Author: Lisa Bowers

  • Ensuring effective user input in design

    Stephen Potter and Lisa Bowers Here are a couple of perspectives on how we can engender effective user input in design – one being the experience of doing this as part of three major research projects, and the other in terms of design teaching. Firstly, the research examples. A good many years ago Steve Potter […]

  • ‘UK Makerspace – make things, do stuff and knit the community together’

    ‘UK Makerspace – make things, do stuff and knit the community together’

    Over a decade ago the term Makerspace, Hackerspace or Fablab would have been a relatively unknown term by the general populous. If the terms were understood then perhaps they would be thought of as niche or even geeky. Today the term Makerspace, Hackerspace or Fablab are more commonly known and to date there are over […]

  • A strange collection of objects or ground-breaking inclusive design?

    A strange collection of objects or ground-breaking inclusive design?

    Helen Hamlyn (2019) design innovation awards What are these objects? How can we use them? Are they modern or vintage? Answers on a postcard please… #HH@theRCA Helen Hamlyn (HH)Trust has been breaking new boundaries in inclusive design since 1991 and became fully founded in 1999. The Helen Hamlyn centre is the largest centre for design […]

  • AI, are you a watcher or a skeptic?

    AI, are you a watcher or a skeptic?

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly being used to aid humans in many scenarios and everyday tasks or challenges. From health and welfare to leading military systems AI is already being seen by designers and developers, as futuristic technologies which are available today. But what is AI technology? What can it do? What can it do for humans now and […]

  • A Trendy Design Post: Trend Design

    A Trendy Design Post: Trend Design

      You may think that Trend Design is all about gazing into a crystal ball, or putting on floaty Kaftans whilst using mythical mend bending meditation tactics to realise trends of the future. However, Trend Design is much more than just the black art of marketing, it can offer the next trending colour or the […]

  • ‘It’s OK, to want to be ordinary…’

    ‘It’s OK, to want to be ordinary…’

    Recently one of my colleagues, for the purposes of this blog let’s call her Helen, is nearing two notable landmarks in her life. One is her fortieth birthday and the second is her final ophthalmic consultation to register her as blind. For most of her life, Helen has been visually impaired, but she then became […]

  • The future is here, can you feel, see and smell it?

    The future is here, can you feel, see and smell it?

     “Are you going to the ‘Feelies’ tonight Henry?” [1] In Aldous Huxley’s book ‘The Brave New World’ [1], he speaks about going to the ‘feelies’, which transcribes as  Huxley’s futuristic vision of cinema audiences being enabled to feel the scenery in the film , as well as view the film simultaneously. Figure 1. ‘The Feelies’ A London based group is already […]

  • Haptic ‘ The State of the Art’

    Haptic ‘ The State of the Art’

    Authorship – Alastair Barrow and Imogen Clare of Generic Robotics This blog was kindly sent from Dr Alistair Burrow and his project assistant Imogen Clare. These two colleagues work a researchers within a start up business initiated and developed with via Oxford and Hertfordshire University. Through network links I have been working with both these colleagues and their […]

  • Haptics in education

    Haptics in education

    Haptics in Education  Digital Touch at a distance. The field of design is a difficult discipline to facilitate at a distance due to the practical nature of what is known as “studio” or “in house” practice. Introducing haptics to distance learning, with particular reference to the discipline of design and the future of online applied […]