GREGOR DOVERTY A BIT ABOUT ME... Hello, my name is Gregor and I am a designer. I am fascinated by people and love to ask why we do things the way we do.
! ! 1. DEFINE BRIEF
2. PRIMARY RESEARCH
3. ANALYSE + SYNTHESISE
Using data, goals and
Use
research
Map experiences, journeys
relevant details supplied
methodology to build upon
and interactions to identify
by client, establish project
earlier research. Interviews,
design opportunities,
scope, deliverable and
rapid ethnography, active
challenges and pain points.
time scales.
observation etc.
effective
People fascinate me and being a designer means it is my job to question, explore and make sense of the decisions we all make every day. I didn’t know it at the time, but my career as a designer started unofficially aged 7 when I drew out and built a house for Action Man. It wasn’t until I studied Product Design and Art School that I really began to join the dots and understand the impact design can have
!
!
6. USER SCENARIOS Run
solutions
through
scenarios to identify any issues early in development. Scenarios are based on user journeys, experiences
!
5. IDEATION
4. USER PERSONAS
Use ideation techniques
Based on observations,
to
create
develop
multiple
well
defined
possible solutions. Avoid
user personas, Quotes,
constraints created by
Attributes, Context, Goals.
current solutions.
and personas.
on our lifestyles, interactions and experiences.
!
My approach to design (shown right) is
-+
founded in a belief for the need for user centred practices. This process is by no means concrete, in fact the opposite, I re-imagine and evolve these elements to suit my brief/ client/challenge. Please have a look at my portfolio and give
7. PROTOTYPING
8. USER TESTING
9. PRODUCT LAUNCH
Build lean, functional proof
Use focus groups, mock
Let people know about it.
of concept prototypes for
up
Shout out, don’t be shy!
mock up testing. Build
genuine environments to
in the MVP
test solutions. Document
environments
accordingly.
me a shout if you have any questions. GRD_
1
and
projects
YOUR BAG IS SAFE
OPEN SOURCE STIRLING
NFU COMMUNICATIONS
GLASGOW MUSEUMS
COMMUTER HOLDALL
OAKGROVE SCHOOL
Creating a digital resource map with
Experience mapping and service
Designing new experiences with
Designing a solution for luggage
Exploring
local artists and cultural practitioners.
design with corporate employees.
museum visitors.
theft and loss on public transport.
experiences through design.
Resource Mapping
Corporate Identity
User Interviews
User Interviews
User research
Public Engagement
Experience Mapping
Participant Recruitment
Ethnographic Research
Experience mapping
User Personas
Co-design workshops
Public Engagement
User Personas
Co-design workshops
Wireframing
Ideation
Co-design Workshops
Ideation
Ideation
Data collection
Prototyping
Data Analysis
Prototyping
Prototyping
GIS platform
Data analysis
CAD
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primary
pupils
play
OPEN SOURCE STIRLING DUration May 14 - Dec 14 (8 months)
Brief Build an online resource for the creative and cultural community within Stirling which has potential to make the city a more culturally diverse and connected place. The project used GIS technology, resource mapping techniques and a public engagement programme to create an asset for the local community.
challenges understanding User needs Design a platform built around of the goals, aspirations and technical ability of the individuals and organisations working within the local area. Technical knowledge The design team had not worked with GIS software previously and lacked
technical
knowledge. public engagement Due to previous consultations within the area, there were some latent issues relating to community perceptions and willingness to GRD_
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engage within the project.
Approach
overcoming challenges
Resource mapping explores the tangible user data
and intangible resources within an area or community, data collected is used create an interactive map of local resources. The project
Early consultations were used to publicly present
had two main areas running in parallel.
the project and engage local communities in research to draw up a list of priorities for the
1. Developing the online platform
platform. Using creative workshops and other research activities, opinions an aspirations for a
2.
Delivering
of
public
more connected community were explored and
project
goals,
analysed. Questions focussed on areas such as
aspirations activities to encourage community
user’s technical ability, existing networks in the
participation in resource mapping activity and
area and user goals.
engagement
a
programme
promoting
buy-in. TRANSPARENCY
Project Team
Transparency was the key to tackling underlying
The project was delivered in partnership by
community tensions and moving forward from
three organisations, icecream architecture,
earlier, unsuccessful consultations.
