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Michael Graves Design X Pottery Barn
Our “Design With” Process
When Michael Graves became paralyzed in 2003, he continued to work from 8 hospitals and 4 rehab centers, which meant our design leaders would visit Michael in these settings. When his health stabilized and he returned home, we made his house and our office more accessible to him. When he returned to work full time, we traveled with him to business meetings across the country. We gained a lot of firsthand experience with accessibility and the built environment. Since then, our designers have been required to work from a wheelchair and use other mobility devices like a cane for extended periods of time, all to gain empathy and understanding. This exposure was the beginning of our real-life feedback.
We have also engaged in hundreds upon hundreds of hours of ethnographic research, within the homes of older adults and people with disabilities, interviewing and observing their daily lives. We’ve done research with family caregivers, professional caregivers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, social workers and everyone else from whom we could gain insights. Our research has shined a spotlight on the dangers of falling, especially for older adults and many people with disabilities. The causes of falls are dynamic and varied. Preventing falls is among our highest priorities.
This is the foundation upon which we began to collaborate with Pottery Barn. While designing our collection of furniture, we focused on merchandising strategies throughout the house. We then brainstormed novel functional enhancements before narrowing our alternative design enhancements to the best ideas. In October 2023, we conducted Consumer Preference Testing with dozens of consumers. During this week-long exercise, older adults, as well as people with permanent disabilities (e.g. people who use wheelchairs and people with Parkinson's Disease), people with temporary disabilities (e.g. sports injuries, surgical recovery and pregnancy), and people with situational disabilities (e.g. holding a laundry basket) were asked to interact with “works-like” prototypes. During this exercise, we primarily observed how they used the products, where they put their hands, and we did A/B testing with alternative design solutions. This invaluable feedback informed all final design refinements and assortment selection. We refer to this product design process as “Design with” our target consumers.
We’ve also learned that everyone’s preferences and situations are unique. There is never a single solution that will work for everyone, and no one wants to be told what is right for them. So we listen. We involve as many people as possible. We prototype and get feedback from real people. And then we make our contributions to the market, increasing the number of people who will find a solution that works for them.
