Transition design is not a framework. It’s not an innovation. It’s not even a class. It’s It’s a two day seminar. It’s the epitome of the academic bubble inside the bubble inside the bubble. It serves no purpose. We can’t see it now but it’s coming — it’s going to matter soon. The goal post keeps moving.
I can’t guess what our instructors know of social justice, or inclusive, or equality. I know we are all taught to hate gentrification, but I can’t imagine either of them getting out of their car in a pre-gentrified neighborhood. I can’t imagine the conversation they’d build with anyone who hadn’t graduated from high school. Making small talk with the guy behind the counter of a Get Go. Diversity of academic disciplines, yes. Diversity of academics, yes. Including different professionals, sure. People who aren’t like them? Can’t picture it. Would need some evidence. I’ve walked down city blocks without making eye contact but I’m also not claiming my white paper will correct colonialism.
I was a student in the class though so I do know some of their feelings towards their students. Take COVID-19 — heard of that? — the thing that’s upended student lives. We want you to know COVID-19 was
“an exciting opportunity to change the paradigm”
“something that was really going to shake things up”
“[an event that] might lead to lot of change of posture”
This is easy to speculate on with excitement when you know if this ends in September or January 2021 or January 2022 you will return more or less to your same office with more or less your same job in your same house in your same city. All the things you had to do to get to your job and your house and your office are in the past.
what it was not
An economic calamity where companies would need to trim the non essentials — one of those non essentials being designers. Now requiring maintenance of core functionality not dreamscapes of future mythology and mapping and ice cream castles in the air. How are you going to change things at your “typical” organization? Did you ask any of your graduating students? Kicking the paradigm of typical post graduation employment — radical. (I am aware death is worse than being unemployed — I’m not touching the 60k+ ppl unbeknownst chosen to sacrifice at the alter of the paradigm of getting all shook up )
If the majority of your life is yet to be written it is not exciting to wonder whether you will find a job in time before your visa expires. If you’ll be able to get home safely. How you can pay rent. Whether you’ll be forced to take a lower paying position and be stymied with lack of income for a decade or more — which is typical of students who graduate during recessions. No, grab onto your pants (which were made in due to globalization, but you don’t own too too many so its okay) — it’s about to get exciting!
Explain to me how “transition design” will revolutionize beyond “human centered” to inform politics, and service, and blah blah. It’s primary advocates proclaim the power of emphasizing with the needs past, present, future of complex and entrenched systems throughout and on the other side of the world — but they lack the skills to emphasize or relate to to the bodies on the other side of the zoom?
The future is uncertain and scary but the education you can take with you forever. You can’t say it wasn’t useful because you don’t know. You can’t know. Wait two decades. Everyone adapted well to the online format, great job. Tone deaf.
