The future of Interior design industry – A paradigm shift in 2021
By – Mr. Vipul Solanki, Director, NAFDI – School of Interior Design
The design challenges of the 21st century manifest itself unambiguously in the halls of design schools, where the Generation Z is coming of age. The pandemic has mutated everything for the global populace. Its impact has compelled people in every industry to arch and evolve in real-time. The very ways in which we live, work, learn, and even design have altered dramatically during the days of the crisis. In many ways, the fluctuations are here to stay. The interior design industry is nothing but leading the gateway for change by embracing the salient issues of the day. Right from where technology fits into contemporary curriculums and how students are finding their place in the professional world to novel ways of comprehending about diversity in interior design programs have been rethinking their roles. For educators and students pursuing interior design, there is a need of envisaging new design education approaches.
The below mentioned futuristic trends heralda paradigm shift in the domain of design education in the country:
Industry’s macro-vision and co-creation skills: Theindustry’s present scene necessitates budding students and freshers to emphasize on “how to do it”, rather than “what to do”. Comprehending this process and being proficient of networking with the right people and experts will help offer a sea of exposure to students. This set of skills will reinforce the co-creative capabilityrequired for a designer. To enable designers to build sturdy structures alongside forging strong relationships, the industry must focus on specialization and fragmentation of knowledge. By adapting to the formation of collectives and the process of collaboration,the sector of interior design education can help students in sharing spaces, facilities and ideas all under one roof.
VR as a social experience: Virtual reality is integrally immersive and hence is suited to design representations. A multitude of web platforms facilitates users with a dual experience, wherein they can get access to three-dimensional environments from their desktops as well as with their VR goggles. In case of a design studio, this technological application presents an exciting opportunity enabling students to network in the spaces they have planned in real-time.
Hybrid learning reinventing design education:Blended learning combines the best of face-to-face and online experiences to produce improved learning outcomes.Its potential for change is huge in transformingthefoundation of architectural education, be it in various design disciplines like industrial and interior design, architecture or planning. Following a hybrid approach to learning will facilitate in creating a learner centred experience that is tailored, relevant, and engaging. Through this way educational skills can be augmented by lending student centred approaches to meet the diverse pedagogical requirements of learners.
3D scanning lending a flip to the traditional classroom: This technology has become accessible over the past few years. Scans are an instant way to intercede between physical and simulated environments, enabling students to scan architectural and design models and environments. The choice of uploading these models to the web lends another level of interactivity and share ability. For instance, these models can be viewed on the web, in VR or unified into real-time game engines.
Chart your career creatively: Considering the educational needs of the post-pandemic era, any run-of-the-mill interior design programme won’t make the cut for students. A course that comprisesof cutting-edge perspectives that is savvy to the changing paradigms will be more sought-after.The interior design courses offer a 360-degree shift in public and private design spaces enabling graduates to choose from a plethora of opportunities in the professional market. These consist of roles such as: interior architect, design educator, independent researcher, product designer, sustainable interiors consultant and landscape designer to name a few.Design entrepreneurs are required to apply rigorous R&D processes that encompassdetailed market and user research. Right from budding entrepreneurs to large MNCs, interior design has nowbecome a key part of the way businesses are being performed.
Working in amalgamation with the other edifices, the world, of interior design education can truly be a game-changer in the edification domain.
