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52 turn the page | april 2015

“The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed”

Mohandas Gandhi

D E E R G F O S R O T A E CR

DIY Boomcase INTERVIEW James Dyson 52 | April 2015

CONTENT

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index Editorial Upcoming Coverstory Design Everywhere Study association i.d Interview Do It Yourself Column One To Watch Feature Feature Versus Alumni Interview Feature Alumni New Tech Sponsors What The Feature?!

Feature Gadgets

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Creators of Greed James Dyson Boomcase The Problem with Crowdfunding Alon Bitton How to Present BPO Product Development Build vs Grow Shauna Jin Koos Eissen Failed Design Crijn Bouman Moore’s Law Ends TOPdesk Supercritical Washing Machine Next Generation

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COVERSTORY

CREATORS OF GREED

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COVERSTORY

designing for a consumer society text by Frank van Doesum | layout by Frank van Doesum & Tom Gudde

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he number one invention of western consumer society undoubtedly is the industrial designer. The growing need for ‘goods’, as they’re called, induced this new profession, and with it came goods that were indeed actually good. The main question in this article however, is not whether these products or its designers are any good, but whether the designer who creates these goods is the root of a superfluous consumption, and thus of

we all blindly follow like sheep after a shepherd the greed—with all its negative consequences—it imposes. This might seem like a vague question to ask, yet it is an important one.

The entire society (and I’m still talking about the western, consumer one) revolves around these goods, or ‘objects’; most of human productivity and earth’s resources are dedicated to these objects, and we all stand in line when a new such object is released. The littlest advertisements propagate a better life, and we all blindly follow like sheep after a shepherd who promises endless fields of green. The question arises then: will we ever reach these fields?

And what are the consequences for the industrial design profession of this increasingly consumerist society, where products may or may not lead to a better life, to happiness or satisfaction?

Shopping for happiness Happiness is a hard defined word, for it’s meaning might be different for each individual. However, in the context of consumerism, I’m quite sure it’s not. The comparison with sheep seems in place here, too. Those greener fields indeed come—each new object one acquires being one of them—yet most are shortlived and the fields become barren over time. What this means is that for each new object one acquires, a stimulus is experienced, say in the form of happiness. Yet, the individual experiencing this stimulus quickly becomes accustomed to it, meaning his emotions return to a neutral set point: the individual is no longer in a state of happiness, but again in a neutral state. This theory of the ‘hedonic treadmill’ was introduced by Philip Brinkman and Donald T. Campbell (1971), but as this is no article on these theories of happiness, I will not get into it any further. You can see the problem

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here, though. While our consuming behaviour is rewarded with a happiness that fades over a short amount of time, then after this short amount of time, the desire to consume is once again raised.

This leads me back to the opening sentence of this paragraph: happiness, in a context of consumerism, is not at all so different for each individual, and the purchase of mere objects does not increase long-term happiness.

While this does not at first strike as a problem—after all, the emotional state returns to neutral, which is neither positive nor negative—I do think that this kind of consuming behaviour is more likely to turn into something negative in the long-term in the sense of the happiness of the individual (lets put all the environmental issues aside for now). I have to again make a sidestep to psychology. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1943) describes five levels of basic human needs that need to be fulfilled in order to reach maximum psychological health. These levels are: physiological, safety, belongingness and love, esteem, and self-actualization. Only once a level is satisfied can one move on to the next level to satisfy those needs. Notice that not one level contains ‘material possession’. Material goods are in itself not an end, but a mere means to reach different levels in the

a continuous desire is created, which sets in motion a profusion of consumption hierarchy. That being said, one can imagine that only the absolute fundamental material goods should be sufficient to reach a state of maximum psychological health, and thus happiness. However, a problem arises when we try to define those fundamental goods: is, in the level of ‘safety’, a car airbag a fundamental good? Is, in the physiological level, air conditioning a fundamental, basic need?

As this might be in fact impossible to define, and this not being the point of this paragraph, I will, at least for now, disregard this problem. What is the point, is that people mistakenly link goods— or objects—to happiness. And with this, as mentioned before, a continuous desire is created which sets in motion a profusion of consumption. This in turn causes an abundance of material

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COVERSTORY

Designing greed possessions. These objects we do not explicitly need, do however need us. Maintaining these possessions, and above all maintaining this motivation to consume in order to achieve happiness, will eventually distract us from reaching those levels of the hierarchy that are important, e.g. the one of self-actualisation. Deprivation of those higher level needs may, according to Maslow, result in negative consequences to one’s psychological health, proving that a profusion of consumption does indeed yield negative effects.

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While industrial designers often find themselves at the root of this consumption, are they then the creators of this negativity imposed by a superfluous consumption? Are they then the creators of a greed, rather than the suppliers for a need?

