Closing Plenary: The Crisis of Digital

Key Insights

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  Walt Disney’s rapid animation innovations illustrate how fields can transform deeply in short timeframes, prompting reflection on the pace of design research evolution.

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  A 2015 Forrester study found most service design firms focus primarily on digital experience design rather than traditional physical or face-to-face services.

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  Despite a desire to do broader human-centered work beyond digital, the reality is that digital channels dominate current design and research practices.

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  The medical marijuana network study highlighted the difficulty of anticipating digital transformations and their sweeping downstream societal impacts.

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  Mature organizations extensively use research techniques such as co-creation, rapid qualitative research, and continuous monitoring, but still lack forward-looking predictive methods.

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  There is a pressing need to develop new research tools that anticipate future ripple effects and risks of digital products, borrowing approaches from other disciplines.

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  The so-called 'digital crisis complex' drives organizations toward frenetic digital transformation often without sufficient user validation or concern for wider impacts.

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  The COVID-19 pandemic showcased digital solutions’ vital role in society, renewing hope and emphasizing ethical responsibility for the future of digital design.

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  Executive engagement and organizational design maturity strongly influence the strategic impact and evolution of design research within companies.

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  Ethical and inclusive digital access remains a critical unresolved challenge, demanding large-scale systemic efforts beyond individual heroic attempts.

Notable Quotes