Design Studio 108 B.
They say those who can, do and those who can’t, teach. I say that’s bullshit, based on my own experience with designers in the “real” world. Those who should be doing, but don’t. Can’t, actually. Even if they wanted to. On the contrary, the design professors I had at the University of Washington were not only great teachers (well, okay, one of them really sucked, but I’m not naming any names), but they were also amazing, practicing, award-winning, kickass designers. Because that’s the thing about academia. You have to do both. Scholarship and practice. But for some reason, not everyone sees it this way. I often detect a lot of skepticism from other designers when I express my interest in and passion for academia. I wonder why…. Americans are known for their anti-intellectualism, but I always assume that designers will be different. I know academia isn’t perfect, but it plays an important role. Imagine the world of design without it.
My first eight hours as a bonafide academic were spent in a new faculty orientation in an intimate conference room with about 20 other new faculty from varying disciplines. For example, one was a visiting modern dance professor from Bulgaria. Another was a mathematics professor. Two were psychology Ph.Ds. There were also biologists, linguists, and historians. But most exciting to me were the ones I met in computer science, information technology, mechanical engineering, and my own field, design. I’m already setting the ground for future collaborations.
One of the computer science professors was telling me about her work on wireless health monitoring technology; i.e., wearable computing devices that monitor insulin levels. So I told her about the book I recently read on Design Meets Disability. She was amazed and mentioned that they usually didn’t even know how the devices would look on people until the products were actually finished and given to the patients to wear. Say wha??? No designers? No prototyping? No usability testing? She said they’d never really considered any of these things, but hey, what great ideas!
She has my number now. We’re going to have lunch.
Anyway, here’s a peak into my empty office. I bought a desk at IKEA this weekend but couldn’t get the door unlocked. I’m calling a Human Scale sales rep about my chair tomorrow. I need shelves but was informed today that facilities probably won’t install any. If that is in fact the case, I’m adding this task to Will’s honey-do list. If you don’t have a handyman as a husband, you should get one. Honestly. They’re great to have around.