Design Practice Research Group
Introduction
The Design Practice Research Group (DPRG) at Loughborough University comprises a multi-disciplinary group of specialists all of whom bring their disciplines to bear on design and designing.
Their research activities are conducted into, for and by design: outcomes range between the fundamental (e.g. expanding the knowledge base of design) to the applied (e.g. developing the principles and practice of industrial design).
These web pages aim to provide comprehensive information about the main activities of the DPRG and has many links to project and people web-pages where more details can be found.
The website is aimed at potential research students who wish to know if this is a group they could work within, at academics who wish to access research outcomes, at industry professionals who wish to explore the potential for research collaboration and at any other interested parties who simply wish to find out more about the wide range of research activities within the DPRG.
About us
The Design Practice Research Group (DPRG) has been operating within the Department of Design and Technology at Loughborough University since the 1990s. It was previously known as simply the Design Research Group but was renamed to indicate its specific focus on design practice.
The strategic aim of this Group is to contribute to knowledge of the act of designing, leading to better design practice and the development of new products via innovative techniques.
The importance of user interaction, particularly in the early stages of design, a sustainable approach to the act of designing and exploitation of the new opportunities afforded by rapidly developing computerised technologies are key themes in the Group's research programme.
The DPRG has always strived to establish effective research partnerships, both with industry and with other research institutions. Current and past partners include Jaguar Cars, Parametric Technology Corporation, Procter and Gamble, Ford Motor Company, Nottingham Rehab Supplies Ltd, Remploy, the Design Council, the Institute of Naval Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Trinity College Dublin, the Danish technological Institute and the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology.
If you would like to become involved with the research work of the DPRG in any of these areas, please contact the relevant member of staff or the research group leader, .
iD Cards now available for download!
DPRG project case studies