great design vol.19
the big life fix
In The Big Life Fix, the BBC assembled the UK's leading inventors to create ingenious new solutions to everyday problems and build life-changing fixes for people in desperate need.
These individuals each had unique requirements which couldn’t be satisfied by off-the-shelf solutions, but needed a custom designed solution instead. That’s where the ‘inventors’ came in - a diverse mix of engineers, technologists, industrial designers, design strategists and a Product Design Engineer graduate from GSA, Jude Pullen.
This TV show showed the power of engineering and technology as part of design, something which doesn’t get enough credit. Smart solutions like these often don’t get the applause they deserve despite the incredible impact they have, praise is too often reserved for the more glamorous (and arguably vacuous) facets of design.
Our place as product design engineers can be vague, blurry, confusing and feel undervalued. Seeing graduates like Jude Pullen truly utilising the combination of user-centred research and engineering knowledge to create transformative empathetic solutions provides reassurance in our expertise, and inspires pride. The diverse portfolio of skills we acquire, from interrogating the issue to employing a range of technologies to artfully bring a concept about, is powerful and can undoubtedly manifest itself in great design.
Full episodes can be watched here.
