I believe that design is a tool and the designer’s primary job is to figure out where to utilize that tool. It takes a discerning eye and an empathetic disposition to figure out where unmet needs and inaccessibility is in our society today.

Having broken my arm recently and then undergoing surgery months later, I experienced mew difficulties with everyday items that only occurred because I had one working arm. This inspired me to reconsider the ways in which different people may have problems with products in this world.

Marc Harrison, a disabled industrial designer, who primarily focused on “Universal Design” — the idea of designing products both for disabled people and not disabled people — once said “it is the role of design to accommodate the user, rather than the user having to adapt to rigid, unforgiving design.” This is the approach that inspires me in design. I want to strive for accessible designs that even consider the unseen troubles that users may face.