Prof. Carlos Hinrichsen
Professor Carlos Hinrichsen graduated as an industrial designer in Chile in 1982 and earned a master’s degree in engineering in Japan in 1991. Throughout his career, he has focused on product development and analysis, working on projects for clients such as Fiat in Turin and Energías Renovables in the Canary Islands, where he collaborated with Carmelo Di Bartolo, former CEO of BTS Design Innovation and current founder and CEO of Di Bartolo Design-Research.
As dean, he led the Faculty of Business, Engineering and Digital Arts at Gabriela Mistral University in Santiago from 2014 to 2016. From 2016 to 2017, he served as Senior Managing Coordinator in the Faculty of Engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. He is currently the Director of the School of Digital Design and Creative Industries at San Sebastián University in Santiago. This university aims to support Chile’s transition from an efficiency-based to an innovation-based economy through initiatives that combine applied research, innovation, business, design, digital transformation, technology, and engineering.
In addition to his university roles, he served as President of the World Design Organization (WDO, formerly Icsid) from 2007 to 2009, and he is now a senator in the organization. In 2010, he was honoured with the title of “Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland.”
Red Dot in an interview with Prof. Carlos Hinrichsen
Red Dot: Why is it important for engineers and designers to work closely together?
Prof. Carlos Hinrichsen: We live in a world which is as much beaten by digital transformation as it is illuminated by it. People, companies, societies, industries and countries make use of the latest Big Data technologies to improve performance, increase their reach and achieve better results to the benefit of citizens and economies. Due to the high level of complexity of digital technologies, the simplicity of use demanded from these solutions as well as the expectation of a broad scope of domestic and professional applications, the collaboration of both worlds is crucial.
What are the challenges for product designers in today’s world?
The novelty of the Fourth Industrial Revolution lies in the fact that technologies are enabling an unprecedented collaboration between humans and machines, between humans and intelligent systems. This collaboration extends and strengthens our human capabilities – in this process, design plays a key role.