Humanize by Thomas Heatherwick
Book Launch and Discussion
I had a lovely time at the US launch of Thomas Heatherwick’s new book, Humanize! Hosted by the Chicago Architecture Center, Heatherwick spoke about the central premise of his book and then joined a panel discussion with Robert Clark, founder of real estate development and design-build construction company Clayco, Jeff Shapack, founder and CEO of Shapack Partners, best known for creating the Fulton Market District in Chicago, and Eleanor Esser Gorski, CEO & President of the Chicago Architecture Center.
Among the topics discussed:
Form follows function - but emotion is an often overlooked function. In fact, Don Norman wrote an entire book on this subject! In Emotional Design, he writes, “Emotions change the way the human mind solves problems – the emotional system changes how the cognitive system operates.” This is particularly critical in healthcare: users who are likely already anxious about their health condition or afraid of needles are less able to cope with minor problems with a device as compared to users who are more relaxed, and are therefore less likely to successfully receive their therapy. It is designers who are uniquely equipped to both ensure operation of the device is clear and influence the emotional state of the user (e.g., through color, texture, shape, size, and feedback).
Longevity is an important component of sustainability. How can we design buildings and objects that people feel strongly enough about to repair and repurpose as needed, instead of tearing down in 40 years? Although this is a bigger challenge in healthcare and medical device design where single-use objects are often a matter of safety, it is an important consideration as the industry thinks more critically about what components, if any, can be made reusable.
Collaboration and empathy beat ego and prejudice every time. The best way to bring an object to production or a building to construction is to collaborate, because no single discipline has all the answers. After all, what’s the point in designing something if you can’t actually make it? Heatherwick went on to share a tongue-in-cheek game played in his studio called, “What if the planner isn’t an idiot?”, through which his team inevitably found true collaboration resulted in better outcomes, every time. As it turns out, the myth of the single lone genius is just that: a myth. It was reassuring to hear Heatherwick describe how as a student he felt his inability to produce genius work alone meant there was something wrong with him, until he realized, “Design wasn’t happening in me, it happened between us [him and the structural engineer].” He concluded, “When it’s my idea, the design is ok. When it’s our idea, the design is good.”
Although the book focuses on architecture, many of the topics within are broadly relevant to design as a whole. Breaking out of your own corner of the design world from time to time always provides a healthy dose of perspective.