Designing for Sustainability: Emerging Professional Roles and Capabilities for Designers in the 21st Century

Abstract

Design Practice is shifting towards transdisciplinary, collaborative and problem-based approaches in response to complex challenges of a changing world including societal issues and the climate crisis. However, the nature of emerging roles for designers aiming to contribute to sustainability transitions, and the capabilities that empower designers to act in these roles, remains uncertain. This research draws from 26 in-depth, career-focused interviews with graduate designers from four higher education sustainability-focused design programs across four continents. Using grounded theory as a methodology, it identifies emerging sustainability-focused professional design roles and their corresponding design capabilities. This paper integrates findings with existing research on design roles, agencies, actions and tools relevant to sustainability transitions, examining their implications from a higher education perspective. It explores the potential for emerging design roles and capabilities to inform the development of higher education design programs. This study emphasises the need for design curricula to become responsive to the evolving scope of design practice, ensuring that graduates are equipped to drive change towards sustainable futures.