The problems faced by modern society are characterized by a complexity that cannot be solved by a single technology or thinking approach. Today’s society requires “design thinking” to seek the real structure underlying problem phenomena and to propose new solutions by editing various technologies. The Design Program at Kyoto Institute of Technology defines the new role and function of design as social interaction design. It aims to nurture human resources who can create not only products but also new services and implement them in society.

Future designers who practice social interaction design will be required to have the ability to 1) create new value, 2) collaborate across different disciplines, and 3) create a new social environment. 1) is the ability to innovate products and services, and to constantly update the value and meaning of works of art and design, by integrating expertise in product, place, visual, curation, business and technology, based on precise idea-expression techniques. 2) is the ability to understand the social field without boundaries between global and local, to discover issues creatively, and to lead the design process from research to realization through direction, facilitation, and management in a team consisting of specialists from different fields. 3) is the ability to think about various issues from a social framework and implement them in society with a business mind.

In order to cultivate the ability of social interaction design, the Design Program offers six series of specialized education subjects and faculty research fields: Product, Visual, Place, Curation, Technology, and Management, as well as PBL-based practical training and practicums that organically integrate these subjects in collaboration with industry, local governments, and overseas research institutions.

Workshop held with world-renowned designer Sam Hecht

Workshop held at the Singapore Pavilion at the Venice Biennale