Task 5: Video Reflections (Yves Behar)

Yves Behar closes with the remark that "we should all be keeping in mind the values of the work that we do". It's this philosophy that drives him to create his works and to continue designing. A good example of this is when he was asked to contribute to the XO laptop; he didn't initially want to work on it as he'd had enough of computers due to a previous job, but the fact that these laptops were going to be distributed in places like Zimbabwe, Uruguay and Mongolia to kids meant that he changed his mind. Yves wants us to think about why a product is designed and who for as apposed to what it's going to look like in the end.
Designing from the inside-out is another thing that Yves brings up in his work on the Jawbone headset. With the designers working simultaneously on all parts of the overall design, they were able to discard the 'techy/nerdy' bits that they felt the user didn't really need (the Caps key on the XO laptop also comes to mind). Using this approach, designers can readily mass-produce something that looks good and functions to its maximum potential without branching into other areas that it doesn't necessarily need to. The watch designed for Mini Cooper has a horizontal/vertical flipping display allowing the user to tell the time without movement of the arm. Apart from that, the watch has no other functionality; it does it's primary function but it does it better than most watches.
Whereas there would be opposition to this way of thinking in the design business, many of Yves' points regarding the values of the work we do should not be ignored, as it allows a more personable approach to the way people think about design as a whole.