The advantages and disadvantages of multidisciplinary collaboration in design education

Multidisciplinary collaboration for innovation has become an important issue in design practice and education. This paper examines three design projects of multidisciplinary collaboration between design schools and industry. We interviewed the participants to explore the advantages and disadvantages of multidisciplinary collaboration in design education. The results show multidisciplinary collaboration leads to better skills in communication, collaboration, and professional abilities, a better understanding of the collaborative process and how different professions complement each other, and has a positive effect on future career development and sense of achievement. The disadvantages include issues caused by time pressures and different backgrounds. The results contribute to the implementation of design thinking in design education.