Is design only limited to things that are tangible?

Reflection:

In light of our most recent project for Humana, I think this is an interesting question to discuss. DP3 attacks the large issue of health- we’re supposed to make a product or service, but we are getting at something very intangible. A possible design solution could be viewed as a tangible bike sharing program but the scope of the design and impact are much less tangible than moving people around on bikes. Beginning with the background behavioral science research and ethnographic studies phase of the design process, it is evidenced that we are not thinking about tangible things. The way people act, their motivations in life, their values and judgments—are all intangible things. From my interviews, I’ve realized that health is manifested (and recognized) in so many different ways from one individual to another—from weight to disease, fitness to consistency in checkups. We can’t just be focused on something that is clear or definite. We have to ask questions that deal with things completely unrelated to health that will hopefully inform us of how to tap into the issue of health. Lifestyles essentially define much of health but they are not tangible things. Lifestyles are affected by culture, social norming, jobs, families, religion, wealth, etc. When all these things are informing health decisions, we can’t possibly pretend that a design for the issue of health necessarily is going to result in something tangible. If we begin with an intangible concept- like health and lifestyle, it’s likely that the solution will likely also be intangible. Nevertheless, everything is always expressed somehow, in some fashion. So if we take the definition of tangible to be something “real” then certainly all design is tangible. Design is not just a final product or experience but it embodies everything that leads up to its creation.