Design is, above all, a transformative thought. The basis of design as strategic thinking is in the understanding that a strategy is a process of transformation based on continuous decision making validated in its execution.
Design, as discussed here, is a way of provoking people to create hypotheses and make strategic choices.
innovation and crafts
For much of human history, the entire production of consumer goods was linked to the craftsman. He was responsible for creating and producing products for the most diverse purposes.
But in addition to creating and producing, the craftsman was, almost always, a user of what he produced. This user experience is the basis for the evolution of consumer goods. The craftsman, when using what he creates and produces***, feels the pain of the user*** and adjusts the products as he experiences its difficulties and potentials.
It is also, in the vast majority of cases, the craftsman themself who negotiates what is produced. At that moment, not only do they deal with prices and delivery times, but especially, listen to consumers, evaluate their criticisms and suggestions for improvement.
The craftsman is, therefore, directly responsible for the entire life cycle and [of course] the innovation of consumer goods. Here, design as thought, innovative, transformative, is embryonic, an intuitive reflection of the craftsman's activity in its completeness.
innovation and manufacturing
The increase in demand for manufactured consumer goods brings a set of relevant variables to the context of design as thought, among which we highlight the need to fragment the craftsman into groups of specialists.
This fragmentation of the craftsman, in at least four groups of people, separates those who create from those who use, those who produce and those who negotiate, bringing both positive and negative factors to the life cycle of the products.
Looking at the positive aspects, it's important to highlight the maturity of each of these segments, especially the evolution of methods and tools to create, negotiate, produce and analyze user experiences.