I was first introduced to IDEO several years ago at a
Greenbuild conference and was instantly enamored. As a designer that didn’t
necessarily want to do ‘typical design’ work at an international design firm,
the concept of human centered design seemed so simple but fit so well into my
professional objectives. I realized then that this was the piece that I had
been trying to articulate in my work (something unfortunately not a given when supposedly 'designing for the people') – I have since done this by scaling back
and transitioned into community development and planning- where I have a better chance to observe, know and understand the people for whom I design. I also appreciate this article's
understanding that designers aren’t just there to ‘package’ solutions, but that
they can inform the solution in creative ways and they make their living
pulling influence from watching people and daily life.It is this sentiment that has allowed me to broaden my scope and pursue a variety of projects - and why I am a landscape architect studying policy.
I found this article from the Harvard Business Review soon
after listening to that Greenbuild lecture and was eager to know more about
this field - it includes a small profile on Tim Brown from IDEO. My favorite analogy found in this article is how Edison’s approach
to the light bulb was founded by a thorough understanding through direct
observation of what people want and need in their lives. People think of the
light bulb as a scientific breakthrough, and while it is, it is also a great
example of providing people with something they didn’t even know they needed.
Now, it is so integrated into our lives that it seems commonplace- I think this
is a sign of a good innovation which is true for many design breakthroughs.
I love the graphic on page 5 and I have often used the helpful hints on how to incorporate design thinking into my process on page 8. Hope you enjoy this also:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.