Prompt #3

“If we then ‘lump together’ all the seemingly little minorities, if we combine all these ‘special’ needs, then we find we have designed for the majority after all. It is only the ‘designer’… who, by concocting trivia for the market-places of a few abundant societies, really designs for the minority.”

– Victor Papanek

Part I

As a student at UC Davis, to what extent do you feel you have been “encouraged to work in this manner” Papanek recommends?

If possible, describe your experience(s). Alternatively, if you do not feel you have received encouragement, why do you think that is?

Part II

To what extent does the television designed by Papanek and his students empower its users?

Bonus

I’d love your feedback on these prompts & your experience responding to them. More specifically, I’d like to know:

• Do these prompts help you apply the reading to designs in your own environment? Explain.
• Are there particular prompts you enjoy responding to more / less?

Thanks! Your feedback will help me deliver prompts which, hopefully, enable you to think more critically about design.