Toward a Convivial Design

Abstract

This article is inspired by the work of Ivan Illich, especially Tools for Conviviality, which critiques industrialization and elaborates Illich's proposal for conviviality and is a major influence on post-development theory. In the early 1970s, Illich anticipated issues that design begins to explore only at the end of the twentieth century. This article discusses what he anticipated and develops this into practical suggestions for the evolution of design. Above all, the article provides suggestions for two intertwined design fields: design for sustainability and codesign. An analysis of Illich's work allows for the identification of three methodological movements acting toward a convivial design: (1) conduct a critique of the status quo, (2) imagine alternative proposals, and (3) carefully qualify the ethos of alternatives.