Design and Innovation in NYC

Last night, I attended a small gathering of the design and innovation community in New York City. Co-hosted by BusinessWeek and Smart Design, the event brought together an exciting mix of design and innovation luminaries, and the discussion touched on a number of topics, including green design, designing for Gen Y, and design impact in an economic downturn.

Some of the things that were said during the course of the evening:

"You can't focus on the average user. If you designed a door for the average, half the people would bump their heads!"

"The [new] Negroponte Switch...physical things are becoming more digital, and digital things are becoming more physical." (tremendous implication for designing services)

"Zipcar capitalism is a trend. More sharing and less owning."

"Form doesn't always follow function. The iPhone is a brick!"

"Within Gen Y, there is the older Gen Y and a younger Gen Y, and they are different in how they use technology."

Kudos to BusinessWeek, Bruce Nussbaum, and Smart for putting together the event! I look forward to attending other meetings of design and innovation enthusiasts in the future.