A fundamental shift in this book, then, is
away from the focus on prescribing the
work of the designer toward a focus on the
evolution of the product. This shift in focus
is both challenging and liberating to the
students (and by extension, to design
professionals). The challenge comes
because we no longer prescribe actions;
instead, we prescribe outcomes. The
student must determine the actions that
will best lead to the desired outcome. For an inexperienced designer, this can be
hard work, fraught with uncertainty. And
yet, for all its difficulty, this work is innately
rewarding, as the student successfully
wrestles with issues of real importance.
We thank WHOlives.org for allowing us to
share the story of the Village Drill
(human-powered water well drill)
development. They’ve helped improve the
world not only by bringing clean water to
more than a million people in Africa with
the Village Drill but also by providing an
example of the application of the principles
in this book to help improve product
development.