Design for people, not awards
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0:00 - 0:03I've got a great idea
that's going to change the world. -
0:03 - 0:05It's fantastic, it's going
to blow your mind. -
0:05 - 0:07It's my beautiful baby.
-
0:07 - 0:09Here's the thing:
everybody loves a beautiful baby. -
0:09 - 0:11I mean, I was a beautiful baby.
-
0:11 - 0:14Here's me and my dad
a couple days after I was born. -
0:14 - 0:15So in the world of product design,
-
0:15 - 0:18the beautiful baby's like the concept car.
-
0:18 - 0:19It's the knockout.
-
0:20 - 0:23You see it and you go, "Oh, my God.
I'd buy that in a second!" -
0:23 - 0:25So why is it that this year's new cars
-
0:25 - 0:28look pretty much exactly
like last year's new cars? -
0:28 - 0:30(Laughter)
-
0:30 - 0:33What went wrong between
the design studio and the factory? -
0:33 - 0:35Today, I don't want to talk
about beautiful babies, -
0:35 - 0:38I want to talk about the awkward
adolescence of design -- -
0:38 - 0:43those sort of dorky teenage years
-
0:43 - 0:46where you're trying to figure out
how the world works. -
0:46 - 0:48I'm going to start with an example
-
0:48 - 0:50from some work that we did
on newborn health. -
0:50 - 0:52So here's a problem:
-
0:52 - 0:56four million babies around the world,
mostly in developing countries, -
0:56 - 0:58die every year
before their first birthday, -
0:58 - 1:00even before their first month of life.
-
1:00 - 1:02It turns out half of those kids,
-
1:02 - 1:04or about 1.8 million newborns
around the world, -
1:04 - 1:07would make it if you could
just keep them warm -
1:07 - 1:10for the first three days,
maybe the first week. -
1:10 - 1:14So this is a newborn intensive care unit
in Kathmandu, Nepal. -
1:14 - 1:16All of these kids in blankets
belong in incubators -- -
1:16 - 1:18something like this.
-
1:18 - 1:21This is a donated Japanese Atom incubator
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1:21 - 1:24that we found in a NICU in Kathmandu.
-
1:24 - 1:25This is what we want.
-
1:25 - 1:29Probably what happened is a hospital
in Japan upgraded their equipment -
1:29 - 1:32and donated their old stuff to Nepal.
-
1:32 - 1:35The problem is, without technicians,
without spare parts, -
1:35 - 1:39donations like this
very quickly turn into junk. -
1:39 - 1:42So this seemed like a problem
that we could do something about. -
1:43 - 1:47Keeping a baby warm for a week --
that's not rocket science. -
1:47 - 1:48So we got started.
-
1:48 - 1:52We partnered with a leading medical
research institution here in Boston. -
1:52 - 1:55We conducted months
of user research overseas, -
1:55 - 1:58trying to think like designers,
human-centered design -- -
1:58 - 2:00"Let's figure out what people want."
-
2:01 - 2:03We killed thousands of Post-it notes.
-
2:03 - 2:06We made dozens of prototypes
to get to this. -
2:06 - 2:09So this is the NeoNurture
infant incubator, -
2:09 - 2:13and this has a lot of smarts
built into it, and we felt great. -
2:13 - 2:15So the idea here is,
unlike the concept car, -
2:15 - 2:17we want to marry something beautiful
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2:17 - 2:20with something that actually works.
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2:20 - 2:22And our idea is that this design
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2:22 - 2:25would inspire manufacturers
and other people of influence -
2:25 - 2:28to take this model and run with it.
-
2:29 - 2:31Here's the bad news:
-
2:31 - 2:35the only baby ever actually put
inside the NeoNurture incubator -
2:35 - 2:38was this kid during a Time
magazine photo shoot. -
2:39 - 2:41So recognition is fantastic.
-
2:41 - 2:44We want design to get out
for people to see it. -
2:44 - 2:46It won lots of awards.
-
2:46 - 2:48But it felt like a booby prize.
