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Danish user-centred design

Today I visited the Dansk Design Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark. Plenty of fun things to see, but the one thing that really jumped out at me was the widespread and comfortable use of "designing with users" and "user-centred design" in a number of the displays.

Yes, there was a fair number of pretty and pointless designs. But there was also a strong showing of objects created with the sole purpose of enriching the lives of those who used them, bringing together form and function. For example, a plastic medicine bottle with notches on the lid, allowing it to be levered open using a pen or the edge of a table. The purpose being to assist people with arthritis or other disabilities.

There were also a number of other medical-related designs, including new variations on the wheelchair, and a display about a user-centred redesign of a hospital environment.

The use of the term user-centred design seemed very natural in this environment, as if it needed no explanation for Danes. I was very encouraged, and I can only hope that this is gaining the same recognition in other countries too.

Anyway, tomorrow morning I'm off to the US, to present at the KMWorld & Intranets conference. I'm looking forward this this, and hunt me down for a chat if you are in the area.

Posted by jamesr on November 13, 2005 05:13 AM
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