The DBA Inclusive Design Challenge is an annual design competition to create a mainstream product, service, environment or communication which can be enjoyed by people of all abilities and meet the needs of the widest market spectrum.
Now in its 10th year, the Challenge was launched by the Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre in collaboration with the Design Business Association (DBA) as a creative response to the poor levels of design of goods and services aimed at older and disabled people, a significant and growing market sector as the population ages.
Over the years, hundreds of designers have worked on projects across the design disciplines developing a range of solutions that are mainstream in aesthetic terms but meet the extra functionality required by older and disabled people – everything from a plaster that can be applied one-handed, communications campaigns to help people remain active, a new footprint for a care home, software proposals for interactive services through to a cushion that encourages micro movements to aid more comfortable seating.
2010 DBA Brief
This year’s brief is entitled Active Ageing – designing for our future selves and looks at the challenges of our growing ageing population remaining active and productive in later life.
“The challenge provides us with invaluable case studies. In six minutes we express what we care about and believe in, the thoroughness of our approach, our ideas and design output. Some of our best clients have been attracted to us by the Challenge case studies.”said John Corcoran of Wire Design.
Exhibition – NEW for 2010
To celebrate the 10th year of the Inclusive Design Challenge, each of the Challenge winners will feature in an exhibition at the V&A museum in April next year – showcasing the winning solutions and the design teams behind them. It will give the opportunity for the entry team to join the likes of Factory Design, Imagination, Seymourpowell, Wolff Olins, Matter, Pearson Matthews, Wire Design, Coley Porter Bell, Adare and Judge Gill in an exclusive showcase to the industry.
A selection of the agencies shortlisted to take part in this year’s challenge are Clinic, The Hub, Vibrandt, BWA, Epitype, The Alloy
2009 Winner: Matter ‘mo
Matter ‘mo – an small but inventive design consultancy based in London was announced as the 2009 winner with their design of ergonomically designed cushion.
Comments made by the winners about their product were as follows:
‘Physiologically sitting needn’t be bad for us, its up to the products and the environments we sit within to support our bodies in a comfortable and healthy way. For this years challenge we worked alongside one of our existing clients Herman Miller to redefine an everyday icon of sedentary adaptation, the cushion.
‘mo is a lightweight portable seating product that spreads its load evenly across its surface and with its dynamic support it accommodates the users micro movements providing a comfortable, stimulating seated experience. mo provides people with a health positive solution to adapt inadequate furniture at home, in the office, on public transport or wherever they feel existing seating solutions are letting them down.”
