Monday 1 August 2011

Review: "David Kelley: Human centred design"

The video gives you an insight on how design is becoming a part of our lives by including personalities and behaviours to be more human-centred. It demonstrates how designers address the needs of humans in most designs and the processes they go through to figure out the problem. For example, ApproTEC project in Kenya illustrates how we as designers can make the world function through an economical advantage in helping others.

Moreover, David Kelley showed the Prada store of New York City which was greatly renovated to improve the service and therefore customers’ satisfaction. For example, one of the new systems they came out was the scanning the products that a customer is interested on. By simply scanning the product, it will appear on any touch screen in the store and the customer can choose the size and color. Then it can be taken to the dressing room which also has a scanner so the retailer knows exactly what clothing is been taken.

The renovation improved every single service that customer can benefit from. For instance, the use of liquid crystal on the walls of the dressing room is the application of the renovated technology. While the customer is changing, the wall will go black and blocked, However, once the customer is done with dressing they simply step on the button and the wall will go transparent again for their company. There is also a magic mirror inside the dressing room which has the ability to hold the image to show the look to the customer. From this, customers can check how it looks like on different angle.

Another dominant idea was to create a digital installation of a wall in London science museum. It conveys some of the feedbacks from people who had visited to the museum  displayed on the wall so everyone could examine. Like London station line, they have produced a tube line as if the trains are the way that people think and when the little tubes arrive at the station it expands what it is saying so people can read. On the IMAX Theater there are big open spaces that tables displayed and have interactive games. The topics included male fertility, choosing the sex of your baby and what will it be on driver less car.

Excerpts from “The Big Idea” by CBS Sunday Morning, Scott Adams asked for the creation of Gilbert’s ultimate cubicle. Basically, the team tried to change the atmosphere of cubicle by changing the interior. One of the groups built the walls as screens for the computer and for photos. The second built the walls as alive and they actually give the Gilbert a group hug, and behind this humorous idea they were giving the cubical more human. The final cubical chosen is opened and connected to the environment so it is mentally healthy, and the flower as a decoration stands up when human is inside the cubical to make human feel like to be responded. There were also some touches such as putting a fish tank on the wall and a punch bag with the boss’s face on it.


Also, they designed the “recycling of the water” had the main concept of showing the process of recycling water. It is another great example of human centered design as the recycling water is an obvious allusion to ecological sustainability which means the sustainability of mankind. Also, the spyfish was futuristic and the whole new idea for the people who are interested on under the sea but could not examine because of their lack of abilities. It is designed from  H2Eye that targeted the people who enjoys being on the sea but does not scuba dive. Through this machine, people can explore under the water without getting wet.

I have discovered it is important for industrial designers to watch the video as it allows them to see what capabilities we have and how we as designers are affecting the world in a positive way. We are able to see other people’s designs and see their reasons and philosophies in doing so. 

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