Meet Nicole Hunt | Product Designer & Developer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Hunt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
One piece of conventional wisdom I disagree with is the belief that “the customer is always right.” While this notion prioritizes customer satisfaction, it can also stifle innovation and limit the development of groundbreaking products. Having spent just under a decade designing and developing products in the home goods industry, I’ve seen firsthand how reliance on customer feedback or precedent can lead to incremental improvements rather than transformative breakthroughs. Innovators like Henry Ford famously said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses,” illustrating that customers often can’t envision what they truly need. Similarly, Steve Jobs challenged this conventional wisdom, emphasizing that “people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” The magic of bringing a successful product to market lies in offering something that customers couldn’t imagine themselves. By always adhering to the belief that the customer is right, businesses may miss out on the opportunity to create products that redefine markets and set new standards. Instead, a balance between understanding customer needs and daring to think beyond them is essential for true innovation.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
“My career has taken me all over the world, from factories in Indonesia, Vietnam, China and even near the border of North Korea. As a designer and developer of home goods, I conceptualize products such as bedroom furniture and rugs, and then collaborate with global manufacturing partners to prototype and produce these items, navigating challenges related to costing, safety, and compliance. My educational background in architecture opened doors to what would become a steep learning curve in this niche field. The most important lesson I’ve learned is to accept when the path you envisioned doesn’t work out as planned; when one door closes, another will open.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
“I recently moved to Los Angeles and now live near the beach in the Hollywood Riviera neighborhood of Redondo. This area is filled with amazing restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, and small businesses. A few of my favorites include Salt and Pearl for incredible seafood, and Coffee Cartel, an eclectic coffee shop. I highly recommend heading up the pier along the Strand pathway to Tony’s rooftop bar for stunning sunset views.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to Jeffrey Garcia, my university professor, who had a monumental impact on my design beliefs, education, and career path. Through his mentorship, an unexpected friendship evolved—one that I still reflect on and think fondly of today.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-hunt-75942965

Image Credits
Nicole Hunt