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The value of critical thinking

Humanity is destroying their only home at an alarming rate largely due to a complete disregard for eco-friendly design choices. Design thinking is a necessity in bringing change and development into society. It is a fundamental skill that holds substantial weight, having the power to change everything including sustaining our planet and prolonging its life.

The hierarchy of design needs to be re-thought and in turn, we should be inclusive with the process of critical design thinking and share the basic elements. This will help with building problem statements and potential solution ideas. I believe everybody has a critical mind and if given the opportunity and tools to explore their thoughts, we could produce many major solution ideas.

I feel design is a somewhat secluded group. It is often thought of as a tool for decoration or distraction with a lack of understanding of the depth of design. It is a central and integral piece in everything we do as a society and is not recognized as the problem-solving tool it represents. This stigma needs to be reverse engineered to raise awareness of design also being a viable career path. With design being misunderstood it is devalued and not seen as a legitimate career path and that the vast disciplines within design and design psychology can be a comfortable position for many individuals.

I dream that one day there will no longer be a finite number of solutions, but an excessive amount to come to the perfect and most effective solution for the situation. My dream is to create a life in which we can thrive, and I believe this is possible through evaluation of our current situation and critical decision-making.

Bringing change to habituated design processes will bring great disturbances to society and possibly create issues within society, it is up to us to decide where our values as a society lay and which difficulties we’re willing to face. I believe creating disruption is a valid mode of action, provided that we are collectively thoughtful about the problems it will create, and the solutions critical thought will help us achieve.

Today’s design values lay in the prospect of generating revenue and balancing the global happiness and sustainability matrices. Design is the problem-solving of the planet. When designs are created with the correct intents, their effects are impactful and lead to world-changing outcomes which makes me believe that in following necessary values, designs have the opportunity of bringing monumental change.

Design should be widely taught.

The design will no longer be a secluded group but be valued highly, and design thinking will be taught within the curriculum to encourage problem finding, ideas, and concepts providing solutions. We must draw on peer-to-peer learning to create an influx of insights. We must also address and evaluate the values laying within society to provide meaningful and perceptive solutions. Design must become a part of the heart of education. We must invest in design and critical thinking to create an abundance of opportunities and careers.

With global warming being such a prevalent issue these days, we can only imagine what the future will look like if we don’t slow down as a society. The IPCC has speculated a few futures depending on what policies governments adopt to cut emissions. Assuming society continues how it is now, in the next 80 years, it is speculated that the global temperature would rise 4 degrees and bring drastic effects on life as we know it today. This is largely due to carbon emissions some of the main contributors being fuels and stationary energy. In 50 years time, the outside world will become unbearable with heat. Tasks like going to work, going to school, or going shopping will become physically impossible and likely be completed over the internet. I imagine a desolate space where even socialising has become difficult. I imagine a world that has become focussed on technology to assist in completing norm tasks. Education around critical design thinking will become an essential criterion for everybody to learn to think of ways we can combat climate change.

The daily life of civilians

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