Core77

Dimensions of Design, by Sami Nerenberg

By Core Jr - March 31, 2011

in design.edu | Articles

By Cristina 1981, [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

By Cristina 1981, [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Over the last few years, design is increasingly seen as a tool for creating change. Through the work of many, including thought leaders such as Roger Martin and Tim Brown, design has become a key process and way of thinking that transcends disciplines and offers a roadmap for navigating and creating solutions. To both the like and dislike of many, business leaders, designers and non-designers continue to discuss design-thinking as the new pathway to innovation. Although design-thinking doesn't replace good design, as Core77 columnist Helen Walters recently articulated, we do see a broader and broader scope of how the term "design" is being described. The expanding notion of design is captured by Core77's upcoming design awards, which includes both traditional categories—web, interaction, graphic, interiors, transportation, services design—and emerging ones, such as research and strategy, social impact and design education. These conversations, books, articles, etc. collectively beg the question: "What is design?"

This is actually one of my favorite questions. I don't know about the rest of you, but I find the expanding definition of design terribly exciting. I used to say, "I don't call myself a designer unless you change the definition of design." When I was in school, Industrial Design was, for the most part, still confined to cereal boxes and toasters, but I knew that design, as a process and way of problem-solving, was applicable to far more than this. Don't get me wrong, toasters and cereal boxes are well needed and well-designed ones add delight and productivity for millions, but I couldn't help but to feel in my gut that design could be, would be and was, something more. So it is with great relief that those I admire started saying, "Yes, design is more. It's design with a big 'D.'"

However, those around me still don't necessarily "get it." When I tell someone I'm a designer, they either ask me to design them a website, or once I explain industrial design, they only half-jokingly ask me to design them an alarm clock. As a design educator, I see the design of a product or service as a means to learning the design process. If I'm going to be really honest with myself, I'm more interested in how a student learns to think than how good their renderings or prototypes end up. To impart this knowledge, I have to actually describe what design is in a way that encompasses the broader spectrum of how it is being discussed in the design world. One explanatory framework I have been using that seems to resonate with people is what I call the "Dimensions of Design." It goes a little something like this:

2D: lives in the x-y axis including graphic design and images 3D: lives in the x-y-z axis with products 4D: when you add the human element you get systems, services, and experiences 5D: and when you apply this over time, you get the 5th dimension of strategySince it also helps to have visuals and examples, the below diagram of the design dimensions also incorporates an example using Adidas where the 4th dimension is an interactive store using Intel Technology and the 5th dimension is their long-term strategy which uses design thinking to articulate the brand's development over time.

This description is generally followed by a discussion on the design process and how it connects these dimensions. But it brings me great delight to see my non-profit community partners scribbling notes as I describe this, nodding their heads and seeing a little light bulb go off—they made a mental leap in understanding what design is and what exactly I am talking to them about. Of course, I'm sure we could break this model down and debate what goes in what dimension and spend hours discussing this, but the main point is that this framework helps people understand the broader scope of what design is in less than five minutes.

Now you might be asking yourself, "Why is it is so important for us to describe design to those who don't already get it?" Well, as Tim Brown recently argued, "Design may have its greatest impact when it's taken out of the hands of designers and put into the hands of everyone." To rise to Brown's challenge, we need to have the tools to describe design. We can continue to raise the curtain and democratize design by simply articulating what design is. My hope is that the "Dimensions of Design" is a small step in this direction.

Sami Nerenberg, Core77 friend and design educator will be speaking at the upcoming 2011 Northeast IDSA Conference hosted at RISD April 8-9 about Design for America, a non-profit organization which trains interdisciplinary students in the design process to create local and social change in partnership with their communities. Stay-tuned as DfA announces the opening of their application process to attend this summer's one-week Design Leadership Institute!

BONUS: IDSA Northeast is offering a group discount to Core77 readers—10% if you can get a group of 5 people to register together. But you must call IDSA to get the discount Just call Katie Fleger, manager of member relations, at 703.707.6000 ext. 112 with any questions or to register, or call Jill Richardson, membership coordinator at 703-707-6000 ext. 118 and she will get you registered.

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John Bray

12 years ago

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I am s design engineer working in 3D space and unclear about your notions. Design is very personal and in the eye of the beholder once you get past your 3D stage you are post design and into marketing where it demonstates how your already designed item interacts with your consumer.
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Christina Awad

12 years ago

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Hi Sami,

Thank you for your wise words, very interesting approach on the Dimensions of Design.

My question for you, do you think the theories that scientist and spiritual beings predict (ascension in to the 4th dimension) could affect the world of design and how we percieve it?

Your theory applies to a 3Dimensional world..but what happens next?

I would really appreciate to hear from you,

Infinite blessings,

Christina.A
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Annemarie Gugelmann

13 years ago

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Sami- I really enjoyed reading your article. Two points that I'm struggling with and am interested in hearing your opinion on:

1. As you pointed out, Tim Brown argues that design has the potential to become most impactful when "taken out of the hands of designers and put into the hands of everyone." If design is taken out of the hands of designers, doesn't that leave designers with empty hands? As the definition of design expands and designers encourage this to happen, are they in effect eliminating their own purpose?