I do think this is rather an ambiguous question, to which both answers are true. And obviously, the field of industrial design is too broad to generalize. However, I do think many (industrial) designers insufficiently ask themselves this question, thus the point here is to make you, as a reader and likely an industrial designer, aware of this moral dilemma the profession faces in contemporary consumer society. If the industrial designer indeed creates for a greed, the value of the profession might be diminished: as more and more ‘useless’ objects (useless in the sense that they do not yield longterm positive psychological effects) find their way onto the market, an abundance of consumption of these objects negatively impacts human psychological health, while in turn creating waste: waste in the sense of disposal of goods and waste of resources and productivity. Industrial designers are surely not the only ones to blame, but because they find themselves at the bottom of the consumption chain and thus this problem, they 1

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are the ones that are able to make a change. Yes, we’re diving deep in ethics here, and to fully comprehend, we have to once again consult psychology.

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Because if materialism does not make us happy, what does? As you might already have expected, there isn’t one correct answer. However, research consistently shows that experiential purchases—purchases with which a life experience is achieved, for example travel or education—can have a long-term positive effect on happiness. This is because (1) experiences are more open to positive reinterpretation, (2) experiences are less prone to disadvantageous comparisons, and (3) experiences are more likely to foster successful social relationships (Van Boven, 2005). If we would also once again consider Maslow’s hierarchy, then experiential purchases could be positioned at the top level—the one of self-actualization— and the level of belongingness and love (as they’re more likely to foster social relationships). But although some purchases can be clearly categorized as experiential (like the examples already mentioned), many material goods can also be considered experiential. Take for example a car: not a fundamental need and

industrial designers are surely not the only ones to blame in many cases considered as a purely material good, but if it is purchased to enjoy weekends on the circuit with friends, it may be considered experiential. Here lies then the major problem: there is no clear line between experiential and material goods.

There is then, as research confirms, to some extent variation in the individual’s perception as to whether a product is experiential or material. Even so, if the purchase is perceived as experiential, it doesn’t necessarily result in happiness; experiences resulting in a negative outcome can have neutral or even negative effects on happiness. The final principle that is needed to understand the notion of happiness is that of motivation. When we talk about the individual’s perception of a purchase, be it an experiential or material one, we make a distinction between an intrinsic and an extrinsic motivation. Whereas an extrinsically motivated purchase is associated with negative appraisals of others, an intrinsic one is associated with a perceived happiness by others and positive appraisals (Van Boven, Campbell, and Gilovich 2010).

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Although these principles don’t exactly give a clear image of what is happiness, there is an important lesson to be learned, which takes me to the first point I’m making. The industrial designer can change the outcome of his or her ‘object’ once he or she has a clear understanding of these principles. If one does not take in consideration these principles, one may indeed—whether it is knowingly or not—create ‘useless’ objects and thus contribute to an increase of redundant consumption, which diminishes overall human psychological health and undermines the value of the industrial design profession. Only when these principles are all well understood and we understand the drivers behind the people purchasing our objects can we design for a positive experience and thus for happiness. Who accepts the challenge?

Growth is no longer growth The second part of the equation is then the depletion of resources: earth’s resources as well as human resources. The depletion of earth’s resources as a consequence of overconsumption seems logical: the more is consumed, the more (raw) materials are needed in order to produce for the increasing need (or should I say

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COVERSTORY

greed?). Then how are human resources being depleted? Doesn’t the increase in consumption ask for more of human resources and productivity to be devoted to the creation of more ‘objects’?

Well, yes and no. Indeed, more of human resources are devoted to creating these objects that feed our consumer society. But as each object causes an environmental nuisance, human resources

the system is basically becoming parasitic upon itself are then devoted to correcting this nuisance. Take for example again the car: it’s invention caused the problem of exhaust gasses.

A considerable amount of productivity is now used to correct this problem and to make cities smog-free. This is, although quite simplistically explained, the main principle of the vicious circle of growth as described by Jean Baudrillard (1970). As more innovations (to simplify, we’ll only consider material innovations) find their way onto the market, society experiences a growth in

affluence. However, as these innovations may cause nuisances, more innovations are needed to correct those nuisances. These ‘correcting innovations’ are then added as growth. But can we really consider these ‘correcting innovations’ as growth, when they merely counteract a nuisance caused by another innovation?

Once this passes a certain threshold at which the entire increase in productivity is used only to correcting these nuisances—as Baudrillard writes and I cannot put it in better words—“the system is basically becoming parasitic upon itself.”

Obviously, I’m not saying that we should not devote anymore productivity to correcting these nuisances; on the contrary, we should work hard to get cities smog-free. But, as industrial designers are at the bottom of the chain—at the very beginning of this growth of affluence and innovation—we ought to keep in mind the very essence of this vicious circle of growth. Only when taking in consideration the nuisances one innovation may cause can the industrial designer positively impact this growth circle, and perhaps in the long run restore the balance.

