Sally and product design

Who is Sally Ride?

Sally Ride was the first American woman to go into space. She broke huge barriers along her journey.

However, when she was preparing for her mission, NASA engineers designed a makeup kit for her.

The prototype kit included items such as eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, blush, lip gloss, and makeup remover.

The engineers went so far as to create compartments for each item, but the kit was never actually used in space.

They didn't ask her if she even wanted one. They just assumed.

This story reminds me of a big lesson in product design.

The first rule should always be: understand your customers' needs.

Don't assume.

Listen to them.

This is especially true when you are designing for someone who is different from you.

When products are built based on assumptions of what people want, not what they actually want, it costs time, money, and reputation.

Do you include customer research in your product design?

The director of the film "Sally", Cristina Costantini, won the "Women in Film Award" at the Mountainfilm 2025 festival.

Highly recommend.