Inspiring Innovation: A Conversation with Designers Lisa Yanz Lehman, Mark Dziersk and Mike Elwell and Sarah Hoit

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator

Learn how to develop and launch the right products for the right customer—with the right methods! Be sure to attend some of the free executive-level educational sessions at the Innovation Theater. These programs will give you a fresh perspective as you walk the Show and will inspire, inform and improve your business.

The four days of the 2015 International Home + Housewares Show will be packed with events and educational sessions. To help you plan your valuable time at the Show, in these final days before the Show begins, we preview a few of the 21 presentations that will take place in the Innovation Theater in the Lakeside Center. Don’t miss the chance to meet the speakers in person and the opportunity to ask questions relevant to your work. All programs are audio-recorded and will be available on www.housewares.org after the Show.

Designers + Makers: Lessons from the Field

Monday March 9 3:30—4:20 p.m.

Innovation Theater, Lakeside Center, Room E350

LisaYLehman (resize) Today we’re speaking with designers Lisa Yanz Lehman of New York-based Pensa, Mark Dziersk, managing director of the Chicago office of San Francisco-based LUNAR, Mike Elwell of University of Notre Dame and Sarah Hoit, material scientist at New York-based Material ConneXion. The panel will also include designer Craighton Berman of Chicago-based Manual. Lisa, a senior industrial designer at Pensa, has more than 10 years of experience in the consulting field and leads projects for clients in housewares, consumer electronics, retail and healthcare spaces. She has also been involved with Pensa’s self-initiated projects including the DIWire, the first desktop CNC wire bender, and Merge, an urban bike solution inspired by New York City. Mark, an award-winning designer, is also Craighton Berman (resize) an adjunct professor for the Master in Product Development Program (MPD) at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. He has served as president of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and is currently editor of the Society’s quarterly journal, Innovation. One of his recent designs, the Belle-V ice cream scoop, will appear in Design Debut in the South Building. Mike, a visiting assistant professional specialist in industrial design at University of Notre Dame, guides students in entrepreneurial projects. Sarah heads Material ConneXion’s ThinkLAB. She studied materials engineering at North Carolina State University, specializing in nonwovens and liquid repellency for use in protective garments for the U.S. Air Force. The Show’s Going Green display hosts Material ConneXion staff and their curated traveling exhibit of hands-on materials samples.

What is the most exciting or rewarding part of your work? What inspires your passion?

Lisa: As a design consultant, it is really great to work on such a wide range of projects with very different types of companies. There is always a new challenge to tackle. It is inspiring to take all of these experiences and connect the dots between them.

Mark: Creativity is the key ingredient to keeping literally everyday fresh and interesting. A person is called to design and after that it is an instinct to pursue it in every part of what we do. Work, family, community.

Mike: I am inspired by the potential that design has to make a positive impact in the world. This semester, my Collaborative Product Development students are developing low-cost heating and medical solutions for the developing world. If successful, their work will not only improve lives, but save lives. I am blessed to work with brilliant students and colleagues every day at the University of Notre Dame, and I strive to provide them with the educational experiences they deserve. The design landscape is expanding, and it is imperative that we educators adapt to meet industry’s expectations of what a design education should be.

Sarah: I enjoy problem solving—really assessing the issue, “getting smart” about a topic, and then using information and ideas from divergent sources to find a solution.

In the past few years, what has changed most in your business? How has your company met these challenges in the way you do your work?

Lisa: In the past few years in the design field we have been presented with so many new and exciting outlets for getting a product to market. At Pensa we have been able to utilize these to fund and promote internal projects, like the DIWire Bender and Street Charge, and bring them to market. We also find ourselves not only working with large companies, but with smaller startups that need a very integrated and iterative approach to product development.

Mark: We see the core discipline expand to include deep research engagements, service design, user experience and User interface design. We’ve built these into our offerings through new full-time hires and strong partner relationships with companies that are expert in each area.

