Name: Design for people, not awards
Uploaded: 2012-08-16T15:00:41Z
Duration: 10 min 48 s
Description: Timothy Prestero thought he'd designed the perfect incubator for newborns in the developing world -- he even won awards for it. But he and his team learned a hard lesson when their incubator completely failed to catch on. Hear his hard-earned manifesto on the importance of designing for real-world use, not accolades.

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Timothy Prestero thought he'd designed the perfect incubator for newborns in the developing world -- he even won awards for it. But he and his team learned a hard lesson when their incubator completely failed to catch on. Hear his hard-earned manifesto on the importance of designing for real-world use, not accolades.

Design for people, not awards

Great design fails if it does not work in the real world, no matter how stunning or celebrated it is. A much-praised infant incubator ended up used only for a photo shoot, revealing that success depends on manufacturing, distribution, and actual use. Impact comes from understanding who chooses, uses, and maintains a product, not just from inventing clever solutions. Designing for outcomes means accepting that products, not users, must adapt to reality.