Philosophy + Technology + Ethics + Design

My event: “Innovating with Universal Design”

Companies want to innovate through “inclusive products and services”. The main question is “How to start” and “Where to start”.

It’s not about the market, it is about the people.

I will answer these questions in my new lecture, happening in SP, Brazil.

This very demanded lecture is available in Spanish and English.

Let me know if your University or business might be interested.

CANCELLED DUE TO CORONA VIRUS

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The Origins of Universal Design

Patricia Moore ’74 (industrial design) has long made an impact on the world through her work as an internationally renowned designer, gerontologist and author.

Her illustrious career of difference-making achievements was recognized in June by receiving a distinguished Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in the Design Mind category.

The National Design Awards — conceived by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and in its 20th year of existence — annually honors lasting success in American design. They recognize designers who exhibit excellence, innovation and enhancement of the quality of life. Moore was among the 11 category winners selected by a diverse jury group of designers and educators from around the country.

Making Design more inclusive

The Singaporean government is committed to creating a more inclusive society, yet there’s a lack of initiatives which will make this a reality for all.

My interactions with designers and the general population point me to three barriers. One, there is a lack of awareness about the need for and importance of inclusion. Two, those who are aware of its importance do not know where to begin or how to move forward. Three, naysayers are dismissive of the idea and say that it’s impossible to cater for everyone’s needs and wants.

Here, I attempt to inch us forward from these barriers, I offer three tips to help you start taking the practice of inclusive design seriously. It isn’t as difficult as many suggest, but it takes a clear understanding of what inclusive design is to see why.

Presenting the Product Design Process

Product design is not a field in which one can provide a definitive solution that’ll guarantee the success of every project. As different trends come and go, new techniques and frameworks appear as an effort to perfect processes and provide the best results. What once consisted of simply providing a solution to a single problem evolved into a myriad of solutions, channels and platforms that can achieve similar goals.

Why Agile Engineering is the Future of Product Design

Agile Engineering is a popular process in software development, but few hardware teams apply these practices to develop physical products. For many hardware teams, implementing Agile Engineering practices saves time and money and improves the end product.

Design Languages

Design languages began with the industrial revolution as a response to the emergence of machine culture and mass production as it encountered traditional artisan aesthetics. These base languages evolved into a set of aesthetics that are expressed today among various design languages.

Design Languages by Stefano Caggiano

a design language can be compared to an iceberg: there is its above-water, visible forms–its aesthetic, and a submerged, imperceptible body–that deeper cultural content upon which the aesthetic is based and only thanks to which that aesthetic can even be perceived as meaningful

The book begins with the origins of aesthetic movements in the 1850s to 1950s and moves on to the articulation of the early languages into threads which exist in contemporary culture. The final section of the book discusses contemporary design culture from the perspective of the threads of environmental sustainability and our daily immersion in digital technology.