools
for students in approaching design prob-
lems, but also provide tools for instructors
in teaching students about design.

One important aspect of meta-design
is the development of systems that enable
the creation, evolution, and dissemi-
nation of shared bodies of knowledge.

systems + 31

John Thackara refers to this as conviv-
iality, and quotes NYU law professor
Yochai Benkler’s description of this com-
mons-based peer production:

We are seeing the emergence of anew
mode of production, distinguishable from
the property and contract-based modes of
firms and markets. Its central characteris-
tic is that groups of individuals successfully
collaborate on large-scale projects following
a diverse cluster of motivational drives and
social signals—rather than market prices or
managerial commands [6].

Wikipedia and open source soft-
ware are some well-known examples of
the results of meta-design. The Mozilla
Foundation develops a wide range of open
source computer applications, from web
browsers and mail programs to some-
thing called Jetpack. The Jetpack project
was created to make the development of
browser plug-ins and add-ons accessi-
ble to a wider group, ostensibly facilitat-
ing the development of these add-ons by