Emily Pilloton

The lecture by Emily Pilloton on design was very inspiring. This lecture was different from other designers because she looks at design in a whole different perspective. Her goal is to design objects and things that have a purpose for people and to make their lives better and easier. She focuses this to the areas in the world who need improved design the most, and in areas where this design will be used and will last, such as in South Africa. In South Africa, Pilloton designed a water transport barrel that can be used to carry up to 200 pounds of water.This is significant because for families who live far from their source of water, they can efficiently move what is probably more than double the amount of water and make less trips. This device was designed to be rolled, rather than carried; a much more efficient way to carry the water. She and others in the middle of Project H Design right now, which is the group that is helping to make these new types of designs such as the water transporter, are working indifferent settings and working with people constantly to come up with new designs specifically for them. She said that they do not have an office because of this very reason- that they need to be working with the people in their settings, such as parks, schools, etc.. Another example of this is the bag that turns into a hammock for the homeless to sleep in and carry around. This was actually inspired by someone who said her life would have been much better if she only had a hammock to sleep in. This is another thing that Pilloton emphasized in her lecture, that it is important to work for the people, and not just design something because of its structure, but for who needs it and what it is being used for.