Valuing the Intuitive: Reintroducing Design into Interior Design Education

Abstract

Recently I observed a facilitated session with 15 invited participants representing interior design, structural engineering, architecture, industrial and product design, graphic design, lighting design, landscape architecture, design research, technology, construction management, and manufacturing who discussed the driving factors perceived as influencing collaboration across design-related professions. Although the discussion centered on collaboration, I noticed an interesting subtext emerging throughout the day: one which identified qualities, skills, and traits of strong, marketable interior design graduates. By the end of the session, two main key themes emerged, both of which could apply to graduates of almost any discipline. The first major theme was leadership. This included an understanding of business principles, facilitation skills, an ability to see the big picture, design with intelligence, and to communicate well. The second major theme focused on rational thinking. This included the ability to identify and frame problems, advance evidence-based design, show quantifiable benefits, and be current on the litany of prescriptive solutions for life safety, sustainability, ergonomics, and material science. By the end of the session, most participants agreed that they wanted to hire the impossibly accomplished graduate who met the aforementioned standards.Both of these themes, leadership and rational thinking, are certainly valid and can be enhanced through a well-conceived curriculum and creative teaching. I believe that it is incredibly important to emerge from an undergraduate program with the ability to cultivate leadership skills and apply critical thinking. Yet many of the characteristics, traits, attributes, and skills identified within these themes may be best learned on the job via experience. It was, however, that which was largely omitted or only tangentially touched upon, that was a more telling and interesting theme: nobody mentioned the ability to design well, to have passion for design as foundation elements facilitating collaboration.Are we developing the right mix of traits in our design students? Cultivating the ideal design student means balancing the largely prescriptive, vocationally skill-based criteria that act as a checklist of hirable traits and re-emphasizing the ability to think creatively and enhance visual awareness. This means placing more emphasis on the development of new models, questioning convention, and crafting an experience for the user. This also means exposing students to the breadth of creativity and the high level expectations of allied programs such as graphics, architecture, and industrial design. As an example, the often mediocre and naïve graphics associated with Interior Design education need to be replaced with the sophistication and polish demanded in allied professions both at the university and in the field (Figure 1). The Seven Most Important Attributes for Entry-Level Interior DesignersLooking back on this roundtable, I would have liked to have seen other...

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