Short think-piece for an upcoming issue of the Asia Design Journal…

“As much as we might imagine our designs in the hands of our constituents and customers – ready to be touched and molded to the unique circumstances of their context, they arrive with a set of assumptions of use and acceptable boundaries of use.

The design landscape is rapidly changing: the speed at which the mainstream has adopted today’s social networking tools; the connectivity of people and people and things and things – means that the question of whether to opt into using something is increasingly becoming one of whether to opt into or out of society. We often talk of technology amplifying existing behaviours – whether it’s enabling us to remember more, shout further or run faster – but the designs that tap into the people and things we use and value are infused with social assumptions, including assumptions around adoption.

In a socially and anti-socially connected world how to innovate in such a way that keeps our constituents in control? Is it even possible? And how does this change the skills and role of a designer in bringing creations into the world?”

Photo? That be part of the design research in Handan that helped frame the Nokia Booklet 3G.