Artlink Central and Creative Stirling.
Along with the website and mailing list, social
Gregor Doverty - Project lead, ICA
media was used to push out any project
Paul McDondald - Graphic Designer
news, events or opportunities. Being open
Anna Srpova - Project Delivery
about funding, project goals and managing expectations was key to gaining community
Joe Hall - Project lead, Creative Stirling
buy in.
Dan Nunan - Developer Emily Tucker - Project Delivery
Regular open meetings were held to offer opportunities for community members to
Kevin Harrison - Project Lead, Artlink
provide feedback and participate.
David McQuatt - Finance Officer GRD_
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APPROACH
USER PERSONAS
Informed by early research findings I was responsible for creating data driven user personas built around real goals, opinions and technical ability. These personas were also used during public presentations to demonstrate project goals and values to improve local buy in.
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1.
BROWSE Navigating site within any
2.
SEARCH Search to find specific content.
3.
Add data to resource
4.
PROMOTE Products, services
5.
opportunities,
map.
interaction.
Home
CONTRIBUTE
Search for other
Search for
Timeline
Post wanted add
Add images
Can’t find what
Directory
board
Create profile
caterers
attend event,
Browse collab
Add resource
dancers
Get involved collaborate
Goals
What is OSS
CONNECT
of work
she is looking for
Add link to website Home
What is OSS
Browse directory
Collaborative Event.
WANTED : Mobile caterer for dance events.
Update profile Browse collab
Blog
board
Blog Post
USER JOURNEYS I created site maps to understand and visualise how users could interact
Home
Blog
Upcoming
Search upcoming
with the site and each other. Two user types were identified with five
events
event tags
levels of site activity to set limitations when considering the user’s navigation through the site. These were describes as, Browsers and
Blog Post
Event page
Active contributors.
Event page
User journeys and personas allowed me to create UX documents to brief the developer and ensure all team members were on the same page. GRD_
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PROTOTYPING None of the design team had worked with GIS platforms before. This lack of technical Wallace Street
knowledge meant it was challenging to create early prototypes for public demonstrations and d
oa
dR
et
Creative Stirling
ea
fth
glas
Stre
Upper Bridge Street
wel
l Ro ad
A9
hin
reet
W
e St
Pass
events.
an Cow
eich
lleng
Dou
Burughmui r Road
Be
Cro
Wallace Street
To overcome this, I learnt how to use Tilemill,
Stirling Castle
Low
Cowa
er Ca stleh
a digital map building tool, and Axure to build
hill
stle Ca
reet
ne St
r pe Up
ill
proof of concept prototypes. Ca stle
Co
dge
Ro ad
Q
uee
n
Str
ee
Burughmuir Road
per Up
Uppe
rn
r Bri
Ba
St
urt
t
hill
tle Cas ec Goos
A9
Peotry Slam Mediterranea Restaurant
Road roft
Viewfield Place
Irvine
Place
Events
Irv
Pla
ce
y’s
Mar Place
ar StM
ine
d
Wyn Barnton Street
Darnley Street
t
d
ad ft Ro
uir Roa
First Fridays Barnton St Music
e
Plac
ecro
Mar
First Fridays Curly Coo
tree
reet
Goos
cess S
d St
Burughm
Prin
Broa
Holy Rude Church
A9
The Tolbooth
Cowane’s Hospital
ris Te
reet
rrace
on St
Barnt
Mor
Creative Stirling Freedom Versions/ 14Zero Creative Stirling
s
StJ
Gar d
en
oh
nS
tree
al Roy
First Fridays Morrisons Cold Beer Co
Ba
t
ker
Du
mba
Maxwell Place
Bow Street Community Event Stirling Boys Club
Jail Yard Music
Str
eet
rto
eet
Europa Music
A81
Str
n Ro ad
Ba
nk
1
oa
nR
tio
Sta The Smith Gallery and Museum
Ba Road
ce
A811
t
itta
lS
tre
Artist Maggie Montgomery
et Pop Up Cinema Burgh Coffee House
First Fridays The Arcade
