The amazing story of Lillian Gilbreth and how she changed the way kitchens were designed

After graduating with a Psychology degree, Lillian met Frank Gilbreth, where they partnered together to pioneer “time-and-motion” studies. They filmed workers performing tasks using state-of-the-art motion picture technology where they analyzed the footage frame by frame. They broke every action into its component parts, studying reach, posture, repetition. They invented “therbligs” (which is Gilbreth spelled backwards) as a system of 17 fundamental motions that comprise all human work. She brought something unique for that time period to their consulting work, a focus on the psychology of the work, showing concern about worker satisfaction, safety and dignity (not just efficiency).

The Gilbreths applied their efficiency principles at home, turning their household into a living laboratory. They timed how long it took to wash dishes, brush teeth, make beds. They experimented with workflows. They involved their children in testing new methods. By 1924, they had twelve children and a family life that was equal parts love, chaos, and scientific experiment. Two of their children would later write about growing up Gilbreth in the bestselling memoir “Cheaper by the Dozen,” which became a beloved film.

In June 1924, Frank Gilbreth died suddenly of a heart attack at age 55, leaving Lillian in a difficult situation when the companies that employed her husband as a consultant didn’t continue working with her.

She shifted her focus to domestic efficiency where she had better success getting consulting work.

She started consulting for appliance manufacturers like General Electric, Macy’s and Johnson & Johnson. She interviewed over 4,000 women to understand how they actually used kitchens, and developed the L-shaped kitchen and many other modern design features for refirgerators, stoves and trash cans. A kitchen designed by a woman for a woman.

In 1929, she unveiled “Gilbreth’s Kitchen Practical” at a Women’s Exposition in New York which was a fully designed, ergonomically efficient kitchen that became a model for modern kitchen design.

Learn more about Lillian at https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/lillian-gilbreth/