New Dynamics of Ageing

Photostroller

Focusing on spirituality and daydreaming, and designed for the inhabitants of a traditional care home, the devices look beyond stereotypes of frailty. Instead they help elderly people make connections with the world that are of interest and use to them.

The devices were developed in collaboration with researchers at Newcastle and Northumbria Universities as part of the New Dynamics of Aging (NDA) programme, a seven-year multidisciplinary UK research initiative with the ultimate aim of improving quality of life of older people.

The Photostroller, an interactive device developed by the Interaction Research Studio, in the Department of Design at Goldsmiths, University of London has recently been introduced into a care home in York to enhance the daily lives of its residents.The Photostroller shows a never-ending sequence of images drawn from the Internet, some related, others more random, like an electronic daydream. The flow can be influenced to stay close to a selected category of images, or allowed to drift away to more tenuously related subjects.

Text, Professor Bill Gaver
Photography, Dr Alex Wilkie
Project Links
http://www.gold.ac.uk/interaction/

Communication Through Play

Using interaction in the everyday to address bullying

During a research programme in primary schools, the issue of bullying and how staff were trying to combat it with communication and developing an understanding of those around us was highlighted.
Through observation of the playground and children’s natural behaviour, we created an interaction to facilitate communication an interactive school bench for children, forming a communication tool for the playground.

Every time a child swung their legs, the bench played a pre-recorded note. This provides the children with something engaging to use and communicate with. The object subverted the product language of the archetypal school bench that the children are familiar with. The product allowed children of different social ages to interact with one another in an uninhibited way.

Collaboration with Chris Hand,
RCA Design Interaction.

Produced in the UK

Design for global manufacture

Designing for a mountain bike manufacturer for the past 8 years where costs, parameters, materials and specifications are finite. The products have included: pedals, hardtail frames, suspension frames, grips, tyres, handle bars, stems, seat posts and chain rings. All of the products have improved quality, cost, performance and sales.

These high tolerance components are used in the National championships for 4x, Cross country, Trials, Freeride, dirt jumping and Downhill events. The wide range of work has included end to end projects from conception to manufacture in Taiwan using a wide variety of production process’s. Some of the solutions have combined simple products to reduce stock and costs.

Images courtesy of DMR and Upgrade Bikes
http://www.upgradebikes.co.uk/
http://www.dmrbikes.com/

Utilitarian solutions in a cultural environment

An illuminating object is conventionally developed to be turned on in an isolated dark environment. User considerations dictate this to be reversed; during any failure or miscomprehension, the object should remain on, illuminating this underground environment.

The mechanical functions are enlarged for gloved workers; an internal switch also allows illuminated battery replacement. The product has been considered to allow self-repair and the notion of remote on-site manufacture has informed the detail, aesthetic and components.

Collaboration with the miners of San José
Mountain (Oruro) and lecturer Ximena Cordova

Photography, Nick Ballon
http://www.interventions.org.uk/

Creative Tools

Instigating self-initiated creativity

During a period of research in different autistic schools a statement was highlighted that “self-initiated creativity in autistic children remains a problem.” Products were created to embrace this skill and specifically designed so the children’s mistakes or experiments were not comparable but just exploration.

The project concluded in a series of products and play workshops which successfully initiated the children’s independent creative thoughts. The main outcome created design workshops and feedback leading to positive learning that had previously not been embraced.

KOKUYO
Design Award Winner
2005

Perfect Unique

Individual mass production

Creating a process that enables individuality in mass production without affecting cost whilst still embracing traditional methods of manufacture. Created for and produced by Royal Dalton, Est. 1815, Stoke-On-Trent.

Travel Tea

User Centred packaging

Created from observations then developed for Unilever as the
named inventor.
Patent no. P58997B

Cooking with Lucy

Design for independence, inclusion and health living

After research into the area of tactile product language I became interested in direct user groups. Working with RNIB Redhill, a school (11-18yrs) for the visually impaired in Surrey, to foster independence and self-confidence in its pupils. Lucy wanted a tool to enable her to chop and prepare vegetables.
The visually impaired users I had come into contact with often found using a vegetable knife difficult and dangerous, and the students at Redhill rarely consumed fresh vegetables as a result.This raised a big health issue. Lucy used the resulting product to create a meal for nine people, cooking her first meal using fresh vegetables.

Helen Hamlyn Award
Highly Commended
2006

d3o Material Technology

Impact reactive materials and life-saving specifications

Working with the MOD, utilising the unique properties of a new material technology to develop solutions for impact/ballistic protection.
This relied on continuous field testing from the users, working in teams with engineers, textile experts, operatives and designers and adhering to strict international standards.

Images courtesy of d3o

“James’ Tea”

Using design as an instigator to engage with disability policy and the public

Working with two secondary schools in Birmingham to address issues of disability. James wanted to be able to make a cup of tea for himself and others. Existing products were dangerous for him.

Through a process of recording his daily life by observational photography, the product was specifically designed with James.
The project incorporated exercises/movements that form part of James’ physiotherapy routine.The product was designed specifically as a one-off as part of an international touring exhibition with the Arts Council to highlight design for disability.

Photography, Edward Reeves

Design Workshops

Using design as an instigator to engage with disability policy

During the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 a series of bespoke workshops were created to educate and train employees of the BBC. These were created to develop their consideration of disability both in and out of the workplace in conjunction with the new legislation.

The participants were in groups comprising 50 to 200 people of mixed ability and age. The image depicted is one of fifteen exercises addressing the needs of communication, clarity, feedback and inclusion.

Sound into Surface

Exploring sound as tactile communication

Investigating the area of creating a tactile language to inform people of geographical location, public information or need in emergency environments. Using sound to create tactile surfaces, developing a relationship between an object and an event in time, from a recorded musical performance.

A sound recording is mapped in the form of a two dimensional computer generated image. This is translated into a three dimensional surface machining technologies, which is an ongoing process.
The current object illustrates the concept: the depression of the top surface chimes a glass; the depressed surface is 0.5 of second represented in a tactile language.

Made in Nigeria (Lagos)

Utilising making skills

Working within Lagos where trading your skills becomes your living in the form of welding, wicker weaving, pewter moulding, cement pressing and other local crafts. Using local materials/makers to create simple products for the street workers who populate the roadside. There were many constraints with costs, weather, materials and the quality of makers.

In collaboration with Max Lamb and the British Council

Waiting for a Friend

Café/bar stool, mild steel and birch ply.

450mm X 350mm X 350mm