Kin
g
A811
Str
Place
Place
ee
t
Pop Up Cinema Burgh Coffee House
Corn Exchange Road
Place
Clar
endo
n Pla
ce
oral
ray
ria
Albert
Victo
Balm
Clothes Swap Party Yoga Tree Studios
Jail Yard Music 14 King Street
Mur
Place
Clar endo
n Ro ad
Queen
s Ro ad
rS
tree
ria
rt Pla
Pop Up Cinema Brea Restaurant
ke
Sp
Victo
Albe
Victo
rai Sq
uare Alb
ert
e
Road
A81
rom
Victo
rai Sq
by Pla
ce
First Fridays Allan Park South Church
Pop up cinema Allan Park South Church
Alla n Pa
rk
Claren don Pla
ce
uare
Cultural Corridor
Ave nu
Aberc
Gle be
ens
Que
Cultural Event
Plac
1
Local Artist e
Cultural Organisation
Artist June Carey
Glebe Aven
ue
PROFILE + LOCATION
TILEMILL GIS
interactions with the site, learning about the project goals,
Users are able to input details relating to their products and services,
Interactive maps were built using Tilemill
events and opportunities.
profile, location and venue/studio opening times.
and CartoCSS.
The first stage of user journey focussed on the users first
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Street
Pop Up Cinema Destiny Church
Port
BROWSING, SEARCHING
A811
Heritage Point
RESULTS
140+
users mapped on platform
7 6
events held
Local artists commissioned
8 5
resulting
platform
paired
with
engagement programme has already
Voluntary positions
3
open Source Results The
paid positions
Open meetings held
the had
20+
a significant impact on the area. Taking this approach has created a mechanism for open dialogue between cultural practitioners. local authorities and funding bodies. GRD_
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artists and org’s signed up for next open meeting
CO-DESIGNING COMMUNICATION
1. DEFINE BRIEF Establish deliverables, timescale, points of contact, feedback schedule etc. 2. BASELINE RESEARCH
DUration
Gain understanding of company goals, ethos, strategy, business model,
July 14 - Sept 14 (9 weeks)
customer relationships, products and services, current communications
Brief Insurance
provider,
Union, had identified their
current
system etc.
National
Farmers
communications
3. DEVELOP METHODOLOGY
!
inefficiencies within
Develop methodology research and co-design.
systems.
Their communications team felt employee
4. COLLECT USER DATA
awareness of strategic company information could be improved by the introduction of an
interactive,
sharepoint.
physical
Icecream
communications
architecture
Create experience maps, journey maps and visualise
commissioned to develop and deliver co-
routines.
design workshops involving employees from findings would be used to create wireframe
gathering key information
5. SYNTHISIZE DATA
were
both Glasgow and Cardiff premises. These
challenges
Explore user experience data, map journeys and routines.
-+
!
designs.
It was vital for the design team to achieve a strong understanding of the three priority areas, • current communications systems
6. IDEATION Develop and delivery of ideation + prototyping workshop
• how employees interact with these systems and each other • corporate culture with the organisation.
7. DESIGN SOLUTIIONS Develop design solutions based on user designs and
!
managing expectations
findings
Ensure
8. INTERACTION WORKSHOP
and opinions were nurtured and treated
Explore and test desired methods of interaction with users
appropriately whilst managing expectations of
employee’s
ideas,
aspirations
a new solution. 9. REFINE DESIGNS
client’s assumptions
Informed by findings
The idea for the sharepoint came from the NFU communications team. These assumptions
10. CLIENT PRESENTATION Visual and verbal presentation of findings and designs. GRD_
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had to be verified to ensure this was the best possible solution.
