Desirability Lab
  • About the Lab
  • Product Desirability Reviews
    • Reviews

      Rose Gold Magnetic Dry Erase Monthly Calendar

      May 15, 2020

      Reviews

      Lou & Grey sweatpants

      May 15, 2020

      Reviews

      Lola

      May 15, 2020

      Reviews

      Away Suitcase

      May 15, 2020

      Reviews

      Earring organizer

      May 15, 2020

Desirability Lab

Behavioral Science Meets Design / We moved from Harvard to Brown University + RISD on Oct 1st

Check out our Global Creative Collaboration study on why some teams work better than others

Check out our 'Inner Fashion' Creative Expression + Mental Health NFT art project

  • About the Lab
  • Product Desirability Reviews
    • Reviews

      Rose Gold Magnetic Dry Erase Monthly Calendar

      May 15, 2020

      Reviews

      Lou & Grey sweatpants

      May 15, 2020

      Reviews

      Lola

      May 15, 2020

      Reviews

      Away Suitcase

      May 15, 2020

      Reviews

      Earring organizer

      May 15, 2020

Author

Tobias Haefele

Tobias Haefele

  • Moleskin notebooks

    by Tobias Haefele May 13, 2020

    Yet again, moleskin notebooks are simple and they do not have any pieces that are not necessary. Yet, a good notebook is surprisingly hard to get right. Moleskin has spent…

  • Bianchi Roadbikes

    by Tobias Haefele May 13, 2020

    Roadbikes are beautiful objects. This is because, in a roadbike, no piece does not have a function. They are aiming to be as lightweight and aerodynamic as possible, have as…

  • Disposable pepper grinder

    by Tobias Haefele May 13, 2020

    Disposable pepper grinders are great. They are incredibly efficient int the way they are built, they do (surprisingly) not actually use a lot of materials and might therefore be even…

  • Shoe trees

    by Tobias Haefele May 13, 2020

    Shoe trees are simple and functional. Made of cedar wood, they get rid of sweat and smell, and they help shoes keep their shape. Their design is clever enough to…

  • Chopsticks

    by Tobias Haefele May 13, 2020

    Chopsticks follow my design principles in that they are deceptively simple, incredibly handy and, more importantly, fulfill a real need. I often find it ironic how poorly designed (in a…

  • Homegyms

    by Tobias Haefele May 13, 2020

    Similarly, home gyms and equipment have been around before the quarantine. However, I believe this time is different. As people can work from home and spend a lot of time…

  • Netflix Autoplay

    by Tobias Haefele May 13, 2020

    This is one that I find fascinating. I am not a Netflix regular, but obviously, during the pandemic streaming services have seen a lot of uptake. What fascinates me about…

  • Houseparty

    by Tobias Haefele May 13, 2020

    Houseparty is a social media app for the quarantine. Well, its been around before but it has become hugely popular during the quarantine. While I do not think it replaces…

  • Musician messages

    by Tobias Haefele May 13, 2020

    A friend of mine is running a musician-booking service called encore. Obviously, his business has slowed down A LOT since the beginning of the quarantine. To help the musicians on…

  • YoTribe

    by Tobias Haefele May 13, 2020

    YoTribe is an app a friend of mine is developing. It is basically a combination of chatrooms and videochats. Each “circle” in the visualisation is a private videochat room (a…

Newer Posts
Older Posts

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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