After watching Thirty Conversations on Design there was only one logical thing to do – answer the questions that were posed to these designers. The following are my answers.
Single most inspiring design.
Maybe I’ve just drank a little too much of a Apple flavored Kool Aid but I honestly believe the iPhone is the single most inspiring design. I love complexity that is fit into such a simple design. I love how every single edge and color and pixel was though about in great detail in order to ensure the most high quality product that fit into our lives seamlessly. After reading Steve Jobs biography, I was able to look at the iPhone in a completely new light. I never before paid any attention to the rounded edges of each box, and the faint glow on each icon. I never realized my thumb could comfortably reach each corner of the screen and took for granted how effortlessly I was able to hold and use my phone with one hand.
What problem should design solve next.
I should have answered this question before watching the videos because now all I can think of are the answers that these designers gave. So instead I present to you the two best answers from Thirty Conversations on Design x2. (Okay. I didn’t actually watch all 60 so I may have to expand this list at a later time but these are the best ones I found out of the 39)
1 – Airport security. It sucks, as Kit Hinrichs pointed out. Take a step back and really think about it. Airport security is archaic. With today’s technology you think we would have an found a more efficient way to check to see that everyone getting on a plane is legit than stripping off half our clothes, all of our jewelry, emptying our pockets, stuffing our toiletries into plastic bags and putting our laptops in separate bins.
2 – Design. We need to redesign design. In the past things have been designed based on what people want instead of what they need. These products were marketed to the public in order to make then them think that they actually need it. We need to start designing for what people actually need instead of fabricating need.
And though she didn’t really answer the question, I would like you leave you with a brilliant piece of advice from the ever-inspiring Paula Scher – Design doesn’t solve problems. Design just changes the way we do things – hopefully for the better.