Video Reflections 4 - Paul Bennett: Design Is In The Details

Paul Bennett explains the realisation that to design something, all you have to do is look around. Something so simple can turn into something so grand.

Viewing the environment around you can define how a product is developed and eventually produced. Some of the famous things in the world that came about were from observing the area around them. Sesame Street came about from a mother seeing her daughter in front of the telly watching the test card waiting for the programs to start. Velcro was developed because a man walking his dog got his socks covered in burs. The reflectors 'cats eyes' on the road came about because the inventor saw the reflection of a cats eye while driving.

For a Minnesota hospital design, staff were asked their opinions on what their patient experiences were and what they thought could be done in the hospital to make it more personal and accommodating.

By giving the staff the chance to give input into the design, a more personal approach was used and helped give the hospital the much more accommodating feel that was needed.

Another example of this is the device for the hospital. The client originally wanted a device which would have a two hand touch input method. After watching the medical procedure taking place they found that the one thing the nurses did was hold the hand of the patient. After seeing this they decided that the device would have to have one handed input instead.
This is a prime example of a product being designed by viewing and taking in the environment.

The water pump in Kenya was created by researching the material limitations, production and needs of the indigenous population. This enabled the pump to be produced locally and easily.

All of these things show that all we have to do to develop an idea is to look around us and take in the environment and go from there.