By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Design West Michigan and Creo Productions
have teamed up to create what they believe is the first-ever video case
study highlighting the economic value of design. The study will follow
the design and development of Whirlpool’s innovative Duet Series washers and dryers.
“Good design, classic design and
economically valuable design starts with design at the beginning of the
process,” says John Berry, Design West Michigan director. “Part of the
issue of understanding design is the difficulty in defining design, and
the all too often assumption that design is styling done at the end of
some process.”
Berry says design is actually problem
solving. Everything gets designed, and constraints like time, money and
production capability are problems to be solved. Good design considers
all the factors up front to help manufacturers determine how and where
to cut costs.
Creo Productions will produce a 10-minute video that highlights the ethnographic research
that identified the need for modern efficiencies in laundry appliances.
That research resulted in the Whirlpool Duet series, which
revolutionized the industry, Berry says. Some of the conveniences
consumers wanted include faster drying time, side-by-side appliances,
water conservation, wrinkle prevention, variable heights to reduce
bending and stooping, and reduced noise.
The video will highlight interviews
with Whirlpool researchers and designers, the ethnographic research,
the incorporation of drawings and prototype concepts, and a visual
timeline.
Berry will make the video available to individual businesses and online.
“The goal of Design West Michigan is to
use design to help grow the economy of the region,” Berry says. “The
case study will educate non-designers on the value of design where
design has the ability to enhance their profits and markets. We hope to
produce several case studies representing different design disciplines,
such as graphic design, architectural design, digital interactive media
design, et cetera."
Source: John Berry, Design West Michigan
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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