Author: Nicole Lotz
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OU Design Club – don’t wait, join now.
by Lily, an OU Design student Distance learning is great. It opens up so many opportunities. It allows you to study on your own terms and time. But at the same time distance learning can be strange. You log in. You study. You log out. Days blur together. You might be surrounded by people online…
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Design education in its teenage years: reflections from DRS2026 Edinburgh
In June 2026, Edinburgh hosted the largest ever Design Research Society (DRS) Conference. I was struck by both the scale and the energy of the conversations taking place. As one of the track chairs for the Design Education research stream, alongside Ricardo Sosa (New Zealand) and Violeta Clemente (Portugal), I had the opportunity to engage…
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On the afterlife of photographs of Brinksway
by Bob Gaunt The second of two entries to this blog in which writer and curator Bob Gaunt reflects on how his research into Michael Danyliw’s photographs of Brinksway, Stockport, has helped spark new conversations, public events and local interest in a lost working-class neighbourhood. In my previous post for the Open University Design…
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Memory, place and the photographs of Brinksway
by Bob Gaunt This is the first of two blog posts in which Bob Gaunt reflects on how his research into Michael Danyliw’s photographs of Brinksway, Stockport has sparked new conversations, public events and renewed local interest in a lost working-class neighbourhood. In 2024 the Open Arts Journal published my essay about an extraordinary collection…
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Neurodiversity and design: This world is not designed by, with or for me
Mel Green writes poignantly on OpenLearn that neurodiversity refers to the natural diversity of human minds. Brains and patterns of neurocognition vary among all individuals. These variations are normal and valuable, and they should be recognised and respected in the same way as any other human variation. Current estimates suggest that between fifteen and twenty…
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From traffic to teaching: Lessons on informal designs from Nigeria
On my way to Nigeria, I read an article in Wallpaper* magazine (October 2025) about ‘informal designs’ in Nigeria. This felt like a coincidence because I was travelling to Lagos to give a keynote address at the 4th International Colloquium of the Distance Learning Institute at the University of Lagos. The audience included more than…
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Designing communities for belonging
For years, I’ve been exploring ways to design with and for communities at the Open University (OU). A recent event showcasing student community projects highlighted a growing interest among staff and students in building and supporting these initiatives. Being part of a community or communities instils a sense of belonging. Belonging, a sense of connectedness…
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Nigel Cross on Design Thinking
A is for Architecture, a podcast series run by Ambrose Gillick of Kent University, invited Nigel Cross, a renowned expert in design thinking, to discuss his research. Cross is an Emeritus Professor at the Open University (OU) and a pioneer in distance design education. He has significantly influenced the field through his work as the…
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Shaping inclusive futures with your design career
Are you a design student embarking on a new journey? Wondering where your skills can take you and the impact you can make? In this blog post, I explore design careers with a focus on inclusive futures. I’ll start by summarising the insights from a Careers and Employability Service event at OU in March 2024, featuring a diverse panel of designers,…
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A Student’s Perspective: Belonging in the Digital Age – Teaching and Learning Conference 2024
A guest article by Cindy Darbandi As a recent Design graduate from the OU’s School of Engineering and Innovation, I had the incredible opportunity to participate as a student speaker at the Advance HE Annual Teaching and Learning conference in Nottingham this July (2nd-4th). The theme resonated deeply: redefining higher education through new learning…