A Continental Visionary Design Indaba Emerging          

Creative Nkululeko Mthembu is fascinated by the intersection of science and design.  Through his Durban-based consultancy, PISTA Ventures, he takes a human-centered approach to design in which he spends considerable time researching a community’s needs, as well as tapping its knowledge, before marrying it with the appropriate technology to solve a particular problem. “There were parts of ICT that I found too rigid, so I explored and tinkered, and after taking a trip to Kenya and meeting Mark Kamau, a UX Designer, I came across an all-encompassing discipline that embraces the humanities, sciences, technology, and engineering. I now understand this to be human-centred design using design thinking. The ability to interpret and enhance the natural performance of people and the planet through design excites me. The impact of design drives me. My interest and fascination with design was probably sparked while reading about the Great Renaissance and Bauhaus. Both design eras came after a strong period of conflict, and it is the restorative quality of design that impresses me about design.”

SOURCE: DESIGN INDABA