Human-centred ideation

Distinction between the conceptual and manual aspects of design production emerged in the modern period when growing professionalisation resulted in the separation of science from art, of engineering from architecture and of the designer as "thinker" (direction) from that of "maker" (execution). In the digital age, however, the old distinction is less accurate or relevant as the design process, as a collaborative activity sits at the intersection between conception and execution, and facilitated by digital tools. That is to say, conception is enhanced by generative artificial intelligence (AI), and execution optimised by computer-aided-design (CAD), computer-aided-engineering (CAE) and computer-aided-manufacturing (CAM). Indeed the design process is, for all practical purposes supported if not driven by computer soft- and hardware, such as Building Information Modelling, BIM. It is against this development that the ideation workshop faces a challenge - learning how to ideate in ways that do not lose the human perspective and user influence on the design process. For this reason, the workshop is built around participatory, hands-on studio activity recognising that while AI and digital tools are effective they cannot fully resemble complex human cognition.