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For over 20 years, I have been taking photographs of signs that help us get around everyday situations. Places where for whatever reason, we just need a little extra coaching. Signs like this. And like this. >> [laughter] >> And I've come to see the makers of the signs as designers. They're coming in after the work of the original design

team to make it so that you can actually do the thing that you're trying to do. In this case, unlock a door. Sometimes these signs are kind of subtle. You just know what to do. Other times, the sign is actually helping us think. We have been so trained to see red as danger. Thankfully, here someone is

letting us know it is just a light switch. I have hundreds and hundreds of photographs like this. You've probably seen them already today. Especially if you have paid for something. We have a very consistent issue with point of sale machines. >> [laughter] >> We also, as a group, >> [laughter] >> seem to really be struggling in the

public bathroom. An inexplicably large proportion of my photos were taken in a public bathroom. I could have done the entire talk using only public bathroom photos. When I started taking these photographs, I really was on a mission to document examples of bad design, the way it frustrates and interferes. But I've become much more interested in

preserving the signs as examples of ingenious human problem solving.