Who commoditized Design?

When I started my design education, my peers and I were encouraged to discover our unique identities as designers. The goal was for each designer to stand out and develop a distinct identity. Although each designer may follow a similar design process, it becomes evident from their work that everyone has a different perspective and vision of how the world should be "designed."

Design students often draw inspiration from classic figures like IDEO, Don Norman, Dieter Rams, and Paul Rand. I observed each student deeply exploring how to design in a way that was uniquely their own. The topics of design projects were often intriguing enough to spark an outsider's curiosity. However, as the reality of graduation approached, and everyone began searching for positions in desired companies, we all faced the industry's demands.

Design has always sought to reinterpret the needs of stakeholders. However, for a novice designer, such ambitious goals can seem out of reach as they focus on meeting their immediate needs. By the end of my bachelor's program, I noticed designers from various disciplines converging toward a single industry focus—digital product design. Given India's reputation for software excellence, it's logical that there would be a growing demand for digital product designers. But why has this particular discipline overshadowed others, leading to a decline in job opportunities for designers who have worked hard to carve out their niches?

The roots of this trend can be traced back to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) in the 1970s, when the advent of computers prompted engineers to consider how to make computing a pleasant experience for users. The emergence of Human Factors and Ergonomics, along with 1990s User Interface (UI) design, gave rise to a new discipline. Engineers focused on information architecture, while graphic designers worked on the interface—buttons, fonts, colors, and more. As the importance of web products grew, so did team sizes and capital investments. This expansion created opportunities for specialists such as researchers, usability testers, and visual designers. Over time, a new type of designer emerged—the UI/UX designer. For both UI and UX designers, mastering the other discipline within digital product design became a valuable way to enhance their skills and marketability.

Once user interface guidelines were established, the digital product development process became more assembly-line oriented, with designers and engineers piecing together pre-designed components into user flows, rather than approaching the task from a first-principles design perspective. The introduction of smaller screens and the heavy productization of apps with analytics and feedback mechanisms further influenced design decisions.

This isn't to say that UI/UX and digital product designers neglect user needs; rather, they often strike a pragmatic balance between user and business needs. Today, when we look at product designers, we see both user advocates and business advocates—both essential for developing a comprehensive and successful product. Design broadens the idea of business, but the current landscape of digital product designers suggests that design is gradually losing its influence in business decision-making processes.

Perhaps the promises of design thinking—radical collaboration and fresh innovations—have started to lose their luster in the eyes of both businesses and designers. This trend is not the fault of any one group; design has always grappled with the execution stage, often prioritizing ideas over implementation. The discrepancies between short cycle evaluation in commercial design and long cycle evaluation in policy, from implementation to iteration, are crucial for understanding how infrastructure integrates design and functions with it. This may also signify a shift from empathy to expertise, with a stronger emphasis on execution.

While capitalism is a prevailing force, it is not a foundational principle of nature. The world is full of problems that need addressing. Designers, leaders, and the design process itself must evolve beyond design thinking. There is unique power in bringing together people from diverse backgrounds to tackle complex social or business problems, leading to truly innovative ideas. However, it is equally important to recognize the expertise required in execution and to envision how a design can coexist harmoniously within its environment.