A packed house at Imperial College
24 Hour Inclusive Design Challenge
7 April 2005
sponsored by Scope and organised by the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre and Design Business Association
The brief
A product, service, environment or communication that solves a clearly defined public transport issue that currently limits or excludes a disabled or older person from using it, would bring benefit to all and create a tangible business opportunity.
The background
Designers are used to tight deadlines and thrive on new creative challenges - the ones set for them during the Include 2005 conference were bigger than most. But that was no deterrent and they rose to the occasion in triumphant form with the help of lashings of caffeine, chocolate, red wine and adrenalin.
The challenge
Michael Wolff
Five volunteer teams drawn from DBA member firms were shortlisted to take part in the 24 Hour Inclusive Design Challenge sponsored by Scope. Each was introduced to an expert user with a disability in advance but only given the design brief on Tuesday 6 April at the Royal College of Art. They had just 24 hours to come up with an inclusive concept related to transport and inspired by the needs of their individual user, and present it on stage at Imperial College the following night. There, the exhausted teams had just six minutes to convince 300 of their peers and Include conference delegates from 19 countries that their design was the winning entry, as the result was decided by an audience vote.
While the votes were being counted, design luminary Michael Wolff and keynote speaker at the event praised the teams. He had spent the day criss-crossing London visiting each in turn - from Factory Design in West London to AIG in Clerkenwell, on to Sky Interactive in Isleworth, Fraser Design in Bourne End and finally to Liverpool-based Team a go-go in their borrowed offices in Great Portland Street.
Jon Sparkes
Inspired by their dedication he said: ”Today I’ve seen five groups of people behaving more like human beings than designers. They’ve really gone outside the designer bubble and listened to other people’s needs. I was very moved by what I saw and heard. All of the teams were really impressive in the way they were able to create, because they’d been listening, because they’d found a new situation, and because they’d surrendered to it.”
The verdict
The winner was the team from Applied Information Group (AIG) led by Tim Fendley. They had worked closely with visually impaired user Matt Brown and his guide dog Jester to develop a wearable navigation device called Babelfish. This gives sonic clues and feedback in large transport termini and forms part of a wider service accessed via the Internet and mobile phone. Other entries included a modular suitcase system from Factory Design, Sky Interactive’s gel-filled rubber device to bridge the gap between platform, curb and vehicle, Fraser Design’s smart ticket holder and Team a go-go’s Personal Excursion Ticket that allows travellers to access plug-in services.