Category Archives: Design and Technology

Performance Analysis In this third post on wearable technology in sport I am going to be looking at how wearables are being used for performance analysis, and the affect this has been having on the players and the sports themselves. As sport has become more professional over the last 30 years or so, the levelContinue reading “Wearable Technology in Sport – Part 3”

Player Welfare and Injury Management In this second blog on wearable technology in sport, I am going to be summarising my research into how the technology can be used for player welfare. Arguably the most successful athletes in their disciplines are the ones that are able to look after their bodies, stay injury free, andContinue reading “Wearable Technology in Sport – Part 2”

In preparation for our end of term Pecha Kucha presentations, this week in our Design and Technology lecture, we each gave a “Pichi Kichi” presentation. A Pecha Kucha is a presentation style that takes the form of 20 slides each appearing for 20 seconds. A “Pichi Kichi” is a shortened version of this consisting ofContinue reading “D&T9: Pichi Kichi Presentations”

As part of the Design and Technology course at the GSA, we have each selected a particular topic of interest to research and present on at the end of the semester. I have chosen a topic that relates directly to my internship that I am juggling with university work this term, which is wearable technologyContinue reading “Wearable Technology in Sport – Part 1”

Alastair Macdonald, Craig Whittet’s predecessor as the head of PDE at the GSA, ran a lecture on Thursday this week concerning the current planetary crisis, and how as designers we might act ethically in an attempt to curb these environmental issues. Alastair spoke of counter-cultures, and how people have been pushing for climate change actionContinue reading “D&T8: Alastair Macdonald – Counter Cultures and the Ethics of Design Practice”

“I spend most of the time being angry,” was the opening line of Kaitlyn Debiasse’s lecture on Friday afternoon. Kaitlyn is a design tutor here at the GSA and here she was referring to the lack of accessible design in the world, specifically the fact that the vast majority of things are designed for theContinue reading “D&T7: Kaitlyn Debiasse – Designing for Disability”

Ben Craven is the PDE first year tutor at the GSA. He has an incredibly technical mind, is very skilled and has a lot of experience in making things. In first year, we were given a project to design and build a cardboard vehicle capable of a number of tasks. From my vague memory theseContinue reading “D&T6: Ben Craven – Approximate Calculations”

This week Stuart Bailey (PDE MSc tutor) gave an overview on services, products and human-centred design. It was a whistle-stop tour and covered a lot of ground very quickly. There were a few aspects of the talk that stood out to me. There was a lot of emphasis put on how designing a service, inContinue reading “D&T5: Stuart Bailey – Alternate Perspectives”

Rachael Sleight is a lecturer of Sustainable Materials and Processes here at the GSA’s School of Innovation, and she spoke to us about her views on design practice, accompanied by examples of her own work. Alongside working at the GSA, she has been working for Stylus, an innovation research and trend firm, she has set up aContinue reading “D&T4: Rachael Sleight – What Design Practice Means To Me”

This week we watched a documentary called ‘Forkes over Knives’. It is essentially an advert for going vegan, or a ‘wholemeal plant-based diet’. After stating the problem, which is that 40% of Americans are obese, and over half take daily prescriptions, the documentary outlines the health benefits of cutting animal-based products out of your lives. TheContinue reading “D&T3: Forkes over Knives”

This week we watched the 2011 documentary about the careers of the famous husband and wife design duo, Charles and Ray Eames. Despite neither being an outright designer, the Eameses have had a huge impact on modern day design and are regarded still as some of the most influential designers of the 20th century.

Craig Whittet, the head of Product Design Engineering at the Glasgow School of Art, gave a lecture on ‘the Demise of Skilled Manufacturing’. Craig outlined the current challenges facing manufacturers, especially those who use processes that require a huge amount of skill. The products created in this manner are generally of a much higher qualityContinue reading “D&T1: Craig Whittet – The Demise of Skilled Manufacturing”