APPROACH
Project Team
The design team developed an innovative
Gregor Doverty - Project Lead
co-design methodology delivered over three
Alison Bell - Project Delivery
phases,
Anna Srpova - Project Delivery
A. Scoping
B. Prototyping
C. Collation.
Paul McDonald - Graphic Design
a. Scoping
The first workshop asked employees to map out routes of communication and routines to identify any frictions/bottle necks/ pain points in the current system. Participants were asked to explore who were communicating with, what they were communicating about and which systems were being using.
Mapping Interactions
Asking the groups to break up their daily routines in terms of communications built a map showing the links between time and locations of communication. These steps allowed the design team to achieve a strong understanding of the matrix of systems used, terminology and interactions. GRD_
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b. Prototyping Informed by scoping findings, mock up models and test environments were created containing existing elements of the communications system.
Ideation
activities
encouraged
employees to explore their ideal methods of communication using the current system elements by removing/ repositioning /altering such elements. Participants were given the chance to draw on their experiences and knowledge of company culture, processes and strategies to design new solutions. These findings were used to create a list of priority elements to be included in designs for the physical sharepoint.
Mapping communications
Employees
were
asked
to
explore
communication scenarios by tracing routes of specific communications to create a chain of system elements involved. Once the communication reached the point of businesswide distribution, participants were asked to explore potential new methods which were then analysed by the group as a whole. GRD_
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c. collation, scenarios
Creating a prioritised list of communication elements allowed me to make research tools which would allow employees to create a scale model of the share point. These building blocks could be used to test out interactions by getting employees to act out how a communication scenarios may play out. For example, a team briefing at the beginning of a shift. Participants were asked to consider how much physical space should be afforded to each section of the wall and which method of interaction would be most efficient. Images showing different ways of displaying information were shown to encourage the group to think beyond a digital screen.
user feedback
Employees were asked to mark ideas on three criteria; feasibility, viability and desirability. This ensured expectations were managed realistically and the design team were not over promising a solution which could not be delivered on a modest budget. Shown above are two outcomes from this workshop digitised for final presentation.
GRD_
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Results As set out in the brief, the design team created wireframe designs over three pricing points. Each wall comprised of the communication elements which were of highest priority to the business and employees and had been tested using various scenarios to ensure effectiveness.
STREAMLINED SYSTEM
2. DATA INPUT
Taking this research and design methodology allowed
Introduce a more effective method of data input for
the design team to explore the client’s assumptions and identify where the real need lay.
employees which reduces duplication of effort and saved time.
The findings showed that rather than focus on the mass distribution of information at the end of the chain, it would be of greater benefit to look at how information could flow through the system in a more streamlined way. This was communicated to the client after the second workshop however they were unwilling to deviate from the plan and insisted the design team continue with the wireframe designs. I presented three key recommendations to NFU’s Board of Directors during the final presentation, half of whom were stunned to learn such problems existed. All three recommendations have since been introduced with great effect.
1. COMM’S TEAM
3. WORK WITH EMPLOYEES
Invest in the communications team, give more
Work with employees to explore the communications
defined roles with greater input through internal
system in more detail to understand how best to create
communications.
a more integrated, streamlined system.
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MUSEUM AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE
challenges
DUration
To develop a research methodology capable
Methodology
of collecting responses on a city wide basis as
March 15 - June 15 (12 weeks)
well providing opportunities for participants to provide more in-depth responses.
Brief Glasgow Museums wanted to improve their visitors’ experience, so commissioned
Recruiting participants
icecream architecture to explore audiences’ current perceptions of museums and displays.
To
The research approach would to gain an
represented
understanding of what would increase visitor
Museums
were
research the
participants
demographics
who
identified
within the briefing documents.
numbers. Glasgow
recruit
particularly
interested to hear the voices of residents Data Processing
living in the North East of Glasgow, an area of high social depravation, and outline three main groups for the research team to engage,
With 325 research participants engaged in
families, young people and adults.
the project, it was vital to process the data in such a way as to maintain the accuracy of the responses and ensure this was done within the allocated time scale.
Project Team
Having not worked with such a number of responses before meant I was inexperienced
Gregor Doverty - Project Lead, Lead Researcher
in these methods.
