In this essay on open-mindedness I have highlighted the issues related to it within our society and its effect on design in the past, present and potential future. Having collected all my research from various sources, I have found many solutions that have significantly improved a service or product. I chose this topic because I feel that in our society we have very fixed views relating to gender, race, age and class and I feel that if these were explored more and had more positive connotations we would benefit as a society. “A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it's not open.” As Frank Zappa said, it's important to be open to different points of view, otherwise you limit your brain and your ideas. Open-mindedness is defined as having a mind that is receptive to new ideas and topics. As designers we are responsible for designing not only products, but also services that are accessible to a wide range of users and have a positive impact on their quality of life. In order to do this in the best possible way we must be open to solutions that may be out of the ordinary. A great example of this is Great Ormond Street Hospital. Their cardiac department has conducted research into the human factors that can cause errors in surgery, especially small errors that are easy to overlook. They identified that the handover period in an operation posed the greatest risk. Inspired by the Formula 1 "lollipop man" who uses a paddle to direct drivers to the pit stop while having total control of the situation, they transformed the operations team's anesthetist into the lollipop man (or woman). the population has also forced designers to become more open and responsive. For example… half paper… ducts and who can use them, rather than the vision of the product itself. It is difficult to predict what products will be available in the future. However, it is clear that to keep up with changes in consumer expectations, designers must be open-minded and able to think outside the box. What we also learn from exploring open-mindedness is that it is important to learn from our peers since “different people approach problems differently.” It's important to note that what you might consider open-mindedness is simply another way of looking at a given problem, but being able to look at something in many different ways can give you deeper insight into the topic. Works Cited Clarkson, J., Coleman, R., Keates, S., Lebbon, C (2003) Inclusive Design, Design for the Whole Population.Woodward, K (2004) Questioning Identity: Gender, Class, ethnicity.