The Parallels are Uncanny
From my perspective as a South Asian, non-white, female designer, Buzon’s article offers a refreshing counterpoint to the eurocentric frameworks that dominate design today. In particular, I find his description of design thinking as a form of colonialism quite fascinating:
This form of colonialism however was never unique to design nor the tech giants which have co-opted it. We have seen in modern history how the extraction of wealth takes many forms: the pillaging of indigenous lands, cultural appropriation, and wage theft which its victims today continue to be under Stockholm syndrome induced by their masters.Tracing the roots of this now-popular design ideology, he exposes the vernacular of its founders, highlighting it as otherising and racist. A personal favorite example is that of graphic designer Vignelli, who warned against creating visual pollution at the hands of using 'too many typefaces':
Consider sentiments many Modernists were vocal about. The Italian graphic designer Massimo Vignelli often is cited as defending the practice of using only four typefaces and disparaging “visual pollution.” Whether Vignelli realized his eugenics-adjacent language or not, his belief in the designer's fight “against the ugliness” further cemented Modernist practice of erasure and consolidation.
Manifestations in Design Language Itself
It is interesting to see how euro-centric language seeps its way into visual
forms as well (in this case, the neglect of indigenous scripts).
[see: third header]
Another instance involves the use of the word solving,
i.e. seeing the outside world as a 'problem' to be ‘fixed’ and ‘made better’.
Other manifestations of visual colonialism arise in the form
itself: just as ‘whiteness’ is deemed to be clean, progressive,
and efficient, so too are ‘white’ typefaces (Helvetica, Futura, Arial and so on).
Design does not Operate Within a Vaccum
What is more, Buzon not only identifies the language of design thinking
as colonial, but rather, its context as well. If the aforementioned aesthetics
were only available to Europe and its colonies, and not understood by the
rest of the world, how could they be deemed the ‘default’? In other words,
When the default is white, how can design as a 'neutral' tool serve anything
but whiteness?
What's the Solution?
Indeed, then, Buzon’s argument raises the question: if not design thinking, then what else? Several articles both critique and praise design thinking’s philosophy, yet very few pose any alternatives. Such is the gap in Buzon’s claim. If design thinking were to be wiped out, no prototyping or iterating in sight, how would we approach our problems?
Eureka! I've Got It
The answer, in my opinion, lies in a balance. While not all problems can be solved through a limited set of rules and strict iterative processes, perhaps some can. Perhaps the capitalist, techno-feudalist world we live in today will require design thinking for its creation of ‘user-friendly’ interfaces. Yet, outside of this corporate, big tech-esque fantasy, another approach can be utilized: that of systemic or indigenous thinking.
Systemic thinking arises as a more holistic, analytical, and relationship-oriented process. Here, it is not just the user’s individual needs that are understood, but rather, those of the entire system:
A system is more than the sum of its parts - it is defined by the interaction of its parts.To understand how a system works, you have to study not the individual elements but the linkages between them. When you start thinking in systems, you can then spot opportunities for change.
Comparing Systems Thinks Vs Design Thinking
| Systems Thinking | Design Thinking |
|---|---|
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Moreover, this form of thinking also borrows from indigenous knowledge - considering external relationships leads to prioritising factors such as nature, ethics, and community. As a result, our solutions may appear not only ‘techno-focused’ or ‘efficient’, but also ecological and multi-generational.
See: How Design can Benefit from Indingeous Ways of Doing and Seeing.
Final Statements
Thus, while I agree with Buzon’s view that design thinking must be eradicated, I do not believe it can be. Living alongside institutions driven by technology and finance, I feel that design thinking - no matter how colonial - remains an inevitable reality. Yet, we must strive to employ more inclusive approaches, such as systemic thinking, that may benefit us in the long term.
Find the original piece here: Design Thinking is a Rebrand for White Supremacy