Reflection on Design Research of sustainability

Joana Casaca Lemos explains Design Research of sustainability as a human-centered relationship, and this is the part that really inspires me. At the beginning of design, our ideas are based on human experience, awareness, and compassion, and our design is motivated by how to improve the quality of life. The next part is the elaboration of the “relationship.” The first is the relationship between humans and nature. What we mean by sustainable development is to maintain a good connection between humans and the natural environment, to allow biological processes to change healthily without damaging the ecosystem, which is a fundamental principle that all design cannot violate. However, sustainability is not only about maintaining the current status quo. Furthermore, it is about maintaining this relationship in a healthy way to achieve continuous prosperity and, thus, social transformation. Regarding the social relationship of Design Thinking, the first is the relationship between sellers and consumers. Every design and R&D we do constantly consolidates the relationship between sellers and consumers in society. We respond to consumers’ needs and solve producers’ production problems, gradually forming a circular relationship, thus building a complex and stable supply chain. All in all, I think Design Thinking is not necessarily disruptive. We just build on the relationships we have already established and keep optimizing the system’s composition.