Richard Whitney
Vice President of Product
Particle
At Particle, Richard Whitney crafts tools and experiences to make the Internet of Things easy. Previously—he led product at Lockitron; picked up a master’s degree from the MIT Media Lab; collaborated with OK Go; had installations at MOCA, LACMA and the V&A; worked at NASA; and made an app-controlled liquor cabinet—though not in that order.
Designing the Tools that Shape the Future
Products are designed using tools; the design elements, defaults and biases present in those tool interfaces directly affect the resulting products. A tool which is hidden or difficult to understand is used less, so the forms that tool produces occur less often. Richard Whitney says we as designers have a responsibility to consider the way that our tools shape the products they create. Our assumptions about the most likely-use cases make us and our interfaces less like translators— and more like guides. What beliefs will we choose to embody in the interfaces that build the future?
