Designing design education

Abstract

Two years ago, the National Science Foundation sponsored a two-day work- shop called Design@2006. The 50 par- ticipants came from academia, industry, and government to discuss the impact of emerging technologies on information design and distribution ten years hence. A report was written a year later and published under the title, Design in the Age oflnj~rmation. It addrcsses four top- ics and makes specific recommendations in each: 1) rising technological opportu- nities, 2) new design principles, 3) design education, and 4) key research issues. I was a member of the Design Educa- tion working group and an author of the group's report, titled "Designing Design Education." I believe the content of our report is relevant to any program that is teaching, or planning to teach, (human- computer) interface/interaction design. If you subscribe to Herbert Simon's def- inition that "design is concerned with how things should be" (Simon, 1969), then what you do and/or teach is located within the larger design arena. Therefore the following discussion and recommendations pertain to you and your colleagues. Read on! The