Design as enabling agent. Design culture and non-designers in the changing role of disciplines

The network society and accelerating AI have changed the ways things work. In order to keep up with innovation and ‘survive’ this change, the academy is forced to dissolve disciplinary boundaries, while traditional professions are forced to rethink their roles. The world is in transition, characterized by the continuous need of re-definition of skills and ways of thinking. It is argued that design-related skill-sets are -inter -anti disciplinary and the most relevant for dealing with complexity and rapid change. Three such skill-sets are associated to design: (1) Design Thinking skills; (2) Thinking Wrong personal qualities; (3) Future Thinking Principles, all together in this research labeled as Future Personal Characteristics – FPC’s. According to different authors, design culture (D-culture) play a significant role in transferring the capital of designers to broad society (non-designers), while experience is recognized as one of the most effective ways in developing abilities and skills. This research investigates the primary assumption that D-culture experience can influence non-designers in developing FPC’s. Qualitative and quantitative research methods are applied in order to find out how D-culture experience influence non-designers in improving FPC’s, which FPC’s are most influenced, and what relation is present between experience on D-Culture and improvement of FPC’s among non-designers. The research findings demonstrate that most FPC’s tend to be influenced positively by D-culture experience – some of them demonstrate a highly significant change. The findings can be presented to authorities, universities, and organizations within non-designer environments in order to stimulate the social impact of D-culture on non-designers locally.