-
2:49 - 2:51We wanted to make beautiful things
-
2:51 - 2:54that are going to make
the world a better place, -
2:54 - 2:57and I don't think this kid was even
in it long enough to get warm. -
2:57 - 3:03So it turns out that design
for inspiration doesn't really ... -
3:03 - 3:07I guess what I would say is,
for us, for what I want to do, -
3:07 - 3:10it's either too slow or it just
doesn't work, it's ineffective. -
3:10 - 3:13So, really, I want to design for outcomes.
-
3:13 - 3:17I don't want to make beautiful stuff;
I want to make the world a better place. -
3:17 - 3:19So when we were designing NeoNurture,
-
3:19 - 3:22we paid a lot of attention to the people
who are going to use this thing, -
3:22 - 3:25for example, poor families, rural doctors,
-
3:25 - 3:28overloaded nurses,
even repair technicians. -
3:28 - 3:31We thought we had all our bases
covered, we'd done everything right. -
3:31 - 3:34Well, it turns out there's this
whole constellation of people -
3:34 - 3:37who have to be involved
in a product for it to be successful: -
3:37 - 3:40manufacturing, financing,
distribution, regulation. -
3:40 - 3:42Michael Free at PATH
says you have to figure out -
3:42 - 3:45who will "choose, use and pay the dues"
-
3:45 - 3:46for a product like this.
-
3:46 - 3:48And I have to ask the question
that VCs always ask: -
3:48 - 3:51"Sir, what is your business,
and who is your customer?" -
3:51 - 3:53Who is our customer?
-
3:53 - 3:54Well, here's an example.
-
3:54 - 3:58This is a Bangladeshi hospital director
outside his facility. -
3:58 - 4:00It turns out he doesn't buy
any of his equipment. -
4:00 - 4:03Those decisions are made
by the Ministry of Health -
4:03 - 4:05or by foreign donors,
-
4:05 - 4:06and it just kind of shows up.
-
4:06 - 4:10Similarly, here's a multinational
medical-device manufacturer. -
4:10 - 4:13It turns out they've got to fish
where the fish are. -
4:13 - 4:16So it turns out that in emerging
markets -- where the fish are -- -
4:16 - 4:19are the emerging middle class
of these countries -- -
4:19 - 4:23diseases of affluence:
heart disease, infertility. -
4:23 - 4:27So it turns out that design
for outcomes in one aspect -
4:27 - 4:31really means thinking about design
for manufacture and distribution. -
4:31 - 4:33OK, that was an important lesson.
-
4:33 - 4:37Second, we took that lesson and tried
to push it into our next project. -
4:37 - 4:40So we started by finding a manufacturer,
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4:40 - 4:42an organization called MTTS in Vietnam,
-
4:42 - 4:45that manufactures newborn-care
technologies for Southeast Asia. -
4:45 - 4:47Our other partner is East Meets West,
-
4:47 - 4:50an American foundation
that distributes that technology -
4:50 - 4:53to poor hospitals around that region.
-
4:53 - 4:55So we started with them, saying,
"Well, what do you want? -
4:55 - 4:57What's a problem you want to solve?"
-
4:57 - 5:00And they said, "Let's work
on newborn jaundice." -
5:00 - 5:04So this is another one of these
mind-boggling global problems. -
5:04 - 5:08Jaundice affects two-thirds
of newborns around the world. -
5:08 - 5:12Of those newborns, one in 10 roughly,
-
5:12 - 5:15if it's not treated,
the jaundice gets so severe -
5:15 - 5:17that it leads to either
a life-long disability, -
5:17 - 5:20or the kids could even die.
-
5:20 - 5:22There's one way to treat jaundice,
-
5:22 - 5:25and that's what's called
an exchange transfusion. -
5:25 - 5:28So as you can imagine, that's expensive
and a little bit dangerous. -
5:29 - 5:30There is another cure.
-
5:30 - 5:36It's very technological,
it's very complex, a little daunting. -
5:36 - 5:38You've got to shine blue light on the kid.
-
5:38 - 5:39(Laughter)
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5:39 - 5:43Bright blue light on as much
of the skin as you can cover. -
5:43 - 5:45How is this a hard problem?
-
5:45 - 5:50I went to MIT. OK, we'll figure that out.
