Review for 'David Kelly: Human cerntred design'

It is a great fun to see the video in which designer talking about why they design in this way other than that way.

For I think design is to make the life better, I am interested by the concept of human-centred design. And what Kelly showed here is not only some concept statement but a bunch of real products. Though the video was filmed several years ago, it still looks a bit of futuristic, and that’s why they make me curious. On the other hand, some technique that mentioned in the sample have already used in the real life, such as the liquid crystal wall which can obstruct the like if necessary. And these give us a massage that the design is changing the life, positively.

The design shown in the video is somehow a kind of novelty thing but beyond the novel.

In my opinion, the design is more concerned about the motion of the human than the function. For example, the Prada store system makes both customer and seller easier to attach to the fashion good and save the time. The humanness details in this design make the users feel comfortable being in the store. These tiny details make are improving the motion of the customer, but not a specific function which make the store easier to use.

Another sample about motion and human-centred is the test of making the cubicle better. The topic is not about making the cubicle more ergonomic on physical way, but in psychological.

Apart from these, another product is more functional. The pump under the ApproTec project is such a exciting design which satisfied the believe of making the life better. For the residents who live with rich resource of water, it is hard to imagine the life in the environment which is desperate of water, let alone come up a idea to design such a low cost pump to help people. The design does not need high technology, but is so practical, which amazed me a lot. The living example shows how the human-centred design can change people’s life so much.

The third point I got from the talk is that, David Kelley is also thinking about pushing the design deeper into company, to make the design a indispensable power in production. Only when the company know the importance of design very well, can the designer’s product be used by someone who need the product. It is not about how to earn more money, but to be more concerned about human life.