Reflections on the Conceptual Age and Design

Recently I finished reading Daniel Pink's book, A Whole New Mind, and my mind is still whirling about while considering all it's connotations as I try to make connections to what I see in my little corner of the world today. If we are truly in a "Conceptual Age" as he describes, what does this mean for the gal who delivers the mail and the man who stocks the shelves at the grocery store? Yes, Asia and automation are changing the look of production and the workforce in our country, but even in the most advanced countries service must exist.

With technology and the internet only beginning to be taken out for a test drive these "concepts" that we as consumers utilize every day may be changing and growing before we can even get accustomed to them. And how is that different for those in the "google generation" than for myself, born before 1993? For instance while trying to determine which digital camcorder to purchase for work today, I found that the hardware is ahead of the software at this point and even though I may buy a camera that is capable of creating great pictures and storing 30 GB, I may not even be able to convince my computer to acknowledge its existence.

Pink presents Six Senses that we need to develop in order to adjust and get ahead in this new age. I personally love the first. Design, just saying it makes you feel in control. But being the type of person who likes to get a little artistic and create just for the fun of it, maybe design just fits my personality. Again, how will this fit with the gal delivering the mail and the guy stocking the shelves? Maybe design is just one of those innate human traits and web 2.0 technology is just giving the next generation a new place to try it out. We can even design our new selves these days with avatars, MySpace, and other platforms. And of course, who hasn't heard of designer babies?

So tomorrow I will get up and design breakfast for my family. I will design lessons for my students. But I will still ask what does this mean for the gal delivering the mail and the guy stocking the shelves? What will they design? What will you design?