Design is the art of giving shape to anything man-made; objects, experiences and ideas. Design is not just an opportunity to create visual differentiation or added value, but instead a tool to foster innovation, solve problems and improve life.

As technology evolves so should the field of design. Emerging technologies can be utilized to create new expressions and solve problems not previously thought possible. As more aspects of our daily lives will be digitized the demand for good design will increase to define the interface between humans and computers.

To increase the impact of design, we need to create a common understanding of the value designers bring to business and society while not forgetting that no matter how the field of design evolves it will always be a craft and should remain that way.

Philip Battin is Design Manager at Google where he heads up a strategic design team focused on conceptualizing and designing hardware products. He holds an MSc in Strategic Product Design from Delft University of Technology, a BA in Design from the Royal Danish Academy and chairs the jury of INDEX: Award.