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5:50 - 5:52(Laughter)
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5:52 - 5:53So here's an example.
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5:53 - 5:58This is an overhead phototherapy device
that's designed for American hospitals, -
5:58 - 6:00and here's how it's supposed to be used.
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6:00 - 6:03It's over the baby,
illuminating a single patient. -
6:04 - 6:06Take it out of an American hospital,
-
6:06 - 6:08send it overseas
to a crowded facility in Asia, -
6:08 - 6:10here's how it's actually used.
-
6:10 - 6:13The effectiveness of phototherapy
is a function of light intensity. -
6:13 - 6:16These dark blue squares show you
where it's effective phototherapy. -
6:16 - 6:18Here's what it looks
like under actual use. -
6:18 - 6:22So those kids on the edges aren't actually
receiving effective phototherapy. -
6:22 - 6:26But without training,
without some kind of light meter, -
6:26 - 6:27how would you know?
-
6:27 - 6:29We see other examples
of problems like this. -
6:29 - 6:31Here's a neonatal intensive care unit,
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6:31 - 6:33where moms come in to visit their babies.
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6:33 - 6:36And keep in mind that Mom
maybe just had a C-section, -
6:36 - 6:38so that's already kind of a bummer.
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6:38 - 6:39Mom's visiting her kid.
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6:39 - 6:42She sees her baby naked,
lying under some blue lights, -
6:42 - 6:44looking kind of vulnerable.
-
6:44 - 6:47It's not uncommon for Mom
to put a blanket over the baby. -
6:48 - 6:52From a phototherapy standpoint,
maybe not the best behavior. -
6:52 - 6:54In fact, that sounds kind of dumb.
-
6:54 - 6:59Except, what we've learned is that
there's no such thing as a dumb user -- -
6:59 - 7:01there are only dumb products.
-
7:02 - 7:03We have to think like existentialists:
-
7:03 - 7:05it's not the painting
we would have painted, -
7:05 - 7:07it's the painting
that we actually painted. -
7:07 - 7:10It's the use -- designed for actual use.
-
7:10 - 7:12How are people actually going to use this?
-
7:12 - 7:16So, similarly, when we think
about our partner MTTS, -
7:16 - 7:19they've made some amazing technologies
for treating newborn illnesses. -
7:19 - 7:21So here's an overhead warmer and a CPAP.
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7:21 - 7:24They're inexpensive, really rugged.
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7:24 - 7:27They've treated 50,000 kids
in Vietnam with this technology. -
7:27 - 7:28But here's the problem:
-
7:28 - 7:31Every doctor in the world,
every hospital administrator, -
7:31 - 7:36has seen TV -- curse those "ER" reruns!
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7:36 - 7:40Turns out they all know what a medical
device is supposed to look like. -
7:41 - 7:44They want Buck Rogers,
they don't want effective. -
7:44 - 7:46It sounds crazy, it sounds dumb,
-
7:46 - 7:49but there are actually hospitals
who would rather have no equipment -
7:49 - 7:51than something that looks
cheap and crummy. -
7:51 - 7:54So again, if we want
people to trust a device, -
7:54 - 7:56it has to look trustworthy.
-
7:56 - 7:57So thinking about outcomes,
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7:57 - 8:00it turns out appearances matter.
-
8:00 - 8:02We took all that information together.
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8:02 - 8:05We tried, this time, to get it right.
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8:05 - 8:06And here's what we developed.
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8:06 - 8:08This is the Firefly phototherapy device,
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8:08 - 8:11except this time,
we didn't stop at the concept car. -
8:12 - 8:15From the very beginning, we started
by talking to manufacturers. -
8:15 - 8:18Our goal is to make
a state-of-the-art product -
8:18 - 8:21that our partner MTTS
can actually manufacture. -
8:21 - 8:25Our goal is to study how they work,
the resources they have access to, -
8:25 - 8:27so that they can make this product.
-
8:28 - 8:30So that's the design
for manufacture question. -
8:30 - 8:32When we think about actual use,
-
8:32 - 8:34you'll notice that Firefly
has a single bassinet. -
8:34 - 8:36It only fits a single baby,
-
8:36 - 8:40and the idea here is it's obvious
how you ought to use this device. -
8:40 - 8:42If you try to put more than one kid in,
-
8:42 - 8:44you're stacking them on top of each other.
