An interview with Marco Susani

Marco Susani Domus Acadamy, Milano susani@domac.it

How did Domus Academy come into being?

Domus Academy was born in 1982 in response to the challenge of building a design school in a place like Milano, where a very successful design culture is typically NOT developed in schools but in professional studios. Out of that paradox came the idea of building an original kind of post-graduate school that was not intended to be a conventional school, but rather a place where students could devote their thoughts and attention to innovation and design, and put them into practice. This would replicate, but in a more complete way, the successful apprenticeship model of the professional studios. From its birth in 1985, the Research Center has been based on precisely the same concept: that of combining the practical applications of skills with the development and nurturing of new areas of competence.

Upon what philosophy or principles was it founded? Have these changed or developed?

Innovation in design is the main mission for Domus Academy. This means, in research, working with companies or in basic research to open up new areas of competence, such as interaction design, advanced product design, material identity, design of services, corporate visions and communication, soft qualities of the environment, and spaces and behaviours. These disciplines and fields of practice correspond in some ways to traditional areas of competence, such as product design, industrial design, or architecture, but these traditional areas are examined in a fresh light, with new eyes, and in the full recognition that something has changed - in the human beings, in the society, in the knowledge, in the role of industry, in the technology - making possible new experiences that the design culture can support.

What kinds of work are done there?

Domus Academy Research Center works on a project basis as consultant for international companies - 3M, Logitech, Philips, Sharp, JCDecaux, Mitsubishi, Casio, Montell, among others - on themes related to innovation in design. It also does basic research with EU projects such as i3; with independent initiatives - as, for example, the work on sustainable development done in 1994 with the book The Solid Side, or the present initiative on the 'Future Of Transportation' which led to projects that won international competitions for Honda in 1997 and Mitsubishi in 1998; and also with workshops such as the Interval University workshop in 1995, the Apple Design Project in 1996 and 1997, and the Samsung workshop on the future of the kitchen in 1997.

Has the nature of this work altered over the course of time?

We discover that within large international companies there is a growing need, and desire, to invest in design research, even if the notion of investing in innovative approaches to design - such as the human-oriented approach - still needs be more widely diffused.

How many different kinds of people work in it and what do they do?

We have at present a staff of 18 persons in the Research Center, plus all the people involved in educational activities, making a total of over 30 persons. Designers of all kinds work in our group: product designers, interaction designers, graphic designers, architects, interior designers, and fashion designers. In addition, we have experts in strategic management and marketing, and we also make use of external consultants such as anthropologists, sociologists, trend analysts, media economists, art critics, and experts in technology.

How do all these people interrelate with each other?

We form project teams for each project, with one project leader/coordinator. The teams are interdisciplinary and they change according to the project profile. Cross-fertilization is guaranteed by involvement in collective brainstorming, by the sharing of common services such as the graphic support, and by the workspace itself - which is a large open space. The project leaders report to the four people who are responsible for the different areas of expertise, and then to myself as the director of the Research Center. At the level of the co-ordination between research and teaching activities, I then report to our Scientific Director, to the General Manager and to the President.

How has the development of information technology affected the way you work, how you teach, and what you produce?

We work better and we work more. We are in the process of using computers not only as tools to work with, but as an efficient knowledge management tool. There is still a long way to go, since computers are still mainly designed to support individuals. In teaching we use computers, but not to a large extent: most of the student projects are fast workshops, not product development. All our work is supported to a vast extent by Macs, which we hope will remain alive and as innovative as they used to be. Wintel machines are seldom used.

Are design decisions made in the mind or on the screen?

I would say that design decisions are made in the mindS - plural - of persons, sometimes individually, often collectively, living together in a space, which is a fundamental element of inspiration and a support of social dynamics, in front of screens, often, or in front of artefacts: models, prototypes, paper, walls with large drawings, etc.

How has information technology affected the balance between functionality and aesthetics in design?

The SYNTHESIS of functionality and aesthetics can only be done by the culture of the persons, and it's hard to think that technology can help.

Has information technology increased your contacts to other disciplines such as manufacturing? And if so, how?

The connnection with manufacturing - when we design physical objects - and with implementation - when we deal with information and interaction design - is largely supported by information technology. I would say that another fundamental element of support when making contact with suppliers is the power of communication that IT has provided: email, intranet, etc. Unfortunately the two things - sharing or transferring documents and communicating - are not yet fully integrated. A lot of work is being done to try to solve this problem.

To what extent do you feel that information technology has brought design closer to the customer?

We have been forced to look to the customers more carefully. I would not say that IT has opened up to us the concept of participatory design. After all, throughout history our job - industrial design and architecture - has always involved creating for people, for humans. Working in interaction design has simply forced us to refine the tools we use when understanding and creating for the users.

Upon what do you base your design decisions?

If I can answer with a vague and generic sentence, I would say on our culture. This may mean everything or nothing at all, but it is the only way I can define our decision-making process. I believe it is impossible to hold or to justify the view that in design one can formalize the decision process into what commonly, in engineering or other scientific disciplines, is a direct consequence of events, or, even worse, a set of reasons-why.

How do you use information technology to test and evaluate your designs?

IT tools as Director demos are fundamental to simulate the scenarios of interaction concepts that are usually presented and discussed with users. We do this on a regular basis. When we have to test and evaluate physical objects, if the size and complexity allows it, we often prefer to use physical models, since the touch, and weight, and surface treatment, are much better shown with a model than with a digital or paper rendering.

What kind of tools do you feel you need - or would like - to allow more freedom in design?

When it comes to freedom in design, I'm not expecting too much from IT tools. Probably the diffusion of LOW COST easy to use 3D modelling with GOOD surface generation and rendering would be very helpful. I expect also, of course, a better cost/performance ratio in computers - but this is already on its way. Physical LOW COST 3D model production would help too - stereolithography or similar.
But the real big change would be the creation of new tools for knowledge management within the whole process of conception, design and management of projects.

Are there any golden rules in design?

Just one definition: take design as an intellectual act of narration. Design is not so much about solving problems, it is about telling interesting stories that create positive experiences for people. This is valid for a nice chair, for a piece of architecture, and even for a good multimedia system or a software tool.

Marco Susani is the director of the Research Center at Domus Academy, which designs the publicity material for Intelligent Information Interfaces.
"My main interest related to ICubed themes is to understand how we can build an information culture exploiting all the potential of new technologies and new media. You can classify this work under the 'interaction design' category, but I prefer to think that all my group at Domus Academy Research Center mixes all types of background - product designers, information designers, architects, graphic designers, social scientists, and so on - without rigid specialization."

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