(Video) Adam Wells: PSFK Conference New York 2010

At the PSFK New York 2010 conference, Adam Wells, Design Director for Virgin Group USA, shared his insights on the future of industrial design and how innovation in the field is changing the way we experience products and services in a fundamental way.

Watch the video of Adam’s presentation below:

Highlights and insights from Wells’s talk:

Wells pointed out that improvements in service and experience design, not just product design, are solving many of today’s problems. He mentioned how much of the most exciting innovation in industrial design is emerging in the service rather than product space. Eg: Bike and car-sharing services (B-Cycle and Zipcar).

“The designer’s output doesnt have to be physical. It can be intangible – it can deliver an experience.”

Virgin America’s interior cabin design and in-flight WiFi/ entertainment system serve as prime examples of designing for optimal experience, not just physical response.

Wells noted that brands must think of products as tangible extensions of their identity.

“At any given moment, a user’s experience can make or break the relationship he/she has with a brand. Every point of contact is a potentially defining moment; brands must design with that in mind.”