Design in an Interconnected World
10 November, 2011 ... Design
“The Design Studies program will enable practitioners and scholars alike to take a critical look at design and its place in an increasingly interconnected and diverse world.”
Taking that idea from Parsons, let’s go a little further and have a quick glimpse into some complexities already experienced by global yacht design teams. Let’s think about the challenges we face in our industry. Specifically; let’s think about a project design team comprised of designers, each living in different countries.
While the first thought may seem effortless, it isn’t. There is a learning curve when doing things differently the first time and when each new discipline becomes a new part of a team, we’re doing it differently. Why or how we might ask? Let’s think about that a minute. Cultural differences and human factors alone add challenges with the pros of interest and depth to a project. Obviously, the following questions are based on personal experience or generalities and not absolute but there are some facts involved. Not everyone works the same which team leaders need to be aware of. Some cultures have a strong work ethic and deliver on time while other more romantic cultures vary their delivery time according to mood. How would a team leader know this unless they had an actual work history with that person or did his homework? Also, time zones can create challenge between members on different continents. I remember working from New Zealand when Monday morning for me was Sunday in the States. Saturday was America’s Friday. Add in daylight savings time and scheduling alone becomes an art form. Another element is language which can prove awkward during different countries and even different regions of each country. As we can and will learn, there are other elements and important factors when pioneering an international design team which we, as international designers, can share and benefit from. Let’s take a clue from Parson’s Master Design Course, share experiences and thoughts and learn together.
