Converging or Diverging

Do you think design disciplines are converging or diverging? Consider analogous industries, such as medicine, to inform your point of view.

I believe design disciplines are rapidly converging. Hardware products and software product are more intertwined today than ever before.

For example, 15 years ago the designers behind making a music player (whether it be a tape player or cd player) were primarily hardware product designer. Software designer had little to no input in the end product. However, today, a music player, such as an ipod or MP3 player, involves both a software designer and hardware designer. A user interface ( the product of a software design), which was completely absent in music player 15 years ago, is now in my opinion equally or more important than the overall hardware design. One of the driving factors behind Apple’s great success was its ability to combine the hardware and software design, in which the design of hardware depended on the design of the software and vis versa.

I believe design disciplines will continue to convert as more and more hardware products shy away from physical buttons and turn to virtual “buttons.”

In addition, I believe the constant wave of product integration can only lead to a spike in design conversions. Home products are becoming smarter and more integrated. For example, there are now multiple applications for you computer, phone or tablet that will allow you to control everything in your house from your thermostat, tv, lights to your oven. Many of these products will naturally obtain their own user interface which will, design wise, need to be consistent with other user interfaces including the controlling computer, phone or tablet software. This trend will likely expand to non-home products, such cars and vending machines( Which had already started), as well as industrial products. The result of which, in my opinion, can only products a conversion in design disciplines.