Department of Product Design, Tainan University of Technology

Introduction

Trying to describe the feeling of emptiness after a design is complete – emphasizing that state of lacking focus once the design stage is over. How do you keep moving on from that state? Forget that you might fall into design stagnation; lose the value that the design ‘must’ have. View design as a cyclical process. Keep learning, keep growing; in every step of the design process, keep reflecting and innovating. View a design endpoint as not a stopping point, but as an important milestone. What appears to be an endpoint may in fact be a new beginning. When we stand at the juncture of having completed a design, we must not rest on the laurels of what we have already accomplished. Instead, we must view this moment as an opportunity to reflect and explore. The passing of an endpoint promises limitless possibilities. It may be that the ends of design lie in inspiring future development; and that implies that we can never stop exploring, never be satisfied with the status quo. We must be constantly seeking out new paths to innovation. New avenues, new designs, new forms of thinking and doing – they’re just waiting for us to explore them.