The Great PDT debate

In this weeks class, we had the Great PDT Debate. I was given the topic "Every man is not a designer: Design should be the reserve of the professional". I had to debate that this was true, despite the fact that goes against what I believe. However I was up for the challenge and in fact quite enjoyed trying scouring the internet for anything and everything that might support my point. This is my debate.

Historically, the idea of hiring a person who was a “designer” to work on your product was unheard. Products were made for their purpose and very little thought was put into the consumer, ergonomics and design were second to profit and ease of manufacture. It wasn’t until someone came along and actually put thought into it, started thinking about how a person actually interacts with products, rather than just they can do their job. I think this is very clear when we think of safety features. Years back, cars didn't even have seat-belts or air bags, and only when a designer actually thought about a person's interaction with the car, did manufacturers actually start considering design and implementing these safety features.

You could say aesthetic design has always been prevalent and I do believe this is something that is at least easier for the average person to do, but this is something that will always be somewhat subjective. You have to truly research the user experience with the product and design it for the consumer, not what is visually appealing to you. As a designer, it is your job to take an objective look to the process, and consider the consumer before all else. This is something I think that is not possible to do unless you have been trained as a designer, and if left to others, the design will deteriorate and in the end the consumer will suffer.

Reflection:

After our debate, I was actually feeling pretty confident in the points that we had laid out. Although I think Sam may have won it due to the sob story about his dad's chicken coop, I feel we got the harder side to argue and we did pretty well. I found that the practice that we had done on timing was a huge help. We were also very helpful to each other with good criticism that I thought was excellent and Ed helped me refine some key points that I didn't quite know how to say.