Lab+7

** Lab 7 **

** Design as a collaborative process **

Bill Moggridge defines design as a collaborative process with three principles. The first is a change in practices and design. It isn’t just about the dimensions of the human body or how it works, we now also have to consider how people think and the connectivity to other people and things. The answer to fix this is to work as a team with people that have different backgrounds. The second is to work with people you are designing for because they will be the ones using the product. The last principle is the change in context; it isn’t just about personal, but how it affects us socially and globally.

** 2 of Bill’s Examples ** One example Bill uses to explain the efficiency of working together is an instrument created for ear, nose and throat surgery. The collaboration with surgeons made the surgeons feel part of team and encouraged them to create a design that worked for them, since they would be the ones using it. This exemplifies how working with those that you are designing for can lead to a well designed and useful product.

Another of Bill’s examples was the Red Cross posting pictures of past donors and their reason for wanting to donate. The Red Cross is working with its donors to make donating more comfortable with a human feel. It rewards those that have donated while encouraging others to donate. This exemplifies how working on a personal level, can encourage social change.

** Another Online example **

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DaimlerChrysler is working with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and a Brazil-based Program Poverty and Environment in Amazonia (POEMA) to create a biodegradable car. They use the brown fibres from the outside of coconuts, mix them with natural rubber and use them to form parts of the car like head rests, seats, visors and bumpers.

The goal is to reforest empty areas with mixed forests. The jobs generated by this production have detoured deforestation, cutting down on the number of trees that are being cut down. The jobs also increase the income of families in the area.

The collaboration between all parties gets individuals from different backgrounds which help with understanding issues like poverty of the area, environmental issues and the engineering of a car. They are providing jobs to locals as an alternative to forestry so that they can revive forests as a community which is not just a personal gain for those individuals but provides positive change in society and global sustainability.