People increasingly want better designed products

Two articles highlight the increasing social demand for better designed products:

Bryce Rutter interview: “The tolerance for poorly designed products is decreasing dramatically”
The Globe and Mail – 2 August 2008
Paying a visit to Toronto recently, Rutter spoke to Globe Style about the beauty and necessity of good ergonomic design, whether it’s for toothbrushes or luxury cars.

Lifestyle drives medical device design: “Patients are becoming more demanding”
plastics & rubber weekly – 1 August 2008
In the issue of PRW published today, a four-page feature covers a roundtable discussion in London at which PRW brought together product designers and polymer materials specialists to discuss trends and issues in the medical devices market. According to the participants, patients are bringing consumer attitudes to their use of medical devices and this presents challenges when designing a product for such demanding users.

(via Core77)