Artificial intelligence is evolving at an astonishing pace. That, however, does not reduce the importance of product designers’ abilities to create real objects because they are able to provide real experiences that remain out of reach of digital technologies.

Let me take a moment to talk about live performances of the Japanese danse unit BABYMETAL. Have you seen how they perform on the stage? It’s a wonderful example of real experiences. In addition to musical expressions, they combine other entertainment elements like stage design, costumes, and lighting effects to provide overwhelming live experiences to the audience. Their activities have something in common with product designers’ abilities to produce realities in tangible objects.

When creating designs for industrial products, we as designers take into account various elements such as materials, colors and shapes. But that’s not enough for designing. We are required to understand the needs of users and incorporate them into tangible designs we produce with professional enthusiasm. We can’t do without this process when we try to provide rich and real experiences. Prominent stage directors and actors can understand what audiences expect of them and live up to their expectations through live performances. The same applies to product designers when they create designs for products.

That’s the reason why we should put more emphasis on designers’ abilities to generate a sense of reality in designing products.

Munehisa Honda

Digital Experience Design Dept.

Design Director