Category: Design comment
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Redesigning major infrastructure projects for a post Covid19 world
As lockdown measures ease many people are wondering what will life be like post Covid19. Will there be a new normal in which society operates in profoundly different ways with less travel for example, more online meetings and working at home. Or will it be a little like when we take a holiday, we return […]
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Fieldwork is Fun!?
I’m researching ways to reduce carbon emissions from residential heritage buildings while retaining their heritage values. I’m focussing on Cumbria and the Lake District National Park and before the small matter of coronavirus prevented all activities I was halfway through my fieldwork. My fieldwork is made up of visits to residential buildings across Cumbria and […]
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Patterns of invention, design and innovation – the case of vacuum cleaners
Today almost all households in industrialised countries have at least one vacuum cleaner. But after World War Two the adoption of vacuum cleaners was surprisingly slow, and it was not until 1955 that half of British ones owned one. The main reason was that a vacuum cleaner, even if bought on hire purchase, was beyond […]
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Europe’s first eco-mosque
I visited the Abu Bakr Siddiq Mosque in December 2005 during the Mill Road Winter Fair. They welcomed me in for mint tea and sweet treats, while my highly-excited small daughters had their hands tattooed with henna. At that point this was the only mosque in Cambridge, attached to the end of a Victorian terrace. […]
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The design opportunities in a crisis
It seems to be a little inappropriate to talk about ‘opportunity’ when you think about the current health crisis. The first association between these two words might be that of profiteering. But having had a good look at design and technology related news over the last weeks, I could mainly see other, more altruistic, design […]
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Editorial: Ed Tech defining design curriculum
(This is a cross post fromthe #DistanceDesignEd blog: http://distancedesigneducation.com) If you’d asked me ‘What drives your design curriculum?’ a few weeks ago I wouldn’t have said Zoom… I’ll shortly have to add a whole list of other technologies, services and ed-tech that are emerging as “class leaders” (That was a satirical pun, by the way). […]
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Being a designer: Starting in a new product development team.
Research on design practice examines how the role of the designer is shifting, that product design is collaborative, and design is taking on more responsibility in the process. It claims that design is no longer an aesthetic afterthought, but rather involved from inception within a multi/inter/trans- disciplinary project. As we leave University, there is an […]
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Heritage buildings, carbon emissions… and gingerbread!
One day in early October, as I was quietly wandering along, minding my own business, I was accosted by a lady from the graduate school. ‘Ah, the very person I was looking for!’ She said. My heart sank, ever since I foolishly showed up for a number of training sessions during the first year of […]
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Distance and online design education – a (not so) quick introduction
This is a quick post after a few online discussions and question around how to start with distance (and online) design education – thanks to @ZhenpingLiow, @_p_antonio and others). It’s a quick summary of a few key concepts and ideas for any design teachers or tutors needing to think about online and distance education and […]
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Makerversity: the changing face of independent design work
A few weeks ago some OU design academics plus regional and part-time staff signed up for a tour of the “Makerversity” located in the bowels of Somerset House in London. Makerversity is, undoubtedly, the biggest maker-space in the UK. With space for more than 350 members and spread over two basement floors, it offers a […]