Opportunity for Experience: Creative Perspectives on Connecting with People

We believe there is a need to reinforce our connection to each other as human beings. If we can return to this concept as a core principle of creative practice and education, we can create new opportunities to come together instead of driving people apart. We live in a moment when business and socio-economic demands require rapid pursuit of data and technological advances while leaving behind those same topics’ personal and social sides. We are, as a society, altering our human experience under the illusion of increasing our connectedness. But still, we seek the meaningful connection, the moments that remind us of humanity regardless of our awareness of design and technology.

We are now 18 months into a global pandemic, where life as we know it has been flipped on its head. We are relying more than ever on technology to increase our connectedness. It has suddenly and quickly become less illusion and more real, and we are genuinely seeking connection to reality through technology. We believe, though, that the pendulum has swung too far in the wrong direction into a world of an extreme pursuit of data and technological advancements while losing sight of human impact. So while we believe the design industry has played a significant role in this swing, we think creative people and perspective can return us to a balance. I’m proposing a framework and a methodology for design practice and pedagogy—a sort of manifesto of perspectives on human connection.