Mike: Much has changed recently in design education. First, rapid prototyping technologies have decreased in cost to the point where all schools can afford them. This allows our students to prototype faster and in greater quantity than ever before. In our shop, we have a 3D printer, 3D scanner, laser cutter, and CNC router along with all the typical hand and power tools. Also, crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo and Quirky make it easier than ever for our students to fund a startup. In response, we have started “Industrial Design Entrepreneurship,” a course dedicated to business plan development along with the proof-of-concept visuals necessary to inspire confidence in investors. We are only midway into the pilot course, so I cannot speak to the outcomes, but the projects show great promise. I hope we see several businesses emerge from the course!

Sarah: The needs of our clients are always shifting to match the demands of their marketplace. In an effort to always have the depth of knowledge our clients need from us on a range of trending topics we have begun to offer a series of reports on these areas. These reports give us the opportunity to dive deep into research before a specific request is placed and verse ourselves in a topic of our own interest, as well as one that will be useful to many industries.

Why did you choose to speak at the International Home + Housewares Show?

Lisa: It’s always great to attend the Housewares Show to get a hands-on look at what is going on in the housewares field and a chance to speak and bring new conversations to the community is always a great opportunity!

Mark: I come here every year. The Show is a great venue to see many of the designers and virtually everything that is current in housewares product design.

Mike: I owe so much of my career to the International Housewares Association. I was a third place winner in the student design competition in 2005, when I designed a prescription bottle opener for people with arthritis. I now license a patent on that concept to Jokari Incorporated. I also have served twice on that competition’s jury, and three of my students have placed or been named as honorable mentions. Whenever I get the chance, I am pleased to give back to the competition’s administrator and the International Housewares Association. Hands down, the IHA organizes the best student design competition in the country.

Sarah: Home and housewares as a market category overlaps with much of the work we do; it’s exciting to see where it is going. I’m looking forward to discussing creating and manufacturing with this group, and championing materials as a key element of design and development success.

Tell us what you will be speaking about and how and this topic is important for Show audiences.

Lisa: Our panel, “Designers and Makers: Lessons from the Field”, will be a great chance to talk to some experts in design about new outlets to product development. Crowdfunding, strategic partnerships, rapid prototyping and new ways to build a brand, to name a few, will have a real impact on the housewares industry and what we will be seeing at this Show for many years to come.

Mark: I will be telling the story of the Belle-V ice cream scoop and its new product extensions (five) that LUNAR Design has developed and manufactured from an idea—literally becoming our own client.

Sarah: Incorporating materials and the physical into design thinking at an early stage is a bit of a soapbox for me. With the development of machinery and technology, there are more and more opportunities to work with materials early and often, which we believe always leads to greater successes.

This is your first time presenting at our Theater. What are you looking forward to most from speaking at the Innovation Theater?

Lisa: I’m looking forward to providing attendees a chance to take a break and hear about some new and exciting things going on in the design field.

Mark: A big and invested audience and interaction with the audience.

Sarah: I always look forward to the conversations with attendees and fellow presenters; Q&A is the best part of any presentation.

What do you see as consumers’ biggest concerns regarding housewares products?

Lisa: People want products that work and work well, stand the test of time and are well supported by the company that creates them.

Mark: Price for value. Brand value. Space saving. Sustainability.

Sarah: As always, people are looking for a real added value and are very savvy customers. Our clients have also reported greater concerns about health and safety, as well as an increased interest in integrated electronic systems.

What are some of today’s trends or issues that new product development professionals and/or retailers face in the housewares market?

Lisa: More than ever, a consumer is faced with many choices when it comes to purchasing a housewares product. The companies that are really stand out are those that do a better job competing with not just the product story but the story of the company’s vision—how the products are being made and how they are disruptive to the status quo.

Mark: The ability to create true value as perceived in the beauty, ingenuity and charisma of products in immensely crowded categories and cost-driven distribution channels.

Sarah: The integration of electronics and “smart” systems continues grow and to permeate many markets, including housewares. This affects how customers shop, what they shop for, and their expectations about how products should work with their lifestyle.

Thank you Lisa, Mark, Mike and Sarah, for sharing your thoughts about how today’s designers work in the exciting Maker environment. I’m sure your energy and enthusiasm will generate many questions and new ideas for the listeners. We look forward to your program Monday, March 9th Innovation Theater, Lakeside Center E350.

To learn more about the speakers, contact:

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