INNOVATION SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO ALL 14 TO 16 YEAR OLDS IN SCHOOLS
Year: 2017
Editor: Berg, Arild; Bohemia, Erik; Buck, Lyndon; Gulden, Tore; Kovacevic, Ahmed; Pavel, Nenad
Author: Goatman, Michael Charles
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Coventry University, United Kingdom
Section: Creativity and Innovation in Design Education
Page(s): 322-327
ISBN: 978-1-904670-84-1
Abstract
This paper is a discussion regarding the teaching of creativity and innovation and the supply of professionals to the product/industrial design business. It argues that the scope of design in the business has changed over recent decades to include a broader breadth of activities and that an understanding of innovation and creativity in schools should be a part of much broader subject curricula to provide the right future innovators for the product/industrial design profession as well as broader applications. This would also offer more students the chance to experience iterative creative practice before making directional choices. The UK Government is strongly advocating the need for innovation as essential to future economic growth [1], supported by publications at national level including those by the UK Design Council [2]and ‘Restarting Britain: design education and growth: a report by the design commission 2011[3]. Industrial Design has become a more intellectual subject over the last 20 years. Globalisation of the sector and sophistication of product market-places has caused the Industrial Design industry itself to expand its offer, particularly in the pre-design areas of strategy, service design, customer insights, perceived quality and sustainability. The creative industries sector overall is increasingly operating on a convergence basis and regarding designers as creative practitioners without identification by individual discipline. Creativity and innovation are increasingly advocated as essential to broader application in leadership and management in industry as advocated by ‘The Cox Report on Creativity in Business [4].
Keywords: Innovation, Leadership, Iteration, Convergence, Schools