2. I think making categories for design is essential to understanding the transitions happening in the field. And it's helpful to see a good structure for this. As I look over the categories you've created, I wonder whether teaching all of these areas in design schools could happen. Adding 4D and 5D to the design mix expands the designer's role exponentially. This new frameworks demands understanding of much more than just design (anthropology, archaeology, economics, education, international relations, political science, sociology, geography, psychology, law, history). Are we stretching the profession too thin by expecting so much from ourselves?

Thanks so much for writing this piece-

Annemarie
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Brennan Murray

13 years ago

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I completely agree with Ms. Nerenberg, I glad someone other than me and my old program is finally understanding or embracing this concept. "D"esign is becoming more and more encompassing. And finally we here on the American front are embracing this thought, that design is more than buildings products and websites.
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Printing Burbank

13 years ago

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I completely agree. "DESIGN" is a very wide term in itself. Restricting it to a genre or two would be injustice.
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Alan Lawrence

13 years ago

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We need to start looking at replacing the word design into new terms to cover the vast variations between 2D graphic art design to 3D product design and engineering. I have penned the term iterign to describe the process of fine tuning and optimizing a product design, rather than a product penned from inspiration thought alone. Evolved from iteration and design.

Imagine if the electronics industry stuck to using letter in modern processes

We don't use scanned and transmitted letter=fax
we don't use electronically transmitted letter= email

Let's start being creative... and better words will evolve that will avoid the confusion.

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Siddhartha Joshi

13 years ago

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This is very nicely articulated Sami, and I agree with you completely.

Fortunately I was always taught in my design school about how Design thinking is a tool for everything that we do, traditional design, problem solving, or development of any other new realm.

I especially like the representation of the 'Dimensions of Design', its especially effective when explaining design and its scope to non-designers.
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Sami Nerenberg

13 years ago

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@jaewoo- sounds like a very interesting thesis! Would love to know more about your work on "designer's bias." Please share any links you post :)

@gwen- Hi! thanks so much for your thoughts. I think what's interesting in the 4th dimension is that it gets to a point where you are no-longer just designing how people interact with products or space, but you start designing how people interact with people. This can translate more to organizational design and organizational behavior- as you might be alluding to. How a leader or manager constructs their team is, I argue, designed. You must consider who your audience is and what is most appropriate for them i.e. do you deliver a ppt or take someone out to lunch. Do you formulate an interdisciplinary team or keep everyone in silos. The point is, you can use the design process to help you make those decisions by defining your objectives, understanding the user, ideating alternatives, testing those alternatives, and considering how your plan of action is rolled out and implemented. Although there are different dimensions of design, the design process and the design thinking is what connects all of them. (full-disclosure: I'm currently working on a masters in Learning and Organizational Change so design and org development are increasingly overlapping according to my mental model of what design is and so that I can more fully understand the 4th and 5th dimensions of design)

You might also enjoy reading this document from Humantific on the different roles design plays and where design is headed: http://issuu.com/humantific/docs/nextdfutures09
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jaewoo joo

13 years ago

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Sami,

As a student at Rotman led by Roger Martin and writing a thesis about "designers' bias" for my doctoral degree in marketing(!), I can't agree with you more. I truly hope that designers themselves know that how many non-designers want to learn, play, and enjoy design, whatever it could be!
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gwen

13 years ago

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Nice. Sami.

I have this conflict and I don't think we are there to say its four dimensions. Its just my opinion, and i love people who may disagree.

It is clear start this idea of 4D. I think what is missing is the 'language' of how it applies. This is the difficulty how designers and design thinking is molded into a company.

(language to me implies speaking, writing, internal politics/presentations, PowerPoint, diagrams/drawings, etc)

My design curiosity about how people share and pressure the communication channels within an organization has lead my career to a heavy PowerPoint user, price point, product strategy department within a Consumer Electronics (CE) company.

CE companies do not apply 'design thinking' within their strategy department...yet. And to some degree they have 'fractions' of design thinking. Yes all companies are different but look at Apple, they keep their designers in a separate building from everyone else, how is that 'design thinking.'

Secondly, i am looking at a macro level, since in the medical industry it's different. They insist a mingle of engineering, design, business, and manufacturing to be in the same physical space for a project. Technically they are practicing 'design thinking.'

I am not judging who is "correct" because both industries is like comparing apples and oranges. They are two separate ecosystem with their own variables.

It is will be an on-going battle for us, even after the struggle to get that product strategy position. The battle to read documents and sit through meetings that others will tell you this will be boring. It is not creative. True, it is and yet we have to do it to convince them we are serious.

patient and perseverance will help. Taking them to lunch can too. Deteriorating our drawing sketches to the basics will help them to draw along with me. Of course designers need to coach their co-workers along the way, encouraging them that mistakes are good.

we have to know their 'language' within an organization and use their tools to show design thinking.

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