Valerie Casey

Designers Accord

WORK

The Designers Accord
Founder and Executive Director
2007 – Present

California College of the Arts
Adjunct Professor
2007 – Present

IDEO
Head of Digital Experiences
2007 – 2009

WORDS

"Designers are the drivers of consumption in many ways; we manufacture the behaviors and needs that drive consumers to marketplace frenzy. But I do believe that we have a chance to transform that.

It’s not the design process that is flawed – I actually believe the design process is one of the best ways to solve problems of all kinds, from the usability of a mobile app to global humanitarian crises. Our biggest challenge is the decisions made in the process of making things. In many ways, designers create their own limitations – we often conceive of our role too narrowly, and perceive the impact of our decisions to be less than it is. We are trained to be an expert in the elements that fall into our zone of control, but what we really need to consider is our zone of influence."

Excerpted from Q&A with Design21.