Design for the Next Phase. How is the Role of a Designer Changing to Transform into New Business Direction?

Time: September 21st (Thursday) , 16:20-18:00

Venue: Lecture Hall, 11th Fl. Zhiyuan C1

Abstract: Designers have the unenvious task of handling unknown situations, be it a product, a service/system, or an experience. Even though “innovation” has its roots deeply embedded for several thousand years, we as human beings are incrementally innovating to solve problems in our day-to-day living, societal issues, environmental, and political challenges. Given the rapidly changing trends in technology and business environment, how do designers adapt to the demands and navigate to “creating a better world”? The key focus areas are urgency and impact, sustainability, and user experience.

About the Speaker: Srini is a multi-talented international designer with innovation, strategy, and human-centered design for multiple companies and institutions. As a product designer and creative director for UX, he has built and led successful design studios Lumium and Cubestack Design to deliver award-winning and world-class products and experiences for Consumer Electronics, Medical devices, Smart home appliances, Surveillance and Security, Industrial goods in North America, Asia, and Europe for over 25 years.  Srini has also taught design courses at universities for both Undergraduate and Graduate programs and is currently a Professor of Industrial Design at Design Innovation Institute Shanghai (DIIS), a Design Research entity based in Shanghai. He conducts Design Salons on key design topics including the impact of AI on Product Design and moderates invited key experts regularly. Srini is also the curator of Frontier Design Prize, a unique award program of DIIS. Srini is also a visiting Prof of Industrial Design at Politecnico di Milano. He is also on the International Advisory Board of Tongji University and a few others in India.