The Hybrid Designer

Between September 17 and December 14, 2007, I observed third year design students enrolled in a course at Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia. The course, titled Interaction Design, was taught and devised by Louise St. Pierre, an Associate Professor of Industrial Design. The purpose of the course was to learn and apply co-creation as a method for both graphic and industrial design students. My main question while researching the classroom was whether primary research (such as co-creation) could create new avenues to inspire the designer’s creative process; and if these personal connections could be transferred onto the design itself. In other words, I wanted to see if the designer felt compelled to create design solutions that directly reflected his/her specific audience. My report is informed by both qualitative analysis and the work of other researchers and psychologists (Dr. Elizabeth B.-N. Sanders, Dr. William Gaver and others). While Sanders promotes a participatory mindset, she has studied the landscape of different research methods and offers a wide sample of research ideas for designers. Gaver, on the other hand, emphasizes the importance of subjective design. Throughout this report, I focus on potential outcomes and benefits from applying different mindsets during the design process, ranging from an expert to a participatory mindset. While being as objective as possible is crucial at times, it is also important to be aware of the role subjectivity plays during the creative process. As a result, I discuss the emergence of the dual researcher/designer—referring to him as a hybrid designer. There are three characteristics that I would encourage in a hybrid designer: a humble and participatory mindset; an open-minded approach to research and design; and a strong reliance on intuition. I contend that the hybrid designer’s solutions could be noticeably holistic, personal, and sustainable compared to those obtained by other design methods that do not incorporate primary research.