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The Seven Columns of Design
By Gui Bonsiepe (*)

Knowledge of what is doesn't open the door directly to what should be.

Albert Einstein

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Design, like language, is constitutive of human action; in this way, more than the design of objects, we need to talk about the design of situations in which life unforls. Situation, not objects, are constitutive of design. In a sense, each person can be seen as the designer of his/her particular field of knowledge and action, which requires that we specify the domain which is the object of design actions. Design actions, in turn, may produce expected or unexpected results which always introduces change in the reality of the user. The core of the design process is thus the formulation of specificaions in time and space, which makes of design a fundamental activity with ramifications in all areas of human activity.

  1. Design is a domain that can become manifest in any area of knowledge and human action.
  2. Design is oriented towards the future.
  3. Design introduces something new in the word, and is thus linked to innovation.
  4. Design is connected to body and space, particularly the cognitive space.
  5. Design is oriented towards effective action.
  6. Design is linguistically anchored in a field of values and judgements.
  7. Design establishes an articulation between user and artifact; in this way, the domain of design is the domain of interface. The interface constitutes the designer's central domain of attention. It is through interface design that the designer articulates a space of action for the user.

(*) Las Siete Columnas del Diseño, México, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco, 1991.

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© Silvia Austerlic 2001