DesignBytes

How has design, which many still associate largely with style and consumerism, come to be something one might look to for solutions to the most complex and challenging problems facing humanity today; problems requiring not just local fixes using clever design objects, but solutions that reimagine systems themselves? Are we, at this point, even still talking about the same discipline?

When you judge the value of design in today's business environment, you can't just think Silicon Valley or such. You need to understand that Africa, the continent presently with highest growth rates, also grows because of design.

FastCo.DESIGN asks, "Does Nostalgia Fuel Creativity?" New research finds reminiscing may make people more: optimistic about the future, willing to set new goals and open to new experiences.

A team of students have created a concept kitchen table for Ikea, which acts as an integrated cooking hob and dining table and can suggest recipes based on ingredients you put on it. The interactive table was developed by students at Lund University and Eindhoven University of Technology together with design consultancy IDEO.

Curious to see how the newest droid in the Star Wars universe works? See some of the best ideas about it's design here.

While they may be great for the environment, traditional wind turbines are constantly coming under fire for a number of reasons—including noise and causing the deaths of birds—so a Spanish startup has come up with a unique new design, nicknamed "Wobblers," which takes up significantly less space and makes barely at noise at all.

Nearly a decade ago, a design movement was born when a set of stools at the Milan Furniture Show were mistaken for everyday objects.

Matthew Harding recently completed his degree in ID at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. For his final project, Harding designed an Electric Bike Share System.

A British ID firm says it's pioneered a new approach to 3D printing silicone that potentially can revolutionize the medical industry and enable patients to receive breast implants that perfectly fit their bodies.

A Scottish student creates a device to help stroke patients. She knows the struggle firsthand; she came up with the idea after her father suffered a stroke.

What's it like to intern for Facebook? A former product design intern say the social media giant offers everything from dodgeball to skateboarding; happy hours to ice cream.

Can a table save money? French industrial designers think so. Pull up a chair and find out how.

Google Glass may be back. Is the team working on the futuristic, head-mounted computer now focused on developing new smart eyewear and other related products? You may be surprised where clues were found.

Design Sprints bring clarity to your roadmap to kickstart and obtain initial validation for product design work.

Competition challenged Appalachian State University students to design chairs inspired by their personal interpretation of regionalism in North Carolina.

Riding Onewheel, the new electric board from snowboarder-turned-IDEO-designer Kyle Doerksen, gets one pretty close to the feeling of flying on a board. Doerksen hired a couple of engineers and came up with a single-tire, skateboard-sized electric vehicle that turns like a snowboard and handles like, well, a hoverboard.

Flightbeat is a concept that uses heart rate sensors embedded in an aircraft seat to discretely monitor the well-being of passengers and display passenger moods at-a-glance through a connected app.

MIT's course on Toy Product Design demonstrates a wide array of imaginative devices. With classes that center on semester-long design projects, surprising, clever and unexpected ideas can always be expected.

An ever-expanding buffet of knobs, switches and buttons, were supported by the mesmerizing glow of dials and readouts that made the state of one’s listening situation known with just a glance. The combination of tactile and visual feedback was a thing of beauty then, and still is today—especially in the context of the Jony Ive era, where aesthetic restraint has become marching orders for all.

BMW's Benoit Jacob explains that after nearly a century of development cars have evolved into an almost "perfect" form, which has made it more difficult for manufacturers to push the boundaries and create distinct models. In no small part hybrid and electric technologies are changing the way cars are designed after decades of stagnation.

In education, games, tech, fashion, food, footwear, furniture—design makes dollars and sense. See who shines in 2015 when it comes to the business of creativity.

Dezeen.com picks 10 designers not to miss at New York City's Sight Unseen Offsite exhibition, which opens May 15, coinciding with NYC Design Week.

"While women were largely unwelcome in architecture and industrial design, male architects and manufacturers found they couldn't live without them," Alexandra Lange opines in Dezeen.

A look at how best to prepare yourself and your work for presentation.