Design 4.0: Pedagogic best practice for technology-driven design futures

The project provides a platform for networking and collaboration between Brunel University London, School of Design and UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology), Department of Design. The project will also benefit from participation by The Design Council in the UK, and The Korean Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP), Republic of Korea and Central Research Laboratory (CRL), UK.

To act as platform for collaboration, the project adopts a focus for activities and events that is relevant to and appropriate for both partners due to their historic, technology-driven approach to design. As a starting point, we will examine how technology-driven design (i.e. Design driven by disruptive, emergent technologies like AI) may address some of the big societal challenges facing both Korean and UK (i.e. aging populations, sustainable economy, energy security).

Through a series of activities and events, we will then consider the skills and knowledge required of future designers to apply technology through design to peoples lives. These will then inform an exploration of ideas towards pedagogic tools, methods and approaches to the development and implementation of future design curriculum. The future design education will aimed at providing students the skills and knowledge to work at the intersection between technology and people in addressing big challenges through technology-driven design.

Thus, the networking project's focus is to explore and better understand how the skills and knowledge of future designers must change to respond to challenges and opportunities of disruptive technologies (for example, Artificial Intelligence). In this the project is part of an effort to understand how design education can be best placed to work at the intersection between people and technology to provide solution to big challenges on the horizon in the UK and Korea.

This will be achieved through a strategic series of on-site, on-line and in-person networking activities, delivered across Brunel University London, UK and UNIST Korea. These activities are designed to both provide opportunity for exchange (including early career research involvement), and stimulate work towards future funding acquisition on topics related to best practice in design education for technology-driven futures, including how design may contribute to big societal challenges through technology-driven design innovation.

With reduced funding for the creative arts, including design, in the UK and Republic of Korea, the project is a timely intervention aimed at mitigating education challenges now facing design. The networking project's scope will be expanded to include key UK and Korean partners (Design Council UK, Korean Institute of Design Promotion). The project will act a primer for larger funding acquisition and sustainable collaboration between Brunel Design School and UNIST Department of Design.

The project will also look to expand beyond Brunel and UNIST Design, to include partners from across Brunel University London and UNIST. Both UNIST and Brunel Design's historic identities as technology-driven design schools will provide further foundation for the networking project focus and activities.