Design for Experience: a New Rationale

Abstract

Solving problems is a dominant rationale for technology education students engaging in design. This is evident throughout various technology education curricula; and subsequently influences teaching and learning. An alternative design paradigm supported by prominent examples within commercial design theory and practice examines the notion of ‘design’ as facilitating human experiences rather than predominantly solving technological problems. It argues that this ‘new’ paradigm has, through social and commercial imperatives, become the dominant rationale for most contemporary design contexts. Applied within an educational context, both paradigms have implications for teaching and learning. The design as problem solving paradigm of technology education has been elaborated for a number of years through curriculum documentation and teacher support material. The design as experience paradigm of some commercial designers is developing, and may represent a new and progressive dimension of student designing.