Turi Mckinley and Jason Severs

¶ … Turi McKinley and Jason Severs discussed human-centered design principles. Both McKinley and Severs work as Principle Designers for the frog design company (the name of which is officially written in all lowercase letters). Frog design defines itself as a "global innovation firm," one which "helps create and bring to market meaningful products, services, and experiences," (frog design n.d.). Turi McKinley's primary role at frog has been "to create clear, compelling interactive experiences and strategic visions" for frog clients (McKinley 2011).

On one of McKinley's online professional profiles, she describes herself as an "interaction designer, experience strategist, and multimedia enthusiast," (McKinley 2011b). What all of this means is that McKinley is adept at understanding the ultimate needs of end-users or consumers, and can apply that understanding and knowledge to the process of design and marketing. Her extensive travel experiences have tremendously enhanced McKinley's ability to help clients. McKinley's admirable client list includes Colgate-Palmolive, LG brands, Educational Testing Service (ETS), Humana Health Care, and Qualcomm.

Having worked in Tibet, Nepal, India, rural China, and rural Appalachia, McKinley has successfully translated cross-cultural differences in technology use into effective systems design. McKinley also communicates her knowledge of design and cultural awareness via the forum of academia. Prior to working with frog design as Principle Designer, McKinley led design programs at MIT. McKinley's academic background is in cultural anthropology as well as design and technology. Jason Severs is also a Principle Designer with frog design.

Severs's background is in design and technology, and his graduate work was completed at Columbia University. In his lecture, Severs pointed out the importance of design and how central design is to the everyday lives of individuals worldwide. Severs focuses on developing a systems-wide perspective. He applies that perspective to every stage of the design process as he works with clients. Severs (2011) claims that "the needs of users, businesses, manufacturers, suppliers, environment" are all integral to the design experience.

In fact, Severs found that working with his young daughter provided insight into the design process, informing a human-centered approach. His daughter's reactions to produces, processes, activities, and services show how design directly impacts behavior and perceptions. Severs claims that his daughter's own drawings and designs have affected his view, showing that design experts can learn a lot from children. As examples, Severs showed 3D modeling and other examples of how design affects our reactions to things.

Both McKinley and Severs focused on how design is a major part of our everyday lives. The products we use are often designed poorly, reflecting an approach that is not centered on the needs of the end user. Advancements in technology and especially in new media has showed how designers can help clients to create products, services, and experiences.