The Future of Design is Human-Centered

David Kelley

This rather modern concept of human centered products, systems and environments around the individual is an innovative initiative. David Kelley’s talk on this and the examples he provided with gave me insight into how new products and environments are becoming human centered designs, and also how diverse this approach has become. I feel as though this revolutionary notion can open many doors for industrial designers and is undoubtedly a more forward approach to design.

One of the first examples David Kelley discusses is the new and improved store for Prada. I quickly learnt how an everyday routine of retail shopping can become an entire experience based around the consumer; this is the most basic example of human centred design. The entire Prada store was designed so that the consumer was at the centre, and that the client could fully immerse themselves into the shopping experience. Some of the examples used were the mirrors in the change rooms, which allowed the user to get a view of themselves from the sides and behind. Another example was the revolutionary change room system, where the user controlled their privacy. I discovered that the Prada store is a prime example of how products and environments are now being designed around the individual. Industrial designers should turn to this new strategy of basing the design around the human, rather than creating a standardised product, I strongly agree that this will be a new way to design for the future.

David Kelley discussed a number of designs during his talk that are showing the human centred approach, one of them being the ‘Spy Fish’. This innovative product can almost be seen as a research tool; however Kelley affirmed that the design was purely a consumer product. The Spy Fish gives the user a complete scuba diving experience as it becomes your ‘eyes and ears’. This particular product made me understand how diverse and how dynamic human centred design is. It gives the consumer a complete experience, and displays video and information straight to the user above the water, while having an easy to use remote control so the consumer decides how the design will work for him or her. I believe that the innovative products present in Kelley’s talk are vital for industrial designers; the diversity of human centred designs is present with the Spy Fish. Designers can turn to this concept and apply the principles to new products and consumer environments so that the individual is the primary focus.

There has been a recent trend with the designs of new products. Human centred designs are becoming the new way forward for many companies. David Kelley’s talk on this concept was a fascinating example of how he is integrating human centrality to designs. I consider this idea to be a new way forward as materialism is becoming more apparent and this is a fresh approach to immerse the consumer in an experience focused solely on them.

Sunprit Singh