I wonder what OP thinks about things like the NeoNurture?
I find the site quite disingenuous - it really feels like a First World Problem kinda thing. Yes, the prosthetic arm is lame and a poor design, but compared to having no arm, it's much much better.
OP argues that design should be for everyone, and lays out 4 foundations of good design. He/She missed out the most important one: economics
Take for example the NeoNurture. Prior to the invention of the NeoNurture, expensive, well-designed baby incubators would be given as aid to the poor countries, and after a while they stopped using them because the incubators broke down and no one had the knowledge to fix it. You could argue that the modern design of modern baby incubators are poor designs for the poorer countries.
So the guys created NeoNurture, a baby incubator made of motorcycle parts. The design is GREAT for the poor countries, but arguably not great for say, US or Australia. This invalidates the universality argument.
This would also be true for the example given of what NOT to do: "the free wheelchair". Using readily available components allows these products to go on being used well beyond their initial design life. What could be more appropriate or desirable than a working repairable wheelchair?
I can't remember clearly, but when I first started working at Dyson I think we got a talk from the chap that worked on this project.
I find the site quite disingenuous - it really feels like a First World Problem kinda thing. Yes, the prosthetic arm is lame and a poor design, but compared to having no arm, it's much much better.
OP argues that design should be for everyone, and lays out 4 foundations of good design. He/She missed out the most important one: economics
Take for example the NeoNurture. Prior to the invention of the NeoNurture, expensive, well-designed baby incubators would be given as aid to the poor countries, and after a while they stopped using them because the incubators broke down and no one had the knowledge to fix it. You could argue that the modern design of modern baby incubators are poor designs for the poorer countries.
So the guys created NeoNurture, a baby incubator made of motorcycle parts. The design is GREAT for the poor countries, but arguably not great for say, US or Australia. This invalidates the universality argument.
The whole website just rubs me wrong.