Shortcomings

Can we design the future? Kate Stohr’s “100 Year of Humanitarian Design” and thinking about the differences and similarities within cultures stimulates the thoughts about designing for the future. With the examples and explanations she give it becomes clear that designing for the future is a rather difficult task and at times appear impossible. Although current designers could not absolutely blueprint the future they can use the shortcomings of the past to aid them. Every decade influences the next in fashion, art, theatre, and design. A pervious decade is usually the reason why the youth of the next develop a new way of thinking. In theatre the avant-garde movement, as in most art forms, began as a reaction against the normality of a linear plot line. As each past design influences the actions of the new generation, thus creating process. Although, new ideologies can be influenced by the past, no one person or group can fully predict the beliefs and ethos of the next generation.
Stohr articulates the exploration of humanitarian design through the shortcomings of past designers. Thus providing the foundation blocks that influenced each decade. One of the main issues that each of these projects, such as Hassan Fathy, the Kampung Improvement Program, and Habitat for Humanity, have is has the World Bank phrased it in their 2004 World Development Report, “the main difference between success and failure is the degree to which poor people themselves are involved in determining the quality and quantity of the services they receive.” ( Stohr, Kate. “100 Years of Humanitarian Design” pg. 49)
Thus the problem is more with the communication between the designer and the recipient. If a designer and his or her client or beneficiary cannot have general exchange of ideas in the present then how can a designer design for someone or group in the future when it appears that in past and even currently there are issues with fully providing and producing functional design. Hopefully through the shortcomings of others, current designers can learn and begin to design functional products, objects, homes, and ideas for the future, enabling humanity to move forward.