Science of design builds value

Today the word ‘design’ means many things. The common link is service: designers work in a service profession and the results of their work affect every aspect of our daily lives. Economist and Nobel Laureate Herbert A Simon described design as devising courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones. Simon was an advocate of what he labelled the ‘design science’ approach, recognising that the way things look and feel, while vital to design, is no longer enough. To drive the creative innovation necessary to solve the problems society faces today, and the anticipated challenges of tomorrow, design requires high-quality research that advances knowledge and practice, just as research serves professional practice in medicine and engineering. At Swinburne, we achieve this by drawing on the expertise and knowledge within the university in collaboration with Australian industry and business and our international partners.