Inclusive design – luxury or “must have”? Guest blog for Age UK

I have just written a post for the Age UK blog, “Inclusive Design – luxury or “must have”“, ahead of the Agenda for Later Life 2012 conference where I will be speaking about inclusive design.

In these times of austerity, I think it is easy to dismiss design as a luxury. However, if we pause and think for a moment about what good and, in particular inclusive, design, can deliver for us, very quickly it becomes a “must have”.

To read the blog in full, go to http://ageukblog.org.uk/2012/02/11/inclusive-design-luxury-or-must-have/

For details about the Agenda for Later Life 2012 conference including how to book , visit http://www.ageuk.org.uk/professional-resources-home/conferences/agenda-for-later-life/

RSA Student Design Awards – Mine for Life

2012 is turning out to be a very busy year! As well as running my own “Designing for the Future” competition with the Faculty of Arts, University of Brighton, I have also been invited to judge the RSA Student Design Awards and in particular the Mine for Life category.

The Mine for Life competition challenges students to design an assistive technology product which can be made through additive manufacturing using a consumer-driven and people-centred design philosophy. There is a cash award supported by Enabled by Design  and Loughborough University - and very excitingly, the chance to have the winning design additively manufactured by Loughborough University.

As well as Mine for Life, the RSA Student Design Awards have a number of other interesting categories, all of which address important social issues, such as the workplace and working conditions of the future (Tomorrow’s workplace);  intergenerational relationships (Something for everyone) and collaborative consumption (Shared assets).

I am really delighted to be asked to be involved and will let you know what happens.   

The deadline for entries is 17 February and more details can be found HERE

Image: Silver Inhaler by Hanna Mawbey 2011

Featured in new Tomorrow Together campaign

I was really pleased to be asked contribute a blog post to the new website, Tomorrow Together launched last week by the UK’s innovation agency, The Technology Strategy Board which is about encouraging people to talk about what they want in later life. 

According to findings released by the Technology Strategy Board, a staggering 90% of people in the UK are not looking forward to older age with concerns about health, mobility, wealth and social interaction ranking highly. Nearly half of people think that better products and services to sustain independence would change this with 79% of people wanting more innovation in products and services for older age.

As Jackie Marshall-Cyrus from The Technology Strategy Board says :”We need urgent innovation. It’s time for the talented, passionate brains of today to re-imagine and rethink for the future and work on tomorrow, together”.

In my blog I have shared some of my thoughts about how I think we go about encouraging better design for older people, drawing on my experience of running the “Designing for the Future” competition with the University of Brighton.

To read my blog post on the Tomorrow Together website CLICK HERE

Do you agree? Get involved by visiting  www.tomorrowtogether.org.uk and for those Tweeters amongst you, by following @tomorrowtogethr or the hashtag #innovateforage.

Design for all – by law? Nice feature on us in today’s Yours magazine

I am really pleased to see Yours magazine today engaging its readers in the debate about design for all (and not just because I am quoted with lovely photos of our double handled teapot and mug!).

Editor Valerie McConnell recounts her recent trip to her local gym where although pleasantly surprised by her results on the treadmill, she found herself wrestling with a hard to squeeze shampoo bottle. 

As Valerie says: “Do you wish everyday objects could be designed to be easy to use as well as look good?”

I think they should :”Why should age mean life has to be less attractive? “Easy to use” products can often be stigmatising, which makes them less desirable and reduces the likelihood that they will ever be used. How many abdandoned, ugly plastic “reachers litter the homes of our older people?”

There is fortunately, as Valerie points out, a growing movement towards inclusive design which means that “everything from jam jar lids to public spaces should be designed to be equally useable by everybody”.

And to encourage this movement further, Valerie goes on to pose the question – given the increasing numbers of older people and their considerable combined spending power, should all designers be forced by law to make products accessible?

This is a really good question and it will be interesting to see what Yours readers think. And how fantastic that they are being asked in the first place as innovation in this area has the potential to transform all of our lives.

12 gifts ideas to help someone make a fresh start in 2012

Our fantastic  Move It or Lose It! chair-based exercise DVD has been featured on the It’s in the Stars blog as a great gift idea to help someone make a fresh start this year.

“12. If your parents or grandparents have become less mobile or a loved one is temporarily incapacitated, help them get fitter with the Move It or Lose It DVD of chair-based exercise.”

To see the post in full, visit http://www.itsinthestarsonline.com/12-gifts-to-help-someone-make-a-fresh-start-in-2012/

West Sussex County Times features our student design competition

Nice coverage here of our “Designing for the Future” design competition with Collyer’s Sixth Form College from West Sussex County Times who have supported us since we launched. Horsham in Sussex is one of the fastest ageing populations in the UK with the number of people over 65 set to increase by an astonishing 60% between now and 2026.

Our winner, Alex Francis designed an ergonomic shopping bag handle with a clever reminder ring which ensures you never lose your shopping!

More details of the competition HERE.

West Sussex County Times features launch of student competition

Nice piece in today’s West Sussex County Times about the launch of our second student design competition at the College of Richard Collyers in Horsham, West Sussex.

We had a fantastic time at Collyer’s last year and are really looking forward to seeing what designs this year’s intake come up with.

Kate Sharp, Faculty Leader, Art & Communications at Collyer’s, commented: “We are delighted to be able to run this innovative competition again and to give the students the opportunity to think about real-life design challenges. We have imbedded the competition into the AS level courses and have been commended by the exam boards for using this “live” brief”.

Guest blog for International Longevity Centre think-tank

I have just written a guest blog about our “Designing for the Future” competiton for the International Longevity Centre.  The ILC is a think-tank focussing on longevity, ageing and population change. Baroness Greengross is the ILC’s Chief Executive. 

To read the blog, visit:

http://blog.ilcuk.org.uk/2011/07/13/guest-blog-philippa-aldrich-the-future-perfect-company-designing-for-the-future-encouraging-designers-to-focus-on-the-needs-of-an-ageing-population/

Competition showcase at the BSRA Science of Ageing Conference

Last night I was in Brighton showcasing some of the work from our “Designing for the Future” Competition at the international Science of Ageing Conference organised by BSRA (British Society for Research on Ageing).

If the assembled scientists were surprised to be infiltrated by product designers, they did not show it and in fact there was a good deal of interest in what we were doing.

What we are hoping to see is a growing recognition amongst medics and scientists that often it is good design which makes their discoveries and innovations more usable and wearable by the people they are aiming to help.

The Future Perfect Company chosen for the Design Zone at the Mobility Roadshow

We were thrilled to be invited to showcase our “Designing for the Future” University of Brighton student competition at this year’s Mobility Roadshow.

The Design Zone will feature examples of innovative and new designs in the area of independent living and is being run in association with the Royal College of Art/Helen Hamlyn Centre. Curators Denise Stephens of Enabled by Design and Hayley Smith of Such+Such Designs  are both enthusiastic champions of good, inclusive design.

Also exhibiting this year are the designers of the innovative laptop/traybag, the Trabasack.

Fantastic to be in such illustrious company!