For my morning ablutions today I used a new piece of soap, oblong and about 1 cm. thick (or, half an inch). The corners were slightly rounded, but you know what? I found this bar so uncomfortable to use that I decided to avoid buying a similar shape ever again. (notice I avoided using the 'never' word). My preference, soap-wise, is for Weleda. Usually I buy the Iris, but occasionally indulge in the Rose. These are so wonderfully, ergonomically designed that, even apart from the soft texture and scents, they're a pleasure to use. This morning's deodorant was better than my soap experience... a rounded screw-top lid that morphed into an oval shape near the bottom, so it was easy for these rheumatically-challenged fingers to open. I sent a little, mental nod of recognition to whoever the designer was.
The thing is, every manufactured article that surrounds us has been designed... for better or worse. Good design makes quite a difference to our lives. We have an old Samsung cell phone that's small, light, and easily slips into pockets or purses. No, it doesn't have any photo-taking capacities or anything else that the new phones do, but it does the job for us. And frequently people remark and wish they had a similar one.
Technology is so much part of our modern lives. Apart from the fact that Apple started with a people-oriented perspective rather than that of the machine, I'm wondering if their amazing success doesn't have a lot to do with their nifty designs.... my lap top has rounded corners and closes with a satisfying click. I like that!
Now if I can only get my industrial designer son to take a look at my new website-in-progress...
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