Ian Findlay - Research Assistant Emma Wylie - Research Assistant GRD_
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approach The approach was split into two phases of research,
1. Awareness raising
2. Focussed sessions. 1. AWARENESS RAISING
Awareness raising sessions were held in public areas of high footfall to make contact with a large number of people in the shortest possible time. Research tools were used to attract the curiosity of those passing by before leading into a conversation about personal experiences and opinions of Museums. Questions explored current perceptions and experiences. Responses were written on labels and placed on a map of Glasgow , shown on the right.
2. FOCUSSED SESSIONS The second phases of research took a co-design approach to put workshop participants in the shoes of the museum display designers. Groups were introduced to the concept of curated objects telling a story before being asked to consider the stories and topics they would like to learn about. Recruiting the right research was key as set out in the brief. To achieve this, I worked with a number community and educational groups within the North East of the city who met the requirements.
GRD_
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INTERVIEWS
RECRUITMENT Effective visual communication with strong
Small groups of participants were taken to an
people skills was key to gaining the trust of
interview area beside the workshops and asked
these groups and individuals.
the same line of questioning as used in the
By commissioning a professional photographer
awareness raising session. By holding interviews
to document the first phase of research, I
during the creative workshops, participants
was able to use high quality images of the
were able to provide much more in-depth
engagements to invite people to participate the
and considered answers as they were already
second phase.
thinking about their ideal museum experience.
CO-DESIGN I decided to use a co-design approach as I feel by asking research participants to use creative processes when answering questions, their responses are much richer. Rather than simply asking groups to tell me what they wanted to experience in the museum, I encouraged them to use their imagination and design it, resulting a more qualitative output. GUIDED TOURS IDEATION
+
After designing their ideal museums display,
STORY TELLING
groups would then present their ideas in the form of a guided tour followed by an open
Workshop participants were introduced to
group critique. This way of working will lead to
ideation techniques to help them explore
participants building upon each other’s ideas
topics of interest in detail. This helped groups
and often combining to create a new ideas
understand how their chosen topics could best
bringing together the best aspects of each
be presented in a museum display to create a
design and a sense of shared ownership.
rich visitor experience. GRD_
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S
R
A I S IN G E V
SUB THEME
E
4
4
SUB THEME
CO
D ES I G N
W
22
guided tours
words
chapters
KSHOPS OR
325
interest
display methods
SUB THEME workshops + tours
4
FINDINGS
My chosen method involved breaking the responses in to six main themes.
The total sample size from both phases of
I then explored the responses within
research was 325. Within the awareness
these themes and broke them down
raising phase, the research team spoke
into 21 more detailed categories. These
to 173 resulting in 574 individual points
were analysed to identity patterns and
of feedback.
establish the overall response.
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Once
I
have
created
between
and
was
able
connections to
draw
conclusions. I complied the final written report consiting of four chapters. As the final report has not yet been published, I am unable to proved any detailed findings.
O RT
themes
18,000
topics of
REP
6
responses
AL WRI T TE N
N FI
S
574
PARTICIPANTS
perceptions
NT
ARENE AW S
RESULTS
COMMUTER HOLDALL
challenges engagement People are notoriously unwilling to get involved in research within the public transport
DUration
environment. Even speaking to passengers on
Sept 11 - May 12 (9 months)
trains can be a challenge.
Brief
user criteria As this was a self generated project, I had to be
As a final year university project, the brief was entirely open. I choose to focus on public
sure I was not designing a product for myself ,
research approach
transport as this combined my three main
rather for a well defined and understood user.
area of interest at that time, urbanism, social interaction and community. My aim was to explore the various public transport environments, identify a problem and develop a solution, which would increase
Passenger interviews Observations
ys
r ve
Su
lin
ur es
es
b Pro
the amount of journeys taken on public
On
ys
st N
ve
rch sea gh e R ou ion thr cept de
Lo
st
Lo
es
ri Dia
ks
oo
b ote
outsourcing I was confident with my prototyping and making skills however I wanted the final Project Direction
product to be manufactured professionally. I had never worked with developers or manufacturers before.
transport.
guerilla research
I wanted to develop new guerilla research methodology so began leaving research hooks on trains for passengers to find. I left pocket diaries on trains exploit people’s curiosity/ nosiness. When opened, passengers would find a QR code to a website where they could me tell their own stories of loss/theft. GRD_
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research findings I carried out interviews with 40 passengers on train journeys from Glasgow to Edinburgh and Glasgow to London. This research showed that one of the main issues for passengers on train journeys is the threat of having personal items lost or stolen.
