Consumers as Co-designers

A few weeks ago I wrote about Rhett and Link's "Mystical Shoe" and the fact that they asked for input from the future consumer during the design process. This week I read this article that explained that Metro is asking for input from its own passengers on their newest rail car design. It seems customer input and involvement are being regular aspects of the design process for many companies.


Apparently, Metro will be asking riders about how to better design "wall and floor covering materials, sign displays, lighting and hand-held bar styles" (source). Considering the fact that the success of Metro is very heavily affected by the comfort of its passengers, the idea of asking them directly about what they want to see is a very smart move. I think more and more companies should, and will be using this strategy and level of customer involvement of design in the near future.


This marks a transition in the world of design, where the role of designer becomes less exclusive, extending to nearly any consumer of the product. Being a design student myself, I am hoping this doesn't mark the beginning of the end of the job title "designer", but I'm confident that the world will never be completely rid of this occupation. As we discussed in design class, even if the world of design is reduced to a series of customizable templates, we will still need designers to design the templates. Then there is the argument that not every person has that same touch of creativity and inventiveness that natural creators, designers, possess. That is a theory with which I can agree; I feel that the truly creative individuals will always become somewhat separated from your average joe, especially when it comes to designing. We, as artists, as designers have a certain way of looking at things, and although I believe in the sharing of the ability to create and the incorporation of consumer interest in the act of designing, I firmly believe that artists and designers will always have a special "job" in society.