LEADING WITH EMPATHY

Austen Angell

The best thing designers can do is to be more open to being influenced. “You can’t influence anyone else unless you’re allowing yourself to be influenced by them,” says Austen Angell, president of Portland, Oregon-based Modern Edge.

In parallel with the pilot demonstration of HydroPack™ in Kenya, Angell is leading the design of the product system, packaging and graphics along with a user-research program to study how the filtration device developed by Hydration Technology Innovations is used in a disaster-type situation.

The Kenya project has a lot in common with others Angell has worked on in that all involve people under severe stress. “You have to try and bring people into that situation and to lead with empathy,” adds Angell. “It’s not just about going in, “I have an answer and I’m going to perform triage.” But it’s a matter of engaging them so that they can help create the next generation solution.”