ULearning – Ireland’s Future,

Innovate Together

Design Matters

Liam Holmes B.Des MA MSc.

Why Design Matters?

Design implies a conscious effort to create something that is

both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Design is a very general term for a multitude of disciplines.

Design is generally regarded as an activity or process rather

than a subject or discipline. The design activity is a complex
activity which must contain a wide range of considerations.

The design activity is an ongoing dynamic process.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines design as: "To

conceive or fashion in the mind; invent," and "To formulate a
plan“.
"Industrial Design (ID) is the professional service of creating
and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the
function, value and appearance of products and systems for
the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer."
Source: the IDSA (Industrial Design Society of America).

Industrial Designers are essentially a cross between a

mechanical engineer and an artist. They study both function
and form, and the connection between the product and end
user.

The use of industrial designers in a product development

process lead to added values by improved usability, lowered
production costs and more appealing products.
The design difference
A survey of design and innovation amongst Ireland’s SME’s.
(Centre for Design Innovation, 2007)

 Irish companies that use design are more successful than

those that do not.
 Yet only 15% of Irish SME’s use design strategically.
 Design, innovation and growth are linked.
 SME’s that innovate are less likely to compete on the basis
of price.
 Design provides the basis for differentiation and long term
competitive advantage.
The design difference
A survey of design and innovation amongst Ireland’s SME’s.
(Centre for Design Innovation, 2007)

Why do Irish SME’s not use design more effectively?

 Aversion to risk,
 Inadequate support mechanisms and limited design and
innovation capability,
 Lack of understanding of design and benefits of it,
 Invisible design,
 Lack of direction from marketing,
 No coherent design culture or strategy,
How much longer can we afford to ignore the importance of
design?
What makes an industrial designer T.I.C.K?

 Technology (the skills required to a part of industry).

 Information (research, processing, communication).
 Creativity (the will to change or apply novel solutions to
problems).
 Knowledge (the resource pool and experience that the
designer builds throughout each product or process).

The task of the industrial designer is to develop a product

from an initial concept through to manufacture and sale,
investigating every possible development option, and
integrating others into the development team.
Some Irish Design Examples

 Ventilux was founded in 1986 and has become one of Europe’s

largest independent emergency lighting manufacturers.
 The head office in Dun Laoghaire is the centre of the Ventilux
operation, with over 15,000 square feet of state of the art
production facilities.
 All of the projects developed by Ventilux are self funded and
there is a realisation that the source for development is an
investment in the future and its expansion, not a cost.
 The vision was to create, from the ground up, an Irish
company that could compete in a European market using
innovative solutions.
Ventilux “Solas” Project

 The brief for the project was to redesign and existing

product range.
 This range consisted of three different sized emergency
light fittings with 21 variations in total.
 The existing product range was expensive to manufacture
and the outer component base was made from spun
aluminium which made it difficult and expensive to make.
 The main aim was to reduce the baseline costs and to
produce a more aesthetically appealing design that make
the product more attractive to the customer base.
Ventilux “Solas” Project

 Existing Design at Ventilux, 1996.

Ventilux “Solas” Project

 Solas Final Design for Ventilux

Ventilux “Solas” Project

 Solas in production since 1996 and remains unchanged.

Ventilux “Solas” Project
 The main success factors for the project were:
 Strong marketing direction.
 Full support from senior management.
 Strong evaluation and screening.
 Adequate resources to complete the project.
 Distinct advantage over competitor products with value added
benefits.
 User friendly, made with user/ installer in mind.
 Design for Assembly built into the design.
 Cost reduction of 65% which gave significant savings.
 Concurrent engineering and short time to market.
Mednova Neuroshield Project

 Mednova was established in 1996 by three Irish

entrepreneurs in Galway.
 It was set up to design and manufacture cutting edge
medical devices.
 The company had two areas of interest within the medical
device industry. These areas were in neurological and
cardiovascular devices.
 Neuroshield is an internal device which is used in specialist
stroke prevention surgery called angioplasty.
 Angioplasty is the expansion, by stenting, of a blocked
artery leading to the brain.
Mednova Neuroshield Project

 The Neuroshield device for angioplasty.

