Anyone out there who is interested in the idea of Design Thinking and IDEO style design research should get this book. Why? Because Design Thinking, also known as Human Centered Design, is the study of how people live their lives. I think people make the assumption that we all live very unique lives, individual, and off center from how so called normal people live. But, in fact, when you read At Home, you learn that modern life is quite standardized, and many of us are doing the same things at the same time all the time for the time we’re living in. In this book Bryson peels back the façade of individuality and shines a light on how people live by revealing the surprising and entertaining history of what traditions and events shaped the typical day to day actions of modern life as we know it.
How can this help me as an Industrial Designer you may ask? Well doesn’t life and how we live define our needs? Isn’t it the struggles of daily toil that persuade us to take up arms with the latest and greatest gadget of convenience? Absolutely! In At Home, you not only get an in depth history of what past issues lead to the ubiquitous products we all take for granted today, but also the book gives us a new recognition of the progress we have made as humans beings and gives us a glimpse of what it really is that makes modern life truly magical.
Do you like flushing toilets? Have you considered the luxury and convenience of not having to burn coal in your living room for heat? Have you ever felt an deep sense of gratitude for being able to read a book or play a game in your living room without the use of a slightly rotten beef tallow candle to provide light? After reading only a few chapters of At Home, you will. Then, as a designer you’ll put extra consideration into that ultra sleek desk lamp your hoping gets picked up by Design within Reach.
If you want to see the future, you have to look to the past. At Home delivers that past in a witty, entertaining fashion. This is not a stuffy history book, its a quaint little joy ride down the very bumpy road that leads to the life of comfort we all live today. As Byson steps through each room of the home and walks us back though each little detail, you start to see a hope and admiration for modern life that so many, myself very much included, unfortunately overlook.
I can’t recommend this book enough. I read it twice on Audible and I’m moving quickly though the paperback for a third round. Marking up and dog earing countless tidbits along the way. Please do yourself a favor and get this book today.