-
8:44 - 8:46(Laughter)
-
8:46 - 8:49So the idea here is you want
to make it hard to use wrong. -
8:49 - 8:51In other words, you want to make
the right way to use it -
8:51 - 8:53the easiest way to use it.
-
8:53 - 8:56Another example -- again, silly Mom.
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8:56 - 9:00Silly Mom thinks her baby looks cold,
wants to put a blanket over the baby. -
9:00 - 9:03That's why we have lights
above and below the baby in Firefly, -
9:03 - 9:05so if Mom does put a blanket
over the baby, -
9:05 - 9:08it's still receiving effective
phototherapy from below. -
9:09 - 9:10Last story here:
-
9:10 - 9:12I've got a friend in India who told me
-
9:12 - 9:15that you haven't really tested
a piece of electronic technology -
9:15 - 9:17for distribution in Asia,
-
9:17 - 9:19until you've trained a cockroach
to climb in and pee -
9:19 - 9:22on every single little
component on the inside. -
9:22 - 9:24(Laughter)
-
9:24 - 9:25You think it's funny.
-
9:25 - 9:27I had a laptop in the Peace Corps,
-
9:27 - 9:30and the screen had all these
dead pixels on it. -
9:30 - 9:32And one day I looked in --
they were all dead ants -
9:32 - 9:34that had gotten
into my laptop and perished. -
9:34 - 9:36Those poor ants.
-
9:36 - 9:37(Laughter)
-
9:37 - 9:41So with Firefly, what we did is --
the problem is electronics get hot, -
9:41 - 9:44and you have to put in vents
or fans to keep them cool -- -
9:44 - 9:45in most products.
-
9:45 - 9:50We decided we can't put a "Do not enter"
sign next to the vent. -
9:50 - 9:52We actually got rid of all that stuff.
-
9:52 - 9:53So Firefly's totally sealed.
-
9:53 - 9:55These are the kinds of lessons --
-
9:55 - 9:58as awkward as it was
to be a pretty goofy teenager, -
9:58 - 10:00much worse to be a frustrated designer.
-
10:00 - 10:03So I was thinking, "What I really
want to do is change the world. -
10:03 - 10:06I have to pay attention
to manufacturing and distribution. -
10:06 - 10:10I have to pay attention to how people
are actually going to use a device. -
10:10 - 10:13I actually have to pay attention.
There's no excuse for failure. -
10:13 - 10:14I have to think like an existentialist.
-
10:15 - 10:18I have to accept that there
are no dumb users, only dumb products." -
10:18 - 10:20We have to ask ourselves hard questions.
-
10:20 - 10:22Are we designing
for the world that we want? -
10:23 - 10:26Are we designing
for the world that we have? -
10:26 - 10:28Are we designing
for the world that's coming, -
10:28 - 10:29whether we're ready or not?
-
10:29 - 10:32I got into this business
designing products. -
10:33 - 10:36I've since learned that if you really want
to make a difference in the world, -
10:36 - 10:38you have to design outcomes.
-
10:38 - 10:40And that's design that matters.
-
10:40 - 10:41Thank you.
-
10:41 - 10:45(Applause)
- Title:
- Design for people, not awards
- Speaker:
- Timothy Prestero
- Description:
-
Timothy Prestero thought he'd designed the perfect incubator for newborns in the developing world -- but his team learned a hard lesson when it failed to go into production. A manifesto on the importance of designing for real-world use, rather than accolades. (Filmed at TEDxBoston.)
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 11:05
Krystian Aparta commented on English subtitles for Design for people, not awards | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for Design for people, not awards | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for Design for people, not awards | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for Design for people, not awards | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for Design for people, not awards | ||
Ireneusz Rojkowski edited English subtitles for Design for people, not awards | ||
Rudi Feijó accepted English subtitles for Design for people, not awards | ||
Alex M. Chang edited English subtitles for Design for people, not awards |
Krystian Aparta
The English transcript was updated on 11/6/2015.