Category: Design Theory

  • Designing for Futures

    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 […]

  • 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.’

    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 […]

  • Decoding Design Psychology

    Decoding Design Psychology

    A journey through the intersections of design and the mind by Rachel A.Wood  There are different estimates of the number of designers who come from a psychology 𝚿 background, but in human centred design – estimates are likely to be around 10-20%. Being as I am passionate about psychology (which much of my past education […]

  • Ethical Decisions in Digital Product Design

    Ethical Decisions in Digital Product Design

    Throughout my career, I have been deeply fascinated by the human experience and how people interact with the technology around them. Over the years, I have been lucky enough to work on various design projects, allowing me to explore this topic in depth. From designing user interfaces for software programs to developing new prototypes, my […]

  • Design@50 – Design in a Time of Climate Emergency

    Design@50 – Design in a Time of Climate Emergency

    The latest Design@50 event focused on the topic Design in a Time of Climate Emergency, featuring reflections and discussion between Prof Stephen Peake, Dr Emma Dewberry, Dr Alessandra Campoli and Dr Derek Jones. The event also featured archive footage from the first Open University course that introduced design, connecting it to far broader issues around […]

  • Christian Nold: Mapping, Generative Coding, Science and Technology Studies and Systemic design

    Christian Nold: Mapping, Generative Coding, Science and Technology Studies and Systemic design

    Hi, my name is Christian Nold and I started at the OU in September 2021 as a Lecturer in Design. In this text I want to introduce myself and offer a few themes from my work that might be relevant to both design teaching and research such as mapping, generative coding, Science and Technology Studies […]

  • LEARN x DESIGN Conference on Design Education

    LEARN x DESIGN Conference on Design Education

    The 6th International DRS EdSIG Conference on Design Education, LEARN x DESIGN 2021 was held in September 2021, hosted by Shandong university of Art & Design, China. The 2021 Conference was a great success, particularly considering the challenges facing the organisers. Shortly after the announcement was made that Shandong would host the conference, the COVID-19 […]

  • Attitudes and Behaviours

    Attitudes and Behaviours

    We’re on design as a set of Cognitive Superpowers (again). This time looking at two properties we take for granted and don’t seem to include in learning outcomes: Attitudes and Behaviours. I’m going to argue that these are as important as developing Skills or Cognitive Abilities. In particular, that they are necessary aspects of being […]