A Design Thinking-Based Study of the Prospect of the Sustainable Development of Traditional Handicrafts

Abstract

Traditional handicrafts have a time-honored history and tremendous cultural value in China. However, even with the strong impact of globalization and consumerism in recent years, design-oriented scientific thinking and sustainable development models are not yet available. Based on Stanford Design Thinking, this study explores the prospect of the sustainable development of traditional handicrafts. First, a literature review and analysis were conducted to show that design science, as a bridge between natural science and humanities, aims to improve the important methods and research tools for the sustainable development of traditional handicrafts. Then, we studied ceramic product design via workshops. Methods such as action research, expert questionnaires, and factor analysis were adopted to establish 24 “indicators of the sustainable value of handicraft design” and four value dimensions, namely, “material and innovative value”, “handicraft and cultural value”, “empirical and local value”, and “sharing and interactive value”. Next, an experimental method was employed to make design product prototypes according to the design-thinking procedure. These prototypes were measured and evaluated with the indicators to form an evaluation report. In addition, the exploration of the sustainable development of traditional handicraft design also contributes to the establishment of a sustainable development model of design thinking. It was demonstrated that scientific design is the current trend and future of the sustainable development of traditional handicrafts. Finally, this study put forward five dynamic thinking methods and design strategies, providing the most direct methods and theoretical evidence for the sustainable development of traditional handicraft design. Finally, taking design thinking as the sustainable design framework, five dynamic thinking approaches were proposed: Thinking with the body, thinking with the mind, thinking with the heart, thinking with the hands, and thinking with the soul. Five design strategies were also proposed: Enquiry learning, values education, future problem solving, experiential design, and appropriate assessment. These approaches and strategies provide the most direct method and theoretical basis for the future of sustainable design regarding traditional Chinese handicraft products.