Technology
Computational Design: The Future of How We Make Things is Tech-Driven
Future Design is Computational
Design is always changing, and never stagnant.
In the late 20th century, it was the emergence of Design Thinking that upended how architects, engineers, and industrial design organizations made decisions about how to make new things.
Now, the rapid pace of technological advancement has brought forth a new design methodology that will again forever alter the course of design history. Computational design, which takes advantage of mass computing power, machine learning, and large amounts of data, is changing the fundamental role of humans in the design process.
Designing With Billions of Data Points
Today’s infographic comes to us from Schneider Electric, and it looks at how the future of design will be driven by data and processing power.
While computational design is still a term with no real consensus, attempts to define it do have overlap:
Parameter setting
Algorithmic, “rules-based” code can be applied as constraints to test a wide variety of computer-driven designs
3d modelling and visualization tools
Complex 3d models can allow designers to test and create simulations for new ideas
Processing power
Using vast amounts of computational power and automation to make designs not before possible
Designing with data
Applying big data and powerful algorithms to create new designs
Generative design
By creating, testing, and analyzing thousands of design permutations, this approach mimics mother nature’s evolutionary path to design
While designers traditionally rely on intuition and experience to solve design problems, computational design is a new design methodology that can literally produce hundreds or thousands of design permutations to find the absolute best solution to a problem.
The Shifting Roles of Humans and Computers
Throughout history, humans have shaped the world with design.
But now that artificial intelligence is superior in taking on specific roles within the design process, humans will move towards shaping the things that shape the world.
Designers will be relinquishing control to technology, so that humans can do what they do best.
In other words, in the future, designers will work less on designing – and instead will supervise, mentor, and set the parameters for computational designs. Human designers would also interact with a broader group of stakeholders as additional inputs and the frequency of interactions increase.
A New Design Landscape
Disruption to traditional design methods brings more questions than answers:
- How will this change the value chain for design companies and professionals?
- Will AI-enabled computational design tools take the “craft” out of design?
- If automated design “assets” become commercial commodities, will that create new product and revenue channels for businesses?
- Who will own and manage all of this data, and does this create new roles and opportunities for companies?
As we give machines more design autonomy, it will be interesting to see how this literally changes the shape and design of objects that make up the real world.
Technology
Visualizing Internet Usage by Global Region
In this infographic, we map out internet usage by global region based on the latest data from the World Bank.
Visualizing Internet Usage by Global Region
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Digital technologies have become an integral part of our daily lives, transforming communications, business, health, education, and more. Yet, billions of people around the world are still offline, and digital advancement has been uneven.
Here, we map internet usage by region based on data from the World Bank’s Digital Progress and Trends Report 2023.
Digitalization Has Been Uneven
According to the World Bank, between 2018 and 2022, the world gained 1.5 billion new internet users.
In 2020 alone, the share of the global population using the internet increased by 6% (500 million people), marking the highest jump in history. India, in particular, has seen high rates of adoption. For example, in 2018, only 20% of Indians used the internet. By 2022, this percentage had grown to more than 50%.
Region | Individuals using the internet (% of population) |
---|---|
East Asia & Pacific | 74 |
Europe & Central Asia | 87 |
Latin America & the Caribbean | 76 |
Middle East & North Africa | 77 |
North America | 92 |
South Asia | 42 |
Sub-Saharan Africa | 34 |
However, the progress of digitalization has been uneven both within and across countries.
In 2022, one-third of the global population remained offline, with parts of Asia and Africa still experiencing very low rates of internet usage. For instance, more than half of businesses in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Senegal reportedly lack internet connection.
According to the World Bank’s report, when fast internet becomes available, the probability of an individual being employed increases by up to 13%, and total employment per firm increases by up to 22%. Moreover, firm exports nearly quadruple with the availability of fast internet. Across Africa, 3G coverage has been associated with a reduction in extreme poverty, with reductions of 10% seen in Senegal and 4.3% in Nigeria.
Curious to learn more about the internet? Check out this animated chart that shows the most popular web browsers since 1994.
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