IMPORTANCE OF DESIGN
In a crowded global marketplace, businesses can no longer compete on price and functionality alone. To be at the forefront of global competition, economies need the ability to constantly tap on new ideas and innovate.
Design is at the heart of this new competition. By bringing together considerations of form, function, aesthetics, culture, engineering and lifestyle, the design process helps solves problems & creates new value and markets.
Design is high on the national agenda for many countries. Governments around the world have recognized the importance of design to national competitiveness. Evidence shows that many countries are using design as a tool for economic and social development.
The accordance of such national significance to design is a direct result of design's multi-disciplinary and integrative function that cuts across many areas of national concern and planning - such as urban development, enterprise and trade development, education and capability development, culture, heritage and tourism.
Design makes government policy something people can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell through designed objects, communications, environments, and experiences. The improved performance of government design can positively affect the experience of trust, accountability, and effectiveness between the government and the people.
Good design is a verb, not just a noun. It is a process, and not just about products. It is a way of thinking; a set of cognitive skills, methods, tools and techniques that defines problems, discovers solutions and makes them real. Good design is not a cost. It produces economic, social and environmental benefits at the same time.
Role of DESIGN
Design has many applications. Design can be used to improve products, processes and environments thereby improving daily lives of people. Using a systematic and creative process, which has human needs at the core, design helps to solve human problem and bring about responsible change.
The importance of strategic use of design for competitive growth in nations has been emphasized throughout the world. Many governments are developing and implementing design policies and promotion programs not only to boost their industry and business competitiveness, but also to increase awareness of design in public sectors, even to solve complex social issues such as public health, crime, energy saving, aging society, and so on. Several studies have shown a strong interrelationship between national competitiveness and design.
Our Citizens
The central object of attention for any design application is people. Hence design is the only tool which helps to deliver products, services and environments that benefit people and answers their aspirations and latent needs. Using design in delivering schemes and services, benefits to people will ensure that all these good intentions answer "real needs" of the people and benefit them in true sense.
Our Economy
Design is the key to unlocking innovation and competitiveness in our businesses. Design is extremely important for public sector as well. Employing design in business leads to better efficiency, cost savings, and better service delivery.
Various studies show that, regardless of size or sector, the use of design and the financial performance of enterprises are intimately linked to each other. Enterprises in which design was integrated have seen their turnover, profits and competitiveness increase.
Design must be an integral part of all Government schemes aimed at improving national competitiveness.
Public Services
Governments have been focusing on improving and increasing infrastructure like never before. Government spending on infrastructure is aimed at providing basic amenities to deprived people and addresses the challenges of growing population. Governments are always committed to providing high quality public services and improving quality of life for all its citizens. Focus of these Government initiatives is mostly on service areas like education, health and social welfare. There are three key ways in which design can make public services better.
It can redesign the way we deliver our services allowing us to "build or reshape our services around citizens, around clients, around customers.
It can help the development of better policy "ensuring that ideas are tested before having scarce resources invested in them on a national basis.
Design can help us in the public services to be more innovative. We need to be conscious that today's problems are just not going to be addressed by yesterday's ideas and yesterday's solutions...we need a whole new approach to policy over the next 10 years.
Without bold new approaches, our public services will be over-stretched by the short-term demands of adequate resources and overwhelmed by the long-term challenges of the future.
The Government is a major purchaser of goods and services in the country. Design has an important role to play in ensuring government spending results in more innovative, sustainable, inclusive and cost-effective solutions.
Our Environment
Design is always concerned with creating market value while serving real individual and societal needs and minimizing impacts on the environment. Good design reduces waste and uses resources prudently thereby minimizing carbon footprints.
Designing for the environment allows us to examine the lifecycle of our products, homes, buildings and services, and improve their performance to diminish environmental impact over their lifetime.
Design can assist in developing solutions for energy efficiency, sustainable living, water conservation and waste minimization in our homes, workplaces, public buildings and in our everyday activities.
The sustainability debate is always about changing people behavior and their attitudes towards consumption. This very notion of asking people to change becomes the roadblock. Instead, design can offer alternatives that would encourage reduction in consumption. Designers use tools, processes and methods that support people behavior and yet achieve the intended goals.
Our Cities
Our cities are our engines of growth. Rapid urbanization and deteriorating infrastructure under population pressure poses major challenge today. Design has a key role in making our cities breath life again. Design can enrich our cities and places within cities so that people can identify with them and embrace them in a more emotional manner than now. Design can help in various aspects of city developments such as infrastructure planning and sustainability of the city environment.