Latest news from Loughborough University
11 Jan 2013
New partnership to promote experience driven design
Loughborough University has joined forces with international innovation agency DesignThinkers Group to help promote and develop experience driven design.
The collaboration will form a new UK chapter of the Design and Emotion Society – a global network of academics, designers and companies who exchange research, tools and methods that support the involvement of human-centred emotional experience in the design process.
The partnership between the University’s Design School and DesignThinkers UK came about following the society’s 2012 international conference. Here it was identified that interest in this area of design is growing and local society chapters are needed to support this growth by providing workshops, lectures and networking opportunities.
To mark the launch of the new UK chapter the partners will be hosting an event at the University’s Design School in April.
Dr Samantha Porter from the Loughborough Design School said: “The University is delighted to be part of this new partnership. The school already carries out extensive research into experience driven design and we look forward to developing this area further.”
James Rock from DesignThinkers UK added: “As design innovators we are very pleased to be partnering with one of the UK’s leading design schools to further the development of emotionally rewarding and human-centred approaches to product and service design.”
−ENDS−
Notes for editors
Article reference number: PR 13/03
1. The Loughborough University Design School exhibits excellence in the three strands of its activity: research, teaching and enterprise, and its graduates are highly sought after. The School comprises 42 academic staff; 35 researchers; 50 PhD students; 13 technical staff; and 12 administrative support staff. The School benefits from state-of-the-art facilities since moving to a new purpose-built campus location in 2011.
2. DesignThinkers UK is part of DesignThinkers Group, one of the leading 'design driven' innovation agencies, helping organisations around the world making the transition from being strictly product orientated and sales driven, towards being service orientated and human centered. DesignThinkers Group has operations in UK, Netherlands, USA, Brazil, and Chile, as well as partnerships in Singapore and Israel. The group’s Design Thinking Network connects nearly 4,000 members across 270 different countries.
3. For further information about the Design and Emotion Society visit www.designandemotion.org/
4. Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It was awarded the coveted Sunday Times University of the Year 2008-09 title, and is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in national newspaper league tables. In the 2011 National Student Survey, Loughborough was voted one of the top universities in the UK, and has topped the Times Higher Education league for the Best Student Experience in England every year since the poll's inception in 2006. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, the University has been awarded six Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
It is a member of the 1994 Group of 11 leading research-intensive universities. The Group was established in 1994 to promote excellence in university research and teaching. Each member undertakes diverse and high-quality research, while ensuring excellent levels of teaching and student experience.
Contact for all media enquiries
Judy Wing
Senior PR Officer
Loughborough University
T: 01509 228697
E: J.L.Wing@lboro.ac.uk