DESIGNING *for humans

Universal Methods of Design

It's not secret that I'm a huge fan of William Lidwell's Universal Principles of Design (which I reviewed in 2006) and the subsequent Deconstructing Product Design (which I contributed to and reviewed in 2009).  So I was eager to contribute to Bella Martin's and Bruce Hannington's research focused book, also published by Rockport.

The full title of the just-published book is Universal Methods of Design: 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions, but we can just call it UMD for short.

As with Lidwell's books, UMD is a highly-organized and visual.  The book covers a variety of methods including card sorting, eye tracking, design ehtnography and Kano analysis.  Less of a text book than a guide, it would be useful as an introduction for those learning about reaserch methods for the first time, and for professionals as a tool with useful examples and references.

I contributed to the Ergonomic Analysis section, much of which draws on methodologies I have presented on this blog.  The section also shows images from the crimping tool analysis that we conducted at Bresslergroup.

Universal Methods of Design is available from Amazon.com

 

Designing Safe Products - Learning from Healthcare & Evidence-Based Design

 In October 2011 I participated in a workshop and speaker panel coordinated by the Center for Health Design.  The Design for Patient Safety Seminar included experts from healthcare, architecture and humman factors; and I served as the sole representative from product design.  

The speaker videos from the event are available online and include my presentation on the similarities and differences in how safety is considered in the design of products versus healthcare environments.  It may surprise you to learn which area is more safety-focused.

My presentation starts around the 15:00 minute mark in the presentation.