Mednova Neuroshield Project

 Three years were spent on developing the product.

 The initial carrier tray solution was a functional prototype that
proved the idea. This was also used during the patent
process. The issues that needed to be addressed before
product launch were:
 It could not be loaded and used by single user.
 The delivery tray was very expensive.
 It was too big and had little aesthetic appeal.
 The brief for the project was to design a more efficient
delivery tray that was more user friendly, cost effective and
aesthetic.
Mednova Neuroshield Project

 Shows the existing design with new design.

Mednova Neuroshield Project
Mednova Neuroshield Project
Mednova Neuroshield Project

 The proposed design was 80% cheaper than the previous

solution and resulted in substantial savings.
 The new design was also less than 50% in size to existing.
 The project also used (MGPP) with future concepts of the
device integrated into the tray tool design.
 The new tray had provisions for the next two generations
of the product. This enabled new solutions to be
implemented quickly to stay ahead of the competition.
 More aesthetic and user friendly.
 Mednova were bought out by Abbott in 2004.
ATSR SSR Project

 ATSR Ltd, based in IDA Business and Technology Park,

Tullamore Co. Offaly, was founded in 2006 to service the
emergency service market worldwide.
 The company was founded to become the R&D arm of
Peak Technologies, which manufactures and produces the
products designed by ATSR.
 The company is funded by Enterprise Ireland and
concentrates its efforts designing new technology
products for the emergency services sector.
 Project was the design, development and supply of all the
mechanical component of the SSR project.
ATSR SSR Project

 SSR Board for use in Emergency Vehicles.

ATSR SSR Project

 ATSR SSR Solution.

ATSR SSR Project

 Lack of a systematic approach to design,

 No formal design process,
 Ad hoc design reviews,
 The influence of the directors,
 Lack of cohesive decision making,
 A focus on time ahead of proper development,
 Communication problems with suppliers, vendors and
consultants,
 Lack of understanding of the importance of design.
New Zealand and Design

 SME’s consist of vast majority of all enterprises.

 Firms with fewer than 50 employees make up 99% of NZ
SME’s. 350,000 SME’s that provide 60% employment.
 NZ’s Government and Innovation Framework (GIF) is
designed to deliver long term sustainable growth
necessary to improve the quality of life for all.
 Innovation is the principal source of economic growth.
 Policy framework that encourages new ideas, and
transferred to those who can add value, encourages
entrepreneurial growth and rapid business growth.
New Zealand and Design

 ICT, biotechnology and creative industries are identified as

sectors for high growth potential, and enable significant
activity across the economy.
 The government has invested NZ$100 Million in the
Venture Investment Fund (VIF).
 VIF is designed to accelerate the development of SME’s.
 The Business Law Reform Bill of 2004 enables SME’s to
raise capital more easily.
 Accessible grants for technical development of new
products, processes and services in SME’s.
Massey University and Design

 Design is about doing something – a process more than a

product.
 Getting the process right greatly improves the chances of
the getting the product (or service) right.
 Design is about identifying problems, asking good
questions, and finding better answers. We think that
businesses can be better by design. That the principles of
design strategy and design process can be applied to
companies to help build the bottom line.
 Design strategy is taught at the most influential business
schools, and it's applied in some of the best boardrooms.
Conclusions – Good Design

 Good Design is innovative.

 Good Design makes a product useful.
 Good Design is aesthetic.
 Good Design helps a product be
understood.
 Good Design is unobtrusive.
Conclusions – Good Design

 Good Design is honest.

 Good Design is durable.
 Good Design is thorough to the last detail.
 Good Design is concerned with
environment.
 Good Design is as little design as
possible.
Thank You.

Liam Holmes B.Des MA MSc.

lpohms@yahoo.com

086-8173295