Paige Finn DohertyFounding Partner, Behind Genius · Founding Partner at Behind Genius Ventures

Lotus CEO Dhaval Patel's design philosophy

15 Sept 2023 · 1 min

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In this interview, Lotus CEO Dhaval Patel explains the origin of his universally usable ring paired with light‑switch covers. He traces the idea back to a human‑centered design approach, emphasizing that he spent nine months conducting in‑depth interviews with people who have a range of disabilities before building anything. Patel reflects on the uncertainty of leaving his Apple role to start a venture, noting that the early months were devoted solely to listening to users rather than producing a prototype. The conversation highlights his commitment to accessibility, the rigor of his research process, and how his Apple background informs his design philosophy.

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How did you come up with the idea for a universally usable ring paired with light switch covers? And given your background at Apple, I would love to maybe have you weave in some of your design philosophy.
Yeah, I think the nutshell version is early on I followed sort of the human-centered design process, but I was extremely unsure if that was a smart idea. In fact, case in point, to put this in perspective with actual data, I spent 9 months just interviewing people with different kinds of disabilities. But, you know, if you think about it, you've quit your job, you decided to do this startup, and, you know, you still meet your friends from time to time. And for 9 months, you have nothing to show. You have nothing to show because all I was doing for 9 months was interviewing people.