Desirability Lab

Desirability Lab

Behavioral Science Meets Design

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Published on March 5, 2014August 21, 2022 by post_author

President Obama is in Harvard Square today and campus is going wild because he’s incredibly desirable for the Democratic Party to meet with and celebrate.

photoccleve, whativegot

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Wearable Story: Pleather SkirtPleather or plastic leather, is an interesting example of advances in chemistry contributing to the fashion industry. Pleather was first created by DuPont in the 1960s, and is produced by layering plastics like PVC or polyurethane on a fabric, like polyester. This creates a more durable, often cheaper alternative to leather. In the 60s, DuPont’s first iteration of the product was called Corfam, which the company marketed as a replacement for shoe leather. The product performed poorly, mostly because it failed to breathe like natural leather, making for fairly uncomfortable shoes. At around the same time, a form of pleather called Naugahyde, made from PVC, was marketed as a replacement for leather upholstery. The marketing campaign for the product stated that the material was the hide of a fictitious animal called the Nauga, which shed its skin in order to produce the leather. The animal became popular, and Nauga stuffed animals were sold through the late 60s and early 70s. Advancements through the 60s and 70s involved mixing polyurethane, PVC, and acrylic, and layering the materials onto polyester, creating a more breathable material that mimicked leather more closely. Pleather offers many benefits – it can be created in a variety of colors and textures, allowing for a wider variety of designs at lower prices. It can also be produced without killing animals, leading some to call it vegan leather. 

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Selected News…

Fifteen Professors of the Year, Harvard Crimson, 2016

Top 50 Thinkers: On the Radar 2018
Emerging thinkers with the potential to make lasting contributions, 2018

Laura Dern & DL Director Say Creators Need to ‘Catch Up’ With Audience’s Desire for Diverse Stories, AdWeek, 2018

Designing digital workspaces for creativity and collaboration in online project-based courses, MIT Media Lab, 2020

A living (room) lab: With students off campus, faculty and staff innovated to redesign hands-on courses, Harvard SEAS, 2020

Chef League (mobile game) challenges you to improvise recipes like the pros, VentureBeat, 2019.

When it comes to innovation, it’s personal: The secret to successful innovation isn’t a great idea; it’s great people, The Business Post, 2019

Smart kitchens need smarter ideas to solve real problems, Fortune, 2019

Design for Desirability: Game design challenge requires students to think outside the box, Harvard SEAS, 2019

Apply the science of desirability to game design at GDC, Gamasutra: The art and business of making games, 2019

Applying human-centered design processes to build successful teams. Into Practice, Harvard Vice Provost Office for Advances in Learning, 2019

Tech that helps us understand ourselves, Future Assembly, 2019

Women changing the way we think about innovation. Stern Speakers, 2019

Loneliness, the fear of digital nomads, Le Temps. (in French), 2019

LA Design Festival spotlights city’s ‘creative diversity and talent’, Dezeen, 2018

Rolling toward a user-friendly commute
Harvard faculty-led startup pioneers human-centric urban travel, 2017; Vespa’s New Robot Will Carry Your Groceries, CNN Money, 2017

Five Cutting Edge Ideas and Attractions, Boston.com, 2017; Technology That Helps Us Understand Ourselves, HUBWeek, 2017

Food for Thought: Flavor & Algorithms, MIT Museum, 2017

Harvard Aims to Reinvent Business-Engineering Education, Harvard Magazine, 2017

Globetrotting Digital Nomads: The future of work or too good to be true?, Forbes, 2015; Why is a Harvard professor studying digital nomads, Nomadlist, 2015

The nature of desirability, The Design Issue, Kinfolk Magazine (paywall), 2015-2016

Harvard Class Teaches the Design of Desirability, Boston Magazine, 2015

A new model for innovation in big companies, Harvard Business Review, 2013

Present at the Creation (Putting research-based creativity tips to the test), Boston Magazine, 2013

Contact & Acknowledgements

RESEARCH LAB OFFICE:
Desirability Lab
Brown University & RISD
Barus & Holley, No. 220
Email: ba[at]desirabilitylab.com

THANKS TO EARLY SUPPORTERS:

Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences

Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching

Harvard Innovation Lab

Harvard Global Health Institute

Berkman Center for Internet and Society

SUTD-MIT International Design Center

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About Professor Beth Altringer Eagle
Link to MADE Program (Master of Arts in Design Engineering dual-degree program jointly offered by Brown University and RISD)

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