Future of design

In his talk "Future of Design," Ilkka Suppanen discusses the maturation of the design industry through the decades. The industry has exploded from craftsmen and machines driving the design of objects to design now penetrating the service and application industry by redefining user experiences. Without owning a single taxi or hotel respectively, applications like Uber and AirBnB design services that fill human needs by reinventing the use of cars and homes.

In addition, Suppanen highlights what he refers to as "backstage innovation," or the unseen aspects of design, which has more prominence in the design industry than ever before. By focusing on what happens "backstage" to help create or run the experience for users, service designers can create more value from opportunities that otherwise might have been wasted.