I've been away for a long time but for good reasons. I was accepted to SCAD's (Savannah College of Art and Design) Design Management graduate program last spring. As I've been juggling a full time job, volunteering, being a mom and a wife, I've also been digging deeper into the meaning of design. This is exciting and eye-opening for me as a designer since subjects I usually don't get to discuss in a daily basis, are now a part of my daily vocabulary. Concepts such as invention and innovation, its history and relationship with anthropology and sociology, and its needed support system in order to happen and be successful, have been so fascinating that have led me to want more.
You would think that after more than 20 years of experience in the design field, the design process would be obvious to me. Luckily, I have discovered, that that's not the case. The amazing intricacies of the human factor, design thinking, anthropometrics, ergonomic analysis, ethnography, and contextual research, among other previously obscure subjects, have awaken my curiosity.
I think about how much richer any type of end user experience would be if all things designed would incorporate more about getting to know humans.
This is an example of heterogeneous engineering. Portuguese explorers' missions were supported by a well-oiled network, which included the crown and the use of technology and best practices when reaching far lands.