A high number of passengers cited luggage security as a problem. For the majority of passengers, the fear of loss/theft is a greater problem than the likely hood of having and item lost or stolen.
55 %
12 %
75 %
Of commuters have been
Of commuters have lost
Of commuters worry
victims of theft whilst using
personal possessions whilst
about the security of their
public transport.
using public transport.
possessions and luggage whilst travelling.
Quotes
Attributes
Context
Goals
“ I enjoy using the train but not being able to sit next to my bag on busy journeys makes me anxious and stops me being able to work.”
> Frequent user of public transport. > Frequent user of mobile apps, keep up to date.
> Regular business trips using both train and underground.
> Determined to maintain position of best performing employee within company.
> Works in Central London with 45 minute daily commute.
> HTC One X for work purposes.
> Keeps up to date with fashion trends online.
> Uses travel time to complete work tasks and hit
“ Being able to concentrate on work during a journey would be a bonus.” Richard Clements, 37 Recruitment Consultant
> Look good whilst doing it.
user persona Creating a well defined user persona allowed ensured my design ideas were grounded in research findings and explored real issues cited by passengers. Informed by these characteristics I was able to make key design and select appropriate materials for the holdall based in the pricing brackets and aesthetic.
targets. GRD_
decisions such as which OS to use for the app
19
ideation Research had shown me passengers were worried about the security of their luggage whilst travelling. Based on these findings and informed by details set out in the user persona, I began ideating ways of creating a connection between a commuter and their bag during train journeys. I started with 100 rough sketches before taking the most successful forward for further development with more detailed sketching.
GRD_
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scenario testing
David gets on his train only to find the carriage
he finds a space on the luggage rack but it is right at the end of the carriage, at
before putting his back on the luggage rack, he
packed with luggage space looking pretty limited.
least 10m away.
switches on the in-built bluetooth device.
on the way back to his seat, he launches the
The app and bluetooth device locate each other, pair up, and maintain
Known this, david can chill out, enjoy his journey
commuter app.
communication through out the duration of the journey.
and catch up with some emails.
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prototyping Ideation, concepts sketching and scenarios testing had allowed my to understand how my solution could address the relevant issues however the functionality of the bag needed to be explored through proof concept prototyping. By translating ideas in to 3 dimensions, I was able to understand how users could interact with the bag and get feedback on aesthetics. Taking a “quick and dirty� approach, I developed the design iteratively through scales models, material exploration and testing. I explored the functionality of the
Card Prototype
Foam Modeling
Early User Feedback
Small Scale Calico Prototype
Full Scale Calico Prototype
Functionality Testing
electronics using an Arduino board with Bluetooth modem and accelerometer.
Arduino Board with Bluetooth Modem
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outsourcing Whilst I was confident with my prototyping and manufacturing abilities, I decided to outsource production for the final product. This meant I would gain experience of working in such a way and that my final product would be of professional standard. YOUR BAG IS SAFE
To develop the app, I worked with a student developer based in London. The scenario journey and wireframe designs were used to explain the functionality and interaction required from the app. For the bag, I used CAD renders to brief a bag maker on construction phases. I moulded the leather ends and back panel myself before sending the pieces away for final assembly.
CHECK IN Users are able to check the security of
ALL CLEAR
ALERT
App checks status of bag and provides
As soon as the bag is disturbed, app
the bag when ever they feel necessary
user with reassurance of security of
will be able to notify user of any change
by tapping status button.
their luggage.
in status.
