IDI Award 2023 Shortlist
The BSc Product Design & Innovation students and teaching staff in the Department of Design Innovation have achieved a notable recognition in the shortlist for the 2023 Irish Institute of Designers Awards (IDI). Their remarkable work falls under the category of Design Research and Education, as they collaborated with Kildare County Council to enhance the accessibility of shops and streetscapes in Maynooth Town, benefiting business owners and the community.
Throughout the project's duration in module PD265 Design for Society, the students (now in Year 3) conducted comprehensive ethnographic research, which included observations in Maynooth town, interviews with business owners and individuals with disabilities, and comprehensive audits of shops based on the seven Universal Design principles. This diligent research effort led to the discovery of numerous valuable insights, which, in turn, informed the development of user-centered design concepts.
These concepts were subsequently presented to Maynooth County Council, offering tangible solutions for enhancing the town's accessibility.
The project was led by lecturer Lydia Ward, with the collaboration of Dr Threase Finnegan-Kessie, Assistant Professor Design Innovation; Dr Mary Galvin (Former Head Department of Design Innovation) Jacqui McNabb (Head of Enterprise at Kildare CoCo) Andrew Gaynor (Business Development Officer at Kildare CoCo) Clara Doheny (Business Development Officer at Kildare CoCo) and Michael Hurley (Access Officer at Kildare CoCo).