“Please join us on our journey in creating design as a powerful force for positive change and in building DHE as the Korea’s best Design School,” says Dr. Henri Christianns, while talking about his new role and his vision for UNIST.
Dr. Henri Christiaans, a world renowned scholar in design, has been recently appointed as the new dean of UNIST School of Design and Human Engineering. Dr. Christiaans has 30 years of career in design education, data processing, cognitive science and ergonomics, including information processing. Prior to joining UNIST, Dr. Christiaans worked for TU Delft School of Industrial Design Engineering and for similar schools at Portuguese universities.
Next to numerous papers published in reviewed journals and conference proceedings, Dr. Christiaans is also a published author on innovation management, research methodology and retail design. Moreover he has been promoting and implementing innovative design projects in many countries around the world, which all have been highly acclaimed in the Netherlands, Asia, South America, and South Europe.
Dr. Christiaans views design, as an integration of engineering, ergonomics, aesthetics, innovation management and marketing, just like the company, Apple where the designer with this profile is involved in all phases of development. He states, “Korea is in need of future solutions that will accelerate competitiveness in a global market and I believe that UNIST Design School will be a unique answer to challenges facing for next economic revolution.”
“With UNIST’s slogan of ‘First in Change’, we go to the very heart of our contribution as a design school”, as Dr. Christiaans explains. “For Korea, this is a transition period in which it faces challenges like a stronger competition from China and other countries, a rapidly growing urbanism and a school system that lacks creativity and has become less effective at meeting the demands of industry, with an emerging skills gap.”
He adds, “In this situation, design can contribute a lot. However, unfortunately, too many people think of design as only styling or making things beautiful. They forget that design is nowadays seen by modern companies as a driver for innovation. It encompasses the whole product and service development process, from the first idea till the consumers’ use.”
Dr. Christiaans views design, as an integration of engineering, ergonomics, aesthetics, innovation management and marketing, just like the company, Apple where the designer with this profile is involved in all phases of development. He states, “Korea is in need of future solutions that will accelerate competitiveness in a global market and I believe that UNIST Design School will be a unique answer to challenges facing for next economic revolution.”
Dr. Christiaans introduces three ideas in response to these challenges:
The first is about ‘Vision’. How can Korea play a leading role in the 21st century? Design is the key asset of innovation and growth. The second is about ‘Education’. The program at UNIST Design School will foster creativity and prepare students to become world-class innovators. The third is all about ‘Applied Research and Design’. Where the environment becomes co-creation space for professors, students and industry.
As a new dean of UNIST design school, Dr. Christiaans looks forward taking actions together to position UNIST Design School at the forefront of designing solutions for a rapidly changing world. He hopes DHE will add a whole new stratum of industry to the Korean economy.
