Understanding Design

http://ideo.cooperhewitt.org/

In order to provide a deeper understanding of the principles of design, IDEO, an innovation and design firm based in Palo Alto, delved into the holdings of the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, the nation's only museum devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. Their selection of 22 objects from the museum's permanent collection is the sixth installation in the Nancy and Edwin Marks Gallery Exhibition series, "in which the Museum invites designers, artists, and writers to tell a story or present an idea using objects from Cooper-Hewitt���s permanent collection."

IDEO selected objects it felt demonstrated innovative problem-solving over the past five centuries. Objects range from a walking cane housing a map of Boston to a red typewriter to the "cockfight" chair, a piece of furniture designed specifically for reading.

Metadata on the objects is minimal at best. Jpgs of each object are included in the virtual exhibit, and a right click on each image provides the dimensions of 349 X 290 pixels; unfortunately, there is only one image per object (no 360-degree views). Very basic descriptive information about the actual object in the museum's holdings is included, such as the designer, date of creation, and an identifier generated by the museum, but again, this information does not relate to the digital image. In addition to this information is an explanation of the designer's probable inspiration, empathy and intuition; in other words, what prompted the design, how they thought people would benefit from their design and also how their own personal experiences influenced their design.

The potential audience for such a site is wide-ranging. Visitors may access the site through IDEO's homepage, through Cooper-Hewitt's homepage and via the Smithsonian's Web site. Students in design school would benefit from such information, but regular users surfing the Internet might also potentially find the information useful. An interactive feature in which users are encouraged to post digital images of real-world examples of intelligent design lends the sight an extra element of relevancy.