Art and Design Commons^™

Sustainable Product Design Education Through An Appreciation Of The Low-Tech, Ceri Almrott

Conference papers

The paper presents a case study on the implementation of Low-Tech development model to teach sustainability in design-led programmes. The author argues that sustainability education should include not only the technical aspects of sustainability theory but also the underlying social aspects. The low-tech approach fits well in design-led modules since it encourages students to consider appropriate technological solutions for design projects while focusing on user behaviour to develop articulate solutions. The study explores the pedagogical approach of the content used to teach the design module and introduces a low-tech design workshop to aid students in implementing learning. The results of …

Re-Evaluating Learning Environments To Nurture Studio Culture, Ceri Almrott

Conference papers

Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant remote teaching that lockdown enforced the requirements and suitability of physical learning spaces such as studios can be questioned. This paper seeks to understand the requirements of students in this decade of their physical studio spaces. Using focus groups, surveys and user feedback activities students on the Product Design programme were asked to evaluate the studio spaces within the university as they returned to on-campus learning and provide qualitative feedback on their experiences.

It was found students still require physical studios that allow them to undertake their design work and utilise tools and …

Design As Entrepreneurship: Towards A Design-Specific Entrepreneurship Framework, Con Kennedy

Conference papers

Current thinking on entrepreneurship states there is no specific link between the entrepreneur and their enterprise. Design is an individual creative act; therefore, the practitioner is not separate from their idiosyncratic process. The Designer is the product offering. Designers form Design Enterprises, meaning that with this aspect of inseparability, the Design Entrepreneur is a different kind of entrepreneur than currently discussed. The literature on the topic discusses design as a creative output, not as entrepreneurship output. Like any enterprise, Design Enterprises must be profitable. There are many entrepreneurship processes, none of which seem to address the needs of the Design …

Investigating The Enduring Fascination With Dublin's Victorian Pubs, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Victorian pubs of Dublin have played an integral role in the social, cultural and economic history of Ireland’s capital from their early development in the front rooms and parlours of Dublin homes they are one of the most iconic elements of Irish culture. These pubs have always been a strange mixture of tradition and curiosity which forms an integral part of the rich tapestry of Dublin life dating back to their creation nearly 200 years ago. A proud brewing and distilling tradition of these pubs combined with their natural hospitality and sociability, have all contributed to making the pubs of …

Creativity’S Risk To Design, Con Kennedy

Conference papers

The competencies of designers can be summed up in one word: Creativity. Creativity would seem to be the most critical skill of any design practitioner’s repertoire and is a core component of innovation and entrepreneurship. In general; creativity is considered to be a positive thing, generating positive outcomes for design enterprises and their clients. Designers utilise their creative skills to solve problems for clients, and to develop design ideas and to run their design enterprises. However, the perception of creativity and the creative worker outside the paradigm of design differs from the view within, and therefore a negative opinion of …

Iot Based Recipes For Enabling Senior Citizens: Stakeholders Views On How Integration Of Iot And Web Services Can Enhance Well-Being And Inclusion Of Older People, Matteo Zallio, Damon Berry, John Mcgrory

Conference papers

The main body of research clearly highlights the world’s population is rapidly expanding. When this fact is combined with the increase in life longevity due to medical and social advances it alters the demographic balance in relation to age. Hence, the number of people aged 65 and over is constantly increasing. The potential of Smart Technologies and IoT-based devices to improve health has increased rapidly in the last few years and users are now in a position to contribute to the development of the interaction process and need to be properly trained on benefits of using new technologies. IFTTT (If …

Adaptive Environments For Enabling Senior Citizens: An Holistic Assessment Tool For Housing Design And Iot-Based Technologies, Matteo Zallio, Damon Berry, Niccolò Casiddu

Conference papers

The population of older adults will continuously increase over the coming decades. As they get older, people will require assistance and regular monitoring, with higher costs for welfare system and families. Two vital aspects of a healthy lifestyle, are domestic autonomy and maintenance of relationships within the neighborhood. This leads to an interesting research issue: “Could houses and appliances have the potential to improve autonomy and quality of life of citizens? Which methods and tools could enhance wellbeing and healthy conditions? The house has the potential to be a safe, adaptive environment, integrated with technologies for life support. This work …

The Problem With Creativity, Con Kennedy

Conference papers

Creativity would seem to be the single most important competency of design practitioners. The literature would suggest that, in general, creativity is considered to be a positive thing generating positive outcomes of design practices and their clients. This paper investigates how creativity can be defined within the paradigm of design practice and practitioners and draws upon references in international literature to establish themes and concepts. Once identified, these themes are then investigated to identify potential problems or issues with creativity. Problems may include but are not limited to: practices undertaken by the individual designer; attitude responses from the individual designer; …

Counterculture, Ju-Jitsu And Emancipation Of Wood, Marcin Wójcik

Conference papers

This paper formulates a notion of material-oriented design in wood, proposing an alternative ontology where the material is seen as an equal rights partner to the designer. Further, I contrast the constructivist and evolutionary types of management, where in the latter systems are produced with minimal waste and energy expense. I discuss the implications of the approach on an example of five experimental projects, including my own in more detail. I advance that material-oriented design challenges the established form-matter relationship, design process, our understanding of authorship and bears an environmentally friendly potential.

Inter-University International Collaboration For An Online Course: A Case Study, John O'Connor, Claudia Igbrude, Dudley Turner

Conference papers

This paper is a practical account of the experience of collaboration between two international partners – one in Europe and the other in the United States. This collaboration experience is a lens through which the authors outline the origin, design and implementation of an inter-university teaching experience. The processes, strengths and difficulties are outlined and the rationale for utilising a virtual world is given, along with the participants’ perspectives of the experience. No institutional changes or formal agreements were needed.

The same course was validated and accredited by each institution and designed to address the requirements of each with the …