There has been a great deal of discussion in our community regarding ‘design thinking’ and design’s relevance and value to the business community and other buyers of design. I have long been an advocate of a stronger business focus in design – but the closer our profession has aligned itself to these ideals, the more I have felt that something has gone astray. It’s not easy to say, but I think I got it wrong; I’m not happy simply being a tool of business.

We buy books from Amazon, music from iTunes and everything else on eBay – all without once speaking to another human being. We entrust our identities and finances to brands; PayPal has our credit cards, Google our email and Facebook our personal information. No eye contact, no handshake – it’s a bit flaky sometimes but we still trust. So what does this have to do with design? Actually, as it turns out, quite a bit.