The products that take design seriously and incorporate it from the start are going to be the ones that connect with people in a way that really makes an impact in the world.
An Important Time for Design
Technology keeps getting cheaper, and as it does, it pushes deeper into our daily lives. What once couldn’t fit in your pocket now lives there—and that means it has to look good and work flawlessly. Great specs alone don’t cut it anymore, especially in retail. That’s why groups like the Designer Fund are betting on designers to build companies, not just products. Design can’t be an afterthought; it has to be baked in from day one.
The iconic Target prescription bottle shows how smart design can quietly improve everyday life, while the Nest thermostat proves that great UI paired with smart internals can transform a mundane object. Good design isn’t a fashionable add-on—it’s a steady, deliberate march into our lives, becoming an inseparable part of how we live day to day.
There is a massive opportunity for design and technology to make the difference in this $100 billion+ home health market. That’s not to say that the health care industry does not already have excellent designers and technologists in the ranks. However, there is a big opportunity to shift what those talented people are able to focus on.
The Biggest Opportunity For Disruption Today: Health Care Products That Work
Wii Fit can get you off the couch, but what about remembering to take your blood pressure meds or checking your glucose consistently? What about tracking what you actually eat, not what you wish you ate? Good design has the power to make the world better—and starting with your own fat butt isn’t a bad place to begin. Full-body wellness may be a lofty goal, but it’s one design can make real at the consumer level.