Industrial Designer: William Fluharty

Three years after departing the design group at Johnson Controls Inc. in Holland, Bill Fluharty, now an innovation consultant and facilitator at the Keller Futures Center, talks about why the design process is the ticket for improving individual companies, boosting the economic vitality in a region and—get this—solving social problems.

How is the industrial design profession changing?

It used to be strictly applying art and science to improve the aesthetics, usability, production and marketability of a product. And it still is. But, more and more, designers who have been engaged in this process for a long time are stepping out into leadership roles. They are using their skill set to improve a business, not just a product. This is Design Thinking, also known as Human-Centered Design, and it is the hot topic.

How do you define Design Thinking?

It’s a method of integrating the right-brain and left-brain thinking to achieve a more whole-minded approach to business. In other words, don’t just focus on classic efficiencies. You also need to think about what the future could be and not be afraid of taking viable risks to achieve that.

How are you using Design Thinking at the Keller Futures Center?

Fred Keller of Cascade Engineering made a donation to the Grand Rapids Community College Foundation to do something to allow the average citizen to create and execute a vision without help from the government. KFC is about social innovation, and the community is the design team. We’re using design methodology in a seven-week process to try to solve regional social issues. Our first project was urban agriculture—how to produce low-cost, high-quality food in an urban setting. The second was about how to improve career services to people. The third was how to get people to choose alternative transportation. In January, we’re starting another, in partnership with several other entities, on how to improve academic achievement among Latino youth, given that we can’t change the education system or end racism overnight.

Why are designers well-suited to lead such work?

Designers don’t jump to solutions until they’ve observed enough to really understand the problem in context. They’re good collaborators. Human-Centered Design is an empathy-driven process—how will this work best for the end user—which is why it works so well for social innovation.

What areas are ripe for innovation?

Wherever there are some cumbersome moments in life. And don’t just think of one product. Think in systems. Think of all the products that can work together to make the experience better for people.

What matters most in the design profession these days?

Designers aren’t just concerned with how a product looks, but how its function integrates into the user’s daily life. The iPhone and iPad are educating consumers to expect super-easy, intuitive use. Those high expectations are expanding from electronic to mechanical products and bringing interfaces out of the dark, scary places and into the light.

What’s your advice for design educators?

The extreme ability to style beautiful, win-every-competition renderings is less important than helping a company become even incrementally more competitive because their product is better designed.

INTERVIEW BY: KYM REINSTADLER

PHOTO BY: ADAM BIRD

Design Educator: Oliver Evans>>