Category: Design engagement
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A gripping tale of good design
When in 1987 I joined the OU’s Design Department (as it then was called) it was to work with Robin Roy in the Design Innovation Group (DIG) on a project to evaluate the commercial impacts of the Design Council’s Funded Consultancy Programme. Under this, SMEs were awarded a grant to employ a design consultant to…
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To Design or to DesAIgn ? The Generative AI Question for Design Students
Introduction to AIDED Generative AI (GenAI) is widely seen as a disruptive force across the creative industries – one that today’s design students will need to navigate in their professional life. But how do they view the use of the technology in design practice? And what role should GenAI play in shaping design education? A…
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Making the Design Wishes Tarot
The Design Wishes Tarot builds on a long tradition within the U101: Design Thinking module. For over a decade, students have been provided postcards so that they could post them back to the Open University, addressed to LOLA—’the spirit’ of the module. On these cards, they were invited to express their wishes and hopes for…
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Designing What Doesn’t Exist (Yet)
Designing What Doesn’t Exist (Yet): How Co-Design and Design Fiction Challenge the Innovator’s Dilemma by Rachel A.Wood. A few months ago, I was starting to think about early prototypes for my research. As the result of this I looked at different ways to encourage new ideas. I started to read further about design fiction, and how it…
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Design at the Sharps End
The smell of oil and grease evokes happy memories of hours teaching in a secondary school engineering work shop, the clatter of tools and low rumble of machinery, familiar and almost homely – but there is another odour, a whiff of ozone, and this is not year seven last period on a wet Wednesday afternoon.
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Designing for Futures
Designing for Futures: Building a Blueprint for Human Potential by Rachel A.Wood. In a world where every moment counts, our early experiences and continuous support shape not only individual destinies but the fabric of our communities. This blog is a tribute to David Farrington’s life course approach and builds upon the ground breaking insights of…
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Reflections on our face to face design meet-ups this year
We have been delighted to be able to run a number of informal face to face meet ups at various venues across the country this autumn. It has been wonderful to meet with students as well as their partners, children and grandchildren! It has been a joy to meet such enthusiastic students and to see…
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Designing for possibility and growth: the ‘art of the possible’ meets ‘Jobs-to-be-Done.’
Designing for possibility and growth: the ‘art of the possible’ meets ‘Jobs-to-be-Done.’ By: Rachel A.Wood. In my work as a designer, I use and talk about ‘the art of the possible’ (AoP) and the ‘Jobs-to-be-Done’ (JTBD) method very often. This is mainly because I have found that they are particularly useful in creating and sustaining a…
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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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Women’s research @ Engineering & Innovation showcase
To celebrate the International Women in Engineering Day 2024 (#INWED24), we organised an online event to showcase some of the cutting-edge research carried out by our women researchers at the School of Engineering and Innovation (E&I) at The Open University (OU). In this event, women researchers at different stages of the research career presented their…