Superusers: Design Technology Specialists and the Future of Practice

Design technology is changing both architectural practice and the role of the architect and related design professionals. With new technologies and work processes appearing every week, how can practitioners be expected to stay on top and thrive? In a word, Superusers.

Superusers: Design Technology Specialists and the Future of Practice will help you identify who they are, the value they provide, and how you can attract and retain them, and become one; what career opportunities they have, what obstacles they face, and how to lead them. Written by Randy Deutsch, a well-known expert in the field, this is the first-ever guide to help current and future design professionals to succeed in the accelerating new world of work and technology.

Providing proven, practical advice, the book features:

• Unique, actionable insights from design technology leaders in practice worldwide
• The impacts of emerging technology trends such as generative design, automation, AI, and machine learning on practice
• Profiles of those who provide 20% of the effort but achieve 80% of the results, and how they do it
• What will help firms get from where they are today to where they need to be, to survive and thrive in the new world of design and construction.

Revealing the dramatic impact of technology on current and future practice, Superusers shows what it means to be an architect in the 21st century. Essential reading for students and professionals, the book helps you plan for and navigate a fast-moving, uncertain future with confidence.

Randy Deutsch AIA, LEED AP is the Associate Director for Graduate Studies and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA, teaching and conducting research in design, professional practice, building technology, and digital technology. Randy is an international keynote speaker, workshop leader, and design technology authority. An architect responsible for the design of over 100 large, complex sustainable projects, Randy has been an Exec Ed program leader at Harvard GSD. He has written for DesignIntelligence, has been featured in ARCHITECT magazine and Architectural Record, and is the author of three books: Convergence: The Redesign of Design (2017) on the nature of the ongoing convergence of technology and work processes in the profession and industry; Data Driven Design and Construction: Strategies for Capturing, Analyzing and Applying Building Data (2015, translated into Chinese in 2019) on the innovative individuals and firms who are leveraging data to advance their practices; and BIM and Integrated Design: Strategies for Architectural Practice (2011, translated into Chinese in 2018) tracking the social and organizational impacts of the new technologies and collaborative work processes, among other publications. More at www.randydeutsch.com.