A blog about design at the OU.
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Reflections on Mentoring in Design Practice
Once upon a time… when I was a young, carefree designer… many earth cycles ago… I found myself stuck under what they call a “glass ceiling.” I struggled to advance within my organisation until my line manager suggested I get a mentor. At the time, I had no idea what she meant. A quick search […]
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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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Design Studio and Project-Based Learning
If you are a design student or educator, chances are that you have experience of and perhaps some strong views about the design studio. The design studio is a place that gives opportunities to students (and tutors) to co-exist: to interact, ask questions, work together, or work side-by-side, and learn from one another: either directly […]
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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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An introduction to the design of education: My experience as a design curriculum intern
Between November 2023 and May 2024, I had the opportunity to take on the role of Curriculum Design Intern. My responsibilities were primarily focused on providing feedback on educational content developed for future Design modules at the OU. I applied to the internship after seeing the Design team’s wish to engage with diverse students. As […]
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Energy Performance Certificate Reform: Mighty Metrics!
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are required whenever homes are sold or let in the UK. The initial aim of EPCs was to provide a simple method for prospective occupants to compare and benchmark the energy and environment impact of homes, and to provide advice on potential improvements. EPCs rank a home’s performance from A (highest) […]
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Navigating Learning at the OU: Neurodivergence
This blog post documents my experience of being a neurodivergent student at The Open University. Navigating Learning at the OU: Neurodivergence Studying at The Open University has been a pretty big deal for me, especially since I’m neurodivergent with ADHD and Autism. When I decided to take this step to join U101 and become a […]
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The designerly dance of the electric vehicle chargers
Just before lockdown, I and my colleagues Matt Cook and Miguel Valdez were involved in a research bid in response to an Innovate UK call to address the problem of on-street charging for electric vehicles. EV take-up had been predominantly by people who could charge their cars in their drive or garage. For others, charging […]
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Desire-based Design as a Transformative Practice in Humanitarian Design Projects
In the last few years, I have been working on several action-based research projects in the Global South focused on designing with marginalised communities in low-resource settings. In these contexts, designing frugal innovations is crucial to alleviating big and small problems that affect individuals and groups. However, questions about people’s agency and how to foster […]
