As we have entered the New Year 2018, it is the time to look ahead in all different aspects. And it is no different for the product design sector. While the world witnessed a mixed bag of good and bad events in the year gone by, the design industry had many good streaks. In 2017, product designers secured crucial roles of incorporating some interesting aspects into products. Many designers hinted a shift in the industry trends and forces. This is the reason 2018 is expected to be a big year for industrial product designers.
While the incorporation of digital intelligence was some of the important themes of the year 2017, in 2018 whole new field of artificial intelligence design will be born. With designing and artificial intelligence (AI) blending into each other, industrial product designing is going to evolve fast and may be called the next industrial revolution.
The world is on a cusp of the largest technological revolution. These technological advancements have helped in starting the next industrial revolution by creating an impact on the product designs. Under the technological influence, product designing has evolved rapidly. Artificial intelligence design will lead the procedure of designing and creation with new roles. As we are perfecting deep learning, making advancements are becoming easier.
Branko Lukic, the founder of Nonobject, claims that creation of an entirely new design practice i.e. Artificial Intelligence Design or AID will be the next massive contribution that the industrial design industry will make into the world. He said that industrial designers have always led the way to make the world a better place for humans. Add to his statement, he said that industrial design is one of the most complex arts of designing. It combines multi-layered functions and technology with human experience. He further pointed that industrial designers are best equipped for creating AID safe for humans as they are non-linear thinkers.
Lead designer of Our Revolution, Samuel Adaramola believes that a political-oriented design will be more user-focused. Although the user-centric approach is primarily seen during the designing stage of product design, political organising helps adoption of lot more principals. He accentuated that user-centric political design will be the focal point in 2018.
Justine Lee of Frog expressed that the future of designing to enhance the user experience through a product which is designed for a wide number of people. Keeping in mind that not every person has the same needs, designers need to understand the basic concept that there is a common thread. Thus, designing for all is the theme of the coming year. With a magnified focus on empathy and development of human-centric design, organisations can honour inclusivity.
Olof schybergson, CEO of Fjord, foresees that digital will be disappearing from the designing scene. The process has already started with digital moving out of the spotlight when it comes to brand experience. In 2018, the meaning of value for both organisations and customers is about change and this will transcend into the designs.
