Don Norman wrote:
> My question is: Was it really Norman Bel Geddes who started canvassing
> the actual people who used the products being designed? Or is there some
> historical evidence for predecessors.
I subscribe to the digest format of this list, so anytime I want to post a
reply I feel like I'm two days late to the party. Hopefully not too late on
this one.
I enjoyed reading Russell Flinchum's reply to this topic (thanks, Gunnar,
for reaching out and forwarding that). I don't know if Don or Russell would
consider these examples "market research" per se, in that the research was
both observation/experiment *and* end-user evaluation, not strictly the
latter, but in the more general sense of "research to determine utility"
and designers "examin[ing] how the products were actually used" (quoting
from Don's initial inquiry), two additional examples who precede Bel Geddes
came to my mind: Christine Frederick and Margarete Schutte-Lihotsky. Both
practicing in the early decades of the 20th century. Each bridged the era's
interest in industrial efficiency/standardization with the design of
interior spaces and the sites of domestic work. Also, I second the
recommendation of Regina Lee Blaszczyk's "Imagining Consumers".
Also wanted to note that I appreciate seeing questions of privilege and
gender being discussed on this list again. Thank you to those who have
participated thoughtfully and non-dismissively in that conversation.
Curt Lund
Assistant Professor, Digital Media Arts
Hamline University
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