Co-founder at IDEO, renowned world-wide for its innovative and user-centered approach to design, David Kelly gives a fascinating talk at the TED conference in May 2007 entitled, “The Future of Design is Human Centered”.

Something’s happened in the last 18 years since Richard has started TED…we’ve kind of…climbed Maslow’s hierarchy a little bit so we’re now focused more and more on Human Centered Design. That really involves designing behaviors and personality into products, and I think you’re starting to see that and it’s making our job even more enjoyable.

David shares several examples of the designs IDEO has created using this philosophy, and how ubiquitous technology has become in our everyday lives. My favorite project shown is how the team at IDEO attempted to make the cubicle “more human”.

If you’re interested in learning more about ubiquitous computing, Adam Greenfields’ book Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing is an excellent resource on the subject.