Here is a good example of a design which looks beyond the simple functions of the product to the emotional perceptions and requirements of the user.

The Playpump is used to pump water in schools in such places as South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia. It is essentially a windmill on its side. Unlike other pumps, the Playpump is designed to be driven by children in play, who use the wheel as a merry-go-round.

Water pumps are placed in areas of high drought and provide drinking and irrigation water. They greatly benefit the surrounding areas and are seen as something to be celebrated. Designing a pump which incorporates the play of children, takes this emotional element into account. Its design combines the function of the pump with the celebration of its installment and use.

Rather then the traditional approach of designing emotion into a product, the Playpump is a manifestation of emotion generated by its presence. It is an interesting perspective to consider when trying to design that ‘must have’ product.

Mary Haugh versus 3,000 pigs in a barn. Her husband indisposed though ill health and she had to herd all their pigs. Now, traditionally a “chase board” is used to a guide and angle those pigs, too heavy for her and too short to be of much effect alone. Mary needed something new to be able to manage and set about solving the problem. Her solution cuts the time required to move the hogs by 70%, has won two prestigious innovation awards and become a commercial success.

She noticed that the pigs hesitated whenever they passed by the bright red chase boards. She wondered if the colour itself affected the pigs and whether a length of red fabric could be used as a long, flexible chase board. The pigs turned every time. Prototyping the idea with her brother she developed a roller based system that weights 14kg, extends to 15m and can be hooked into a gate post to be operated by one person.

All the classic hallmarks of the design innovation process are present; observation, imagination, experimentation, prototyping and delivery of the idea as a product. The innovation process may have happened far from a design studio and Mary never attended design school but the LongArm, her trademarked invention, is a good as it gets.

Check out the National Hog Farmer article for more

The proof is in the tangible benefits a brand provides, but winning awards is always a nice endorsement of the work. Off the back of the Innovation by Design programme, the Institute of Technology Sligo chose Design Factory to rebrand the college, and the work was just recognised by getting shortlisted for the IDI Design Awards 2008.

The 10th Annual IDI Design Awards 2008 is now open for submissions, Deadline 29th of August.

The Awards is an occasion to celebrate the excellent standard of design achieved by designers on the island of Ireland for 2007/2008.

It is also an opportunity for the IDI to promote this standard to a commercial audience.

Visit the Design Awards Website

The Institute of Designers Ireland has published Why Design to give second level students a greater degree of familiarity with design as a study path and as a career. Supported by the Office of the Minister of Education and Science, the guide offers a ‘snapshot’ of design courses currently on offer throughout the island of Ireland; a taste of the richness and diversity of design education at third level throughout the country

Tracy Fahey, President of the Institute of Designers in Ireland, speaking at the launch, commented on the value of sustaining design education in Ireland.

Currently, in Ireland, there is a real impetus towards the sustaining of a research and development culture in Ireland. Design plays a crucial role in terms of innovation and development. A good design education teaches students to problem-solve, to think creatively, to research options, to develop and test designs and to respond to client needs.

Read the press release

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Download a text-only PDF (214KB)

Module 1 – Using design in your business – Brand management
Module 2 – Market focused innovation and design – Design for manufacture and assembly
Module 3 – Design for value – Design for reliability
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