Design Studies - What Is it Good For?

This article treats the rise, and perhaps fall, of Design Thinking as a prompt to ask: "What is Design Studies?" or rather, "What could Design Studies be?" Using the heuristic of a SWOT analysis, it is argued that recent shifts in cultural theory toward material practices afford Design Studies opportunities to expand beyond a mere liberal arts supplement to the education of designers. However, Design Studies is facing challenges from shifts in both the discipline and business of digital interaction design. It is consequently concluded that Design Studies needs to move beyond its current pluralism.