The necessity and importance of considering cultural background of international students in design education

The necessity of considering the cultural values of different users in diverse international markets has been a challenge for global companies for many years. The consideration of these differences may produce a globally acceptable product, or alternatively may produce variations aimed at differing cultural markets. Refrigerators designed for the American market for example must include ice dispensers, whilst these can simply be a differentiating design feature in other markets. Cultural considerations are not however tied just to the issues of features, marketing, management and communication. They are additionally and intrinsically tied to the cultural background of the designer. Increasing the profile of culture-orientated education in design could raise the motivation and insight of design students and later design practitioners. This is particularly applicable to international students in higher education. These students have different cultural backgrounds and show different responses to design projects. The fundamental issue is not about the final output (which would always be divergent), but about the influence of culture on their learning process and the way they are evaluated.This study is about the latent aspect of culture within the design students, its importance, necessity and influence on learning and practising design.