25 Years of the Stanley Caplan User-Centered Product Design Award: Origins,Evolution,and Impact

Abstract

We review the origin, evolution, and impact of the Stanley Caplan User-Centered Product Design Award over the past 25 years. The annual Award has recognized product excellence in the areas of commercially available products, systems, and equipment. The Award is unique in its evaluation method that stresses both a product’s design process and the end product of that process. Winners can expect increased visibility for their industrial design, user experience, and human factors groups, and increased support from their companies for human-centered designs and processes. Designers are invited to submit their human-centered designs into the Award’s evaluation process.