T-Shaped Designers

Found a term today: T-Shaped Designers.

(http://www.designsojourn.com/only-god-is-t-shaped/)

I have been thinking about T-Shaped Designers for a long time now. How to be one, what does being one really mean and how effective can one be. Made popular sometime in 2005 by IDEO’s Tim Brown, T-Shape Designers are defined as:

…people who are so inquisitive about the world that they’re willing to try to do what you do. We call them “T-shaped people.” They have a principal skill that describes the vertical leg of the T — they’re mechanical engineers or industrial designers. But they are so empathetic that they can branch out into other skills, such as anthropology, and do them as well. They are able to explore insights from many different perspectives and recognize patterns of behavior that point to a universal human need. ~ Fast Company

I touch on this topic again in 2007, by calling these T-Shape Designers “Renaissance Designers” in my blog series: 7 Habits of Highly Effective Designers.

However after almost 5 years contemplating the existence of such T-Shaped designers and observing the many designers I know, I have to admit that such a personality trait is a myth. Honestly, to date I have never seen or met any designer that I would truly qualify as T-shaped, including myself.

I actually spoke to Chris Bangle about this and tried to tap into his vast experience as someone who hires talent. He agrees that while it was big in 2005, on one talks about this anymore probably because it was never true.

I postulated that such a personality trait is impossible simply because humans are just not wired to multi-task well, or to wear different hats for that matter. Even if a designer has the capability, he or she will lack the time or opportunity.

Therefore the reality is, instead of being a big “T”, you will find designers that are either a little “t” or a “T” with a short vertical stick.

Little “t-shape” designers are essentially most of who we are. Despite many of us feeling that we are “Jacks of all trades and masters of none” after our 4 years of design school. We eventually settle into a specialty of design and designing.

Stunted “T-Shaped” designers are often the senior creatives, the design managers, team leaders and entrepreneurs. Many deal with all the different touch points in the design development cycle, but do not have the opportunity to dive into detail. Some, like the entrepreneurs, may be in the position to do it all, but often will have to either accept work of lesser quality or learn to delegate and outsource.

———-

So at the end of the day, being a T-Shaped is just a nice story for designers to aspire to. While the value of a T-Shaped team is undeniable, it is probably more realistic to build a multi-disciplinary team of experts to work on complex (or wicked?) problems. Now that is something that has withstood the test of time.

What do you think? I’m looking forward to hearing your comments.

Steel-Velcro

Found this very very interesting in terms of the possibilities that lie with its usage!
imagine a car with this on the back side and you can velcro 2 additional seats when they fall short!! :D
or a building that got boring in architecture.. change the structure with these velcro pillars!

as i let my mind wander enjoy the read.. :)

metallic velcro: steel hook and loop fastener


'flamingo' fastener
photo credit: TUM

hook and loop fasteners have become commonplace features of both industry and households.
however, they have one snag: they are too weak for many applications.hook and loop
fasteners made of spring steel have now been developed at the institute of metal forming
and casting of the technische universitaet muenchen (TUM).

the device consists of hook tape and loop tape 0.2 mm thick.
these fasteners are resistant to chemicals and can withstand a tensile load
of up to 35 tonnes per square meter at temperatures as high as 800°C.

photo credit: TUM

spring steel hook elements deform elastically under light pressure to glide into openings
in a perforated tape, once inserted, they return to their original form and resist back pull
like an expanding rivet. numerous steel hooks can attach at any angle to the loops in the
perforated metal loop tape.

it can be mass-produced
photo credit: TUM

'metaklett' is a hook and loop fastener system developed by researchers at TUM,
the technische universitaet muenchen, under the leadership of professor hartmut
hoffmann (and as part of a joint project launched in 2005 with the federal ministry
of education and research / BMBF) in close cooperation with partners from industry.
'metaklett is a portmanteau of 'metall' and 'klettverschluss', which is the german generic
for velcro®. like velcro fasteners, 'metaklett' devices can be easy to secure and release,
yet they can withstand very strong mechanical stresses, high temperatures and harsh
chemicals. the unbeatable advantage of this hook and loop fastener is that it is easy
to close and open again, the principle therefore is put to a very wide range of uses,
for example air-conditioning and ventilation systems in building services engineering
and automotive construction.

hook HF 1 and loop LF1 combined
photo credit: TUM

the researchers created various three-dimensional models for the optimum interlocking
of the fastener elements on the computer.they then built the most promising candidates
as prototypes and subjected them to comprehensive tests. around 40 variations of the
geometry referred to as 'flamingo' alone were tested on the computer. they studied its adhesive
strength and reaction to extreme temperatures to establish the limits of its resilience.

'entenkopf" fastener
photo credit: TUM

a hybrid version with synthetic strap
photo credit: TUM

after testing, the institute settled on two variations: the 'flamingo' and 'entenkopf"
(or duck's head) models. the hook forms of the two systems are vaguely reminiscent of
a duck's head and a flamingo standing on one leg... the entenkopf uses fine steel hooks
and loops, while the flamingo uses wider hooks that snap into openings in the tape.
depending on the direction of the applied force, this fastener can withstand a load of
7 to 35 newtons per square meter.


'entenkopf' fastener
photo credit: TUM

close-up of 'entenkopf' fastener
photo credit: TUM

a car parked in direct sunlight can reach temperatures of 80 °C, and temperatures of several
hundred degrees centigrade can arise around the exhaust manifold. aggressive disinfectants
are used for cleaning purposes in hospitals, and traditional hook, and loop fasteners are too
weak for use in the construction of building façades...temperatures in excess and aggressive
chemical solutions do not pose any problem for 'metaklett', which also offers
adhesive strength of up to 35 tonnes per square meter when tensile force is applied parallel
to the fastener surface. when it is applied perpendicular to the fastener surface, 'metaklett'
can still withstand a force of seven tonnes per square meter, and, like a standard velcro® fastener,
it can be opened and closed without the help of any tools.

up and close on velcro®

more than 60 years ago, the swiss engineer and inventor george de mestral
was trying to painstakingly remove burrs from his dog's coat after a hunting excursion,
he stumbled on an ingenious idea. based on the model he had observed in nature,
he constructed a fastener from numerous small hooks and loops, which he
subsequently named velcro®. unfortunately, standard synthetic hook and loop fasteners
are not very resistant to heat and aggressive chemicals.

Via Designboom