Niels Diffrient Quotes

United States, Industrial Designer
September 6, 1928 – June, 8, 2013.

Niels Diffrient was an American industrial designer. Diffrient focused mainly on ergonomic seating, and his most well known designs are the Freedom and Liberty chairs, manufactured by Humanscale.

Why would you design something if it didn't improve the human condition?

Niels Diffrient
- Design
- Human
- Condition
The less there is of a phone, the more I like it.

Niels Diffrient
- Phone
- Less
- Like It

It looks like a galosh with electronics in it.

Niels Diffrient
- Looks
- Electronics
My ideal office wouldn't have a chair. You would do two things there: stand up or lie down. These are the body's most natural positions.

Niels Diffrient
- Office
- Chair
- Positions
When design springs from an understanding of the people who are going to use a product, you begin to see forms that you would never have imagined.

Niels Diffrient
- Design
- Imagine
- Forms
Today the telephone takes precedence over everything. It reaches a point of terrorism, particularly at dinnertime.

Niels Diffrient
The best way to know what people want is not by asking them, but by understanding them.

Niels Diffrient
- Want
- Way
- Understand