The Design Research Group is internationally renowned for conducting novel research to support design in all its forms and is focussed on the impact of design on industry and society. We engage in creative design partnerships that link people with technology, deliver robust methods and tools for effective product design development, and collaborate with a wide range of organisations from start-ups to multi-nationals to create sustainable futures.
Key Design Themes
Our work encompasses the entire design process, developing and delivering new design tools, methods, methodologies and theories across the themes of:
- Health and Wellbeing - transforming health and healthcare – improving quality of life through innovative design-led solutions
- Digital Futures - reimagining communications, computing and the internet for design contexts, and harnessing digital design, prototyping and simulation tools for innovation
- Engineering Net Zero - decarbonising our economy and society through design, creating an alternative energy future and developing truly circular economies
- Productivity and Collaboration - shaping systems thinking, design collaboration and processes for organisational efficiency and societal resilience
Specialist expertise
Our group consists of academics whose specialist expertise includes:
- CAD and computational design
- creative design methods
- design cognition and mental processes
- design education
- design history and culture
- design management and coordination
- design research methodology
- healthcare and medical devices
- human behaviour in design
- rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing
- physical-digital interaction
- system design
- VR/AR