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Commuter Holdall GRD_
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OAKGROVE SCHOOL
Preparation
DUration Feb 14 - Mar 14 (6 weeks)
Brief
Delivery
Build
1. PROPOSAL+ BRIEF
4. WEEK 1: RESEARCH
Work with school to
Pupils introduced to
identify budget, time
basic design research.
mad/crazy pupils
scale, project scope
Homework task: speak
ideas in to realistic
and deliverables. Sign
to 10 friends and find
design which could
contracts.
out 1) there favourite
!
7. REFINE DESIGNS Design team refined
be achieved on
Oakgrove Primary School had been granted
area of school grounds
-budget. Model
a small budget to build a play area within
,2) Favourite playing
making, prototyping
their grounds. The head teacher was keen to
activity.
and creation of CAD
involve the children in the design of the play
technical package..
area to provide them with a new learning experience.
2. LAUNCH EVENT
challenges
Hijack school parent and pupil assembly
methodology
to announce project
! -+
5. WEEK 2: IDEATION Informed by home
!
8. ENGAGE CONTRACTORS
work research findings,
Using technical package,
pupils used ideation
a number of contractors
Neither my colleague or myself, Fionn Tynan
launch. Parent and
equations to explore
were asked to provide
O’Mahony, had much experience of working
pupil team were issued
ideas,
quote for manufacture
with children of such an age yet we needed
with cultural probes to
Activity x location = ???
and installation.
to develop a suitable co-design methodology.
explore and document
Group critique.
the school grounds. budget The school had been allocated ÂŁ5,000 for the project. Having such a small budget meant our solutions had to be truly innovative to achieve something great with minimal resources. outsourcing We decided to outsource manufacture and installation of the project and would need to
!
3. REFINE CO-DESIGN
6. WEEK 3:
9. SUPERVISE
PROCESS
PROTOTYPING
INSTALLATION
Informed by launch
Pupils made models of
On-site supervision to
event feedback, refine
concepts developed
ensure correct standards
process and create
during ideation phase
and dimensions.
workshop materials.
to explore scale and dimensions.
communicate designs effectively. GRD_
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APPROACH
week 3 : PROTOTYPING With three ideas chosen, the club split into
Fionn and myself created a co-design
three groups and built models of their chosen
program for a group of 15 pupils aged 7-9 in
idea. Models were then presented to the
keeping with the Scottish Curriculum.
group for an open critique. Once final model
Over three consecutive weeks, we delivered
was selected by the club using dot voting.
a programme which introduced the pupils to
The winning idea was developed further by
a basic design process and allowed them to
the design team towards a realistic solution.
explore their own experiences of playing. Week 1 : Research
A designer needs somewhere to sketch so to start, the “Design Club� made their own sketch books. Rather than getting them to think the types of play area they liked, we asked them to think about how they liked to play. This meant ideas were not limited to current play structures but focussed on their ideal play experiences and activities.
week 2 : IDEATION The second workshop started with creating two lists of priorities from homework activities. These list were then used to generate ideas with design equations. Ideas were sketched out and presented back for group critique. The top three ideas were selected using dot voting.
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final concept Building on ideas from the pupils, the final concept used modular components to create a flexible, interchangeable structure. The consists of 2 meter wooden posts stet in the ground along an equilateral triangular layout. Holes through the posts allow pupils to attach ropes, shelters and various components. Users are encouraged to create their own play structure and experiences rather than relying on a generic frame, slide or swing. The result is a system that helps to develop children’s problem solving abilities and dexterity. Modularity means the school are able to build additional sections of the structure if required at any point in the future.
cad models + technical drawings Outsourcing manufacture meant it was necessary to create CAD models and drawings to effectively explain designs in detail. Using the drawings, I was able to request quotes from a number of contracts and suppliers to ensure we were getting the best price and would remain in budget. During installation, I was able check the positioning of the posts was accurate and in keeping with the design.
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n atio c u d Ed tlan ty o c S li abi ain t s s Su a rd Aw
Castle of Scotland Construction of the “Castle of Scotland” was completed in May 2013. Oakgrove Primary have since been awarded first prize in Education Scotland’s Sustainable Grounds Award for developments within their grounds and have showcased our Design Club programme throughout Education Scotland.
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