Design Is The Problem

Nathan Shedroff’s book is out, and his message will not fall on deaf ears. One of the key points he makes is that for the past decade or two, design has been “about appearance, or margins, or offerings and market segments, and not about real people–their needs, abilities, desires, emotions, and so on.” Notice something that Rosenfeld Media’s books have in common?

The fact that we are all emphasizing the importance of caring about people–respecting their own thought processes–won’t go unnoticed. It may take a bit of persuasion at the upper echelons of many organizations, but we are good messengers, all of us. Eventually organizations will stop “creating consumers” and start supporting what people need and love to get done. Mental models are one tool to help organizations do that.

If we base what we produce and what we serve people on their inherent humanity, it will lead to a better world. The direction Nathan would have us go is toward “design that is about systems solutions, intent, appropriate and knowledgeable integration of people, planet, and profit … design that can lead to healthy, sustainable solutions.” An excellent point!