This morning my first activity involved “doing” the dishes, well… if loading the dishwasher counts as doing. As I began to load the silverware I decided to use a feature that I never used before and it changed my life. In the silverware compartment there is an option to snap back the top so that you could “place in” the utensil. I couldn’t believe it! Ladies and gentleman my “Aha” moment for the day came so early, I started to get back in the bed and check off the day with a mission accomplished stamp. I didn’t do that. But began to realize that up until this moment I did not have access to something that was readily available to me everyday. A few days earlier I saw my sister use this feature that she knew about and I didn’t. (Thanks Sis!)
While lifting the flap and “placing in” in oppose to “sliding in” (see pics) may not have taken 10 seconds off of the amount of time it took me to load the dishwasher, it inherently made me feel as if it was a “must do” to ALL my future dishwasher loading encounters. The whole experience was a sweet refresh of simple awareness that I had clearly been taking for granted. At the same time, I was equally upset that for the past 8 months I had ignorantly avoided this utensil-loading phenomenon in countless kitchen cleanups. More holistically, I realized that I had been denying myself design because of my lack of knowledge and investigation to explore my options. I knew better! This experience re-opened my eyes to #1 the importance of design happiness #2 the imperativeness of being an explorer and #3 the inclination of awareness of my current human being experiences in a world where everything that I use is designed.
I don’t think this design element lessened my dish load time or efficiency, however it made me think it did. In fact, the next time I did the dishes I didn’t even use the feature. Ha! However the mere fact that I had knowledge of its existence, made me feel empowered, like a super dishwashing dame, ready to take over the world one dirty fork at a time!
From here I proceeded to give credit to the designer who actually listened to their market research and that one annoyed customer who recommend more flexibility in the utensil placing department, because their is always that one whose life will be changed by something that is so minute (my-nute) in the grand scheme of things. My mind is being blown, as I continue to load the plates I start trying to move other pieces to see if I could find some other “tricks”, sadly I didn’t… but gladly I was exploring. I was actually trying to move immoveable knobs and pieces of plastic… just because I wanted to be deign happy again. I had already missed out on one jazzy feature I couldn’t live with the thought that I was missing out on 2!
Little things should have the potential to change your life, I am happy that I give little things the power to change mine… As an emerging design professional working in architecture the weight of design is the world that my life revolves around. I should never forget the impact that design or lack thereof has on me and my ability or “allowability” to have access to it or not. Sadly some of us will never take a moment to analyze this, and I never want to be that person again. Design is the ultimate tool, or weapon in some hands, that is used for and against us… How wonderful! Design is a beautiful thing, and my access to it even more glorious…
My goal for the next few weeks is to notice these very things and appreciate the elements that make my life worth while through touch, feel (the emotional kind) and sight, because some designer made and are making a bunch of choices for me… like they knew and know me… Time to challenge if they really did and do… You should to!
Michele Crawford 