The verdict By not taking into account the principles described here, the industrial designer will eventually become a creator of a greed. If the profession remains a by-product of consumer society it loses its value, and the industrial designer solves only the nuisances he himself might have created. To prevent this, we need to keep in mind the essence of the vicious circle of growth, for forgetting this may lead to reinforcing it. Additionally, we can to an extent reverse the hierarchy, so that the current consumer society becomes a by-product of the industrial designer. We can do this by keeping in mind the principles of the psychology of happiness, and as a consequence of this, not just design for consumerism, but for the very people themselves, causing current consumer society to in the long-term lose its consumerist core. 3

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Study association i.d

Spring Trip Istanbul For a whole week, Istanbul was enriched with thirty students from Delft. The allround design company I Am welcomed the students with a nice presentation and beer+pizza in the end, much alike our own i.d-Kafee. The group visited turkish glass blowers, who showed the group their amazing skills. At design company Ziam, the group completed a design case.

The group visited all three parts of Istanbul, including museums and bazaars. And off course they enjoyed loads of Turkish tea and the best shisha.

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april 2015 | turn the page

Study association i.d

Open

Discussion For the first time, i.d has organised an Open Member Discussion, in which all i.d-Members had the opportunity to share their thoughts about Study association i.d and its activities.

Committee

Trip

Member

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To thank all our committee members, they were invited to real children’s party in i.d-Kafee (with a bouncy castle)!

Carnaval

i.day 2

committee market

Kafee

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Kafeest 2 Barcade

Study association i.d

contest 2015

In preparation of IO Festival, three bands and DJs had the opportunity to conquer a place in IO Festival’s line-up.

The best band of the evening was Rice 2, the best DJ was Straffe Bak. Best of luck boys!

company

Bachelor’s

IO Festival

Band & DJ

visit to npk

Some time ago, i.d’s Freshmen Committee organised a trip to design agency npk, where bachelor students had the opportunity to experience what it would be like to work at a design agency.

Illustrator

& website

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workshops

Ever had the feeling that you’re behind on your IO soft skills? Not anymore you don’t!

Thanks to PR-i.d people can now continue life with skills in Illustrator and website design.

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Actid: Kunsthall by Parra

Study association i.d

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Study association i.d

may

IO Festival 2015: cirque meganique

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Welcome to the biggest annual student festival of the Netherlands! During this 9 hour festival, 1600 students and employees will come and enjoy a wide variety of bands, DJs and other performances on different stages, all at our own faculty of Industrial Design Engineering!

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EXid Y leaving to Leipzig For all bachelor students we organise the second EXid of this year. After the success of EXid X to Prague in december, EXid Y will go to Leipzig. In this awesome German student city, you will enjoy the Industrial Design Engineering side of it, by visiting a design company, university and musea.

Cases on Tour 2 On May 26th, the second Cases on Tour will take place. Four days with four differrent cases for four different companies. Gain more experience with your profession and sign up for the last chance this year. Keep an eye on the website and the i.d-Column for more information.

Parents’ day Dear freshmen, your parents are probably wondering what the heck you’re up to all week. Why they have to miss you all the time and where their money goes. This parents’ day is a perfect opportunity for them to discover the great ways of Industrial Design Engineering, shabam!

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Summercue The best party outside is coming; a whole afternoon of playing games on the faculty’s square. The theme has yet to be announced, but we’re sure you will impress us again with your amazing outfits and props. Be sure to save the date and get your teams ready!

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General Members Assembly 4

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What will be discussed in the next GMA has yet to be announced. In any case, the board will tell you about the progress they’ve made in making the association even better. We will keep you updated on more details concerning the assembly.

second freshmen party To celebrate they have survived 75% of their first year, freshmen deserve a great party. This time together with the freshmen from the faculty of Architecture. We have faith it will become even a greater party than the first freshmen party of this year.

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Study association i.d

IO FESTIVAL Ladies and gentlemen... we are proud to present the 33rd edition of IO Festival, Cirque Mécanique! During this 9 hour music festival, the faculty of IDE will change in a wonderful mechanical circus tent, where musicians and acrobats will merge together and take you on an unforgettable musical ride.

On May 1st, 2015, IO Festival: Cirque Mécanique, will open it’s doors for the most amazing music festival in Delft.

BUY YOUR TICKETS AT WWW.IOFESTIVAL.COM

your favourite teacher behind the bar?

Pluim Kafee May 27th, i.d-Kafee

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52 turn the page | april 2015

“The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed”

Mohandas Gandhi

D E E R G F O S R O T A E CR

DIY Boomcase INTERVIEW James Dyson 52 | April 2015