3 new roles of designers in non-design teams

As a young design student, I was exposed to the world of design where it took a design maverick to come out with wonderful designs from a studio. It was a lore that gravitated me deeply as the richness and originality spilled out every time a designer revealed their latest designs. From lining up to get autographs from their latest book launch, to actually visiting a design studio, I once thought that the path of designers was to be a brilliant sole individual in what they do.

Oh how the role of the designer in the 2020s has changed! Whilst the design mavericks and design studios are still there, and flourishing, there has been an emergence in other designer roles too. Particularly in a non-design team setup. It could be a company that doesn’t have a dominant design culture, or a country with fewer design icons. Designers are now increasingly placed in situations where they have to do more than design beautiful objects. The following are some roles of designers in a non design environment:

1. Designers as Instigator: Defined as someone who initiates or brings about something. The designer, in this case, brings about new ideas. But rather than to tinker away on his own, he will “instigate” his team members to get them abroad. The key step is to have an artifact or prototype ready on hand, and let the prototype do the talking. Other ways include continuous exploratory research that attempts to trigger a response from the team. The magic begins once the team sees the potential and jumps on the bandwagon.

2. Conductor: Similar to the person who stands in front of the orchestra, the designer can facilitate the discussion with other specialists in the team. With their ability to understand people, designers can use this superpower anywhere, on any occasion, to unite team members on a common and beautiful symphony. One obvious place where this happens is in a workshop session. Designers can invite participant to come out with ideas by going through creative exercises. Designers can get consensus on a balanced view of desirability, viability and feasibility when it comes to prioritization. The key step is not to act in silos or in isolation.

3. Translator: A good translator helps the recipient of the translations to make sense of what the sender is saying. A designer could do likewise, by translating what people think and feel into how products satisfy needs. A team member who is entrenched in their work and is far away from people may benefit to hear how the product is doing in the hands of the user. Be careful not to use “esoteric" words, which may be used only by designers.

Designers are getting more involved in complex experiences, which leads to the assembling of practitioners of other fields. The attempt to be more inclusive in the way we design an outcome is much needed. What other new roles do designers play in your environment that involves others to participate?