This International Women’s Day – March 8th – we wanted to reflect on just a few product designs invented by women that truly changed the world.
Despite facing numerous obstacles and barriers to entry in these fields, women have made some truly amazing contributions to the world of product design and invention.
Here are just a few examples of how women designers have changed the world… so far!
The Medical Syringe
Letitia Mumford Geer (1852-1935) filed a patent for a revolutionary one-handed medical syringe in 1896. Three years later, the patent was granted and the invention quickly took the healthcare world by storm, helping to radically improve the accuracy and safety of medical treatments.
Prior to Geer’s invention, medical practitioners were using cumbersome syringes which required two hands to administer. Over 100 years later, her original design remains an essential tool in healthcare today with very few modifications.
Kevlar
In 1965, while trying to create a new material for car tires, DuPont chemist Stephanie Kwolek (1923-2014) synthesised a unique fibre with many beneficial properties. Kwolek had created poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide (PPTA). Now more commonly known as Kevlar.
Strong, light-weight, heat-resistant and bullet proof, Kevlar is used in a variety of applications, such as body armour, tires, and sports equipment.
Kicks Count
Invented by former Design Reality director, Caroline Baker, the Kicks Counter Wristband was thought up as a simple way of tracking the number of kicks expectant mothers would feel from their unborn baby each day.
It’s simple design made the design highly adaptable and went on to be rebranded for health-eating trackers by popular supermarket chains.
If you’d like to speak with one of our female product designers, get in touch below:
