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by enoursa2
4437 days ago
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Hey HN! I am the author. I've found that the most misleading proposition is the notion that offering a shitty product or service for free to people in shitty situations will save the world. The problem is that no one wants a shitty product! We have to change the mindset of designers, makers, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, donors, and everyone! |
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First, I'm surprised that there is no explicit mention of participatory design in the part where you lament the lack of feedback with non-profits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_design
Then again, I'm studying design in Malmö, Sweden, and maybe it's not that well-known outside of Scandinavia, and the movement was targeting design in general, not this specific issue. Still, it seems to apply to the problem, and the point is that there is an established design approach trying to address it.
Also, I can't say I'm too fond of the four examples you give near, with the exception of the Giradora. The price point seems to violate your own principle of constraint. In places where drinking water and lack of electricity are an issue, these solutions are just very expensive stopgaps.
Furthermore, it does not mention the problem that just donating stuff locally can undermine the local development of better solutions. Does sending life straws over to Africa give them the means to build a more sustainable solution? This ties in to that participatory design I mentioned earlier: the design should be with the target audience, and if possible the end product should be produced by the developing nation.
Finally, these two websites would probably be relevant to your interests:
http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/
http://www.notechmagazine.com/
... although for some reason they seem to be down at the moment.