Design for Humans February 25, 2010

Join the Cooper-Hewitt for a conversation on user-centered design with National Design Award Winners and Finalists who have been recognized for their contribution to the field of Product Design. Moderated by Jesse Ashlock, former Editor-in-Chief of I.D. Magazine.

A pioneer of ergonomic design, Niels Diffrient is driven by the need to improve the way existing products work. For Diffrient, “the key to human factors, is getting enough data so you really understand what’s happening with the body, mind, social context. You let the user drive design.”

Co-founded by Sigi Moeslinger and Masamichi Udagawa in 1997, Antenna Design combines technological complexity with a sense of humanity. For Antenna Design, “people-centered” design means recognizing people as complex beings with the potential to learn and grow and to be responsible, creative and reflective.

Much of Smart Design’s work, ranging from kitchen items to medical products, has become part of people’s everyday lives. A Smart Design founder, Dan Formosa, explains that their goal has always been simple: social responsibility through design. If a product is designed for the extremes on the user spectrum, the needs of everyone are included. $15 / $10 students, seniors and CHNDM members

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