Access+Ability: Design for the Mind
Channel: Cooper Hewitt
Date: 2017-12-15

This video celebrates the recent collaboration of Cooper Hewitt, Pratt Institute, and CaringKind, a nonprofit dedicated to Alzheimer's caregiving, to develop more than 25 products to assist people affected by this progressive disease. At the beginning of the design process, Pratt industrial design students conducted research on Alzheimer’s and worked with CaringKind to develop their ideas. The feedback they received from family and professional caregivers helped the students to break down assumptions and expand their design sensitivity to achieve purposeful results. Studio critiques with Cooper Hewitt curators and CaringKind gave the students the insight needed to refine their work. The concepts featured here attest to the importance of engaging with the user and applying empathy to problem solving and research. 

On view at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, as part of Access+Ability.