Product Design, Technology, and Social Change

This cultural history critically examines product design and its development from pre-industrial times to the present day, considering major milestones in the mass production of goods and services, aiming to incorporate a more inclusive worldview than traditional surveys of the topic. The breadth and versatility of product designthrough history has been profound. Products have long supported the integration and interpretation ofemerging technologies into our lives. Theseobjects include everything from tools, accessories,furniture, and clothing, to types of transportation,websites, and mobile apps. Products providesingular or multiple functions, are tangible andintangible, and in many instances have impactedthe quality of our lives by saving time or money orby increasing feelings of personal satisfaction. Atthe same time, many products have negativelyimpacted people and the environment. For nearlyevery product that makes it into the hands of aconsumer, there is also a designer who created itand someone who laboured to make it. Examines the relationship betweenproducts, consumption, sustainability, politics, andsocial movements. This "pocket history" surveysproduct design from the agricultural revolution andthe birth of cities, through industrialisation, and adigital design revolution.