Horst Rittel argues that the problems design handles are wicked (as well as incorrigible and ill-behaved) and new methodologies are required to tame them (Rittel and Webber 1973). He lists some of the key characteristics of these problems: they are very difficult to formulate, they do not have right or wrong solutions, they do not have a logical end, and they are often symptoms of other problems. In such situations, the only way to devise comprehensive solutions to deal with them is through an intense and integrated collaboration among disciplines. Interdisciplinarity is one of the most promising strategies for dealing with and taming the wicked, ill-behaved and incorrigible problems of design.
And while interdisciplinary collaboration offers the benefits of the possibility of more comprehensive solutions, shared resources and costs, better problem prediction, and so on, it also poses challenges. Dealing with diverse disciplinary philosophies and vocabularies, managing heterogeneous teams, managing project complexity, acquiring resources and other issues present considerable hurdles.
In this presentation, the authors offer an analysis of interdisciplinary collaboration, explain its role in university pedagogy, and describe some of the benefits it offers as well as the challenges it poses. They discuss a number of undergraduate and graduate interdisciplinary curricular experiences that range from 10 days to two semesters, involving students and faculty from Fine Arts, Architecture, Biology, Business, Engineering, Industrial Design, and Visual Communication Design. These case studies serve as examples of interdisciplinarity that can help shape the future of education
