A blog about design at the OU.
-
A Christmas Cracker
It is coming now, we are very close to the most exciting time of the year. The pulling of the Christmas Cracker. I know, I know – I know about the presents, the trees, the lights, the big meal and the small brandy (or two), but for me it has always been about the cracker.…
-
The Psychology of Gaps in Design
Why do unfinished things draw us in? by Rachel A.Wood The inspiration for this blog came during a lively conversation with fellow designers, as we explored new sources of inspiration. I found myself captivated by the concept of ‘intentional incompleteness’ and began to wonder how leaving things unfinished could transform both my practice and my research.…
-
There is power in a Standard approach: How Non-Sighted People Master Mainstream Tech
Image: A person holding a smartphone displaying a chatbot interface, with the message ‘Can I help you’ It’s a common misconception that people who are non-sighted or partially sighted rely solely on highly specialised, complex equipment to interact with the digital world. While dedicated assistive technology (AT) certainly plays a vital role, the real revolution…
-
Robots and the city – Urban Robotics Symposium and the MK RoboPASS
Readers of the Design@Open blog probably know that blog rotas are planned months in advance. I had originally planned to use this this blog entry to think about the Smart City Robotics Festival in Milton Keynes, and particularly the Smart City and Robotics Symposium of 23rd September. Just as I was considering how to present…
-
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…
-
Regenerative Heritage Green Spaces Project: Workshop 2
Bringing people together to solve heritage greenspace challenges Anyone managing a heritage site knows the headache. You have got Victorian gardens that need preserving, climate targets that need meeting, communities that need access, and budgets that never stretch far enough. How do you juggle it all without dropping something important? We had quite a day…
-
The art of looking up: A social prescription.
Social prescribing might feel like a new initiative but its key principle of connecting individuals with what matters to them, offering moments of joy and respite from personal struggle, echoes ideas found in the writings of some of the earliest philosophers. On A111, an arts and humanities module I teach alongside the design module, U101,…
-
An enticing subversion: contemporary art and ‘decolonising’ in Malaysia
‘Reframe and Resist: Decolonise Here and Now!’ is a new initiative that seeks to transform the visual arts sector by addressing legacies of colonisation and environmental crisis. Supported with a grant of £10,000 from the British Council under a scheme designed to foster cultural exchange in Southeast Asia, part of its funding programme Connections Through…
-
Hello from the Newest Member of the OU Design Team!
I am Sejal Changede, and I am thrilled to join the Open University as a Lecturer in Design. The first time I truly questioned what I knew about design, I was sitting in a small workshop in India, watching an elderly silversmith work a piece of silver over a portable forge. He shaped and hammered…
