A blog about design at the OU.
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To Design or to DesAIgn ? The Generative AI Question for Design Students
Introduction to AIDED Generative AI (GenAI) is widely seen as a disruptive force across the creative industries – one that today’s design students will need to navigate in their professional life. But how do they view the use of the technology in design practice? And what role should GenAI play in shaping design education? A…
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Making the Design Wishes Tarot
The Design Wishes Tarot builds on a long tradition within the U101: Design Thinking module. For over a decade, students have been provided postcards so that they could post them back to the Open University, addressed to LOLA—’the spirit’ of the module. On these cards, they were invited to express their wishes and hopes for…
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From traffic to teaching: Lessons on informal designs from Nigeria
On my way to Nigeria, I read an article in Wallpaper* magazine (October 2025) about ‘informal designs’ in Nigeria. This felt like a coincidence because I was travelling to Lagos to give a keynote address at the 4th International Colloquium of the Distance Learning Institute at the University of Lagos. The audience included more than…
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New Book: Studio Properties
“There is something very special about the studio as a place of practice and learning” After years of research and writing, Studio Properties: A Field Guide to Design Education is now out! The book is co-authored by a team of international design educators and scholars, including myself (Derek Jones) and Nicole Lotz. It builds on…
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Designing What Doesn’t Exist (Yet)
Designing What Doesn’t Exist (Yet): How Co-Design and Design Fiction Challenge the Innovator’s Dilemma by Rachel A.Wood. A few months ago, I was starting to think about early prototypes for my research. As the result of this I looked at different ways to encourage new ideas. I started to read further about design fiction, and how it…
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Designing away digital mess
Have you ever found yourself frustrated by how complex and messy our digital society has made what were previously quite simple tasks? Take paying for parking your car. Once there were simple cash ticket machines (or even someone in a cabin at the entrance). Pay, display the ticket; job done. Now there may still be…
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Radical Roots: Addressing inequalities of opportunity through place-based co-design approaches
Radical Roots is a collaborative research project exploring inequalities of opportunity, delivered in partnership between The Open University and our community partner, Zebra Collective. An interdisciplinary journey, so far Building on a career of design, innovation, and collaboration in practice across various sectors, I am delighted to move into an academic space. I will lead…
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OU Sustainathon 2025: A Week of Sustainable Innovation and Student Collaboration
Last week, The Open University proudly hosted its first-ever Sustainathon — an exciting, week-long online initiative where STEM student teams tackled real-world sustainability challenges presented by third-sector organisations. The main objective of the activity is to develop employability skills and increase sustainability awareness. This year, we were thrilled to collaborate with English Heritage and The…
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Design for Accessible Travel Infrastructure
Disabled people in the UK make 38% fewer journeys than non-disabled people — a figure that’s barely shifted in over a decade. This sustained Transport Accessibility Gap reveals systemic inequalities in mobility and social inclusion. To challenge this, the Motability Foundation funds vital research into inclusive transport systems, supporting disabled researchers, like myself, through a…
