Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI) Awards
IDI Award for Universal Design
The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) is proud to continue its partnership with the Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI) and honour Irish designers who are applying a Universal Design approach in their designs and designing for all people.
Each year we award a design entry to The Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI) Awards that has applied a Universal Design approach.
IDI Awards 2022: Universal Design Category Winner
The IDI Awards took place in The Marker Hotel on Thursday the 17th November 2022. The winner of the Universal Design Category was Rachel Copley McQuillan & Stina Sandström of Bureau Bonanza with their design of The Douglas Hyde website.
Figure 1 Screengrab of the Welcome page of The Douglas Hyde Website
The Douglas Hyde website and all other communications platforms have a clear editorial structure that allows for tiered levels of engagement with an information system using headings, sub-heads, introductory paragraph-styles, ‘read more’ tags. The website structure goes from engaging and welcoming to descriptive and informative to academic and critical.
The Douglas Hyde was awarded the Universal Design award as this website can be easily accessed, understood and used, by all users, which demonstrates excellence in Universal Design.
This year CEUD is also delighted to be a part of the exhibition, ReJOYce, which is celebrating the Institute of Designers Ireland (IDI) 50th anniversary. You can find out further details about this exhibition on the ReJOYce webpage.
IDI Graduate Awards 2022: Universal Design Category Winner
The IDI Graduate Awards took place in TU Dublin, Grangegorman on Thursday the 20th October 2022. The winner of the Universal Design Category was IO Repair Driven Learning by Matthew Patterson at University of Limerick.
Figure 1 Parts of the disassembled Tablet
IO (Input Output) Repair Driven Learning is a modular tablet system designed to teach children repair fundamentals. It introduces kids to processes and materials that go into creating a tablet and incentivises them to repair it.
IO Repair Driven Learning was awarded the Universal Design award as the entry factored in and aligned with several of the Principles of Universal Design. By designing its product for children it can be used by a diverse range of people.
IDI Awards 2021: Universal Design category winner
The IDI Awards 2021 Event took place online on 11 November 2020. The winner of the Universal Design Category was Dolmen Design and Innovation for their project ‘Merlyn revo’
Merlyn revo shower rail and bathroom storage system. ©Merlyn, courtesy of Dolmen Design and Innovation
Revo is a multifunctional bathroom storage system and shower rail. A Universal Design approach was evident in the user engagement that took place through the whole lifecycle of the design, and in the conscious identification and addressing of the needs of users with diverse characteristics. The resulting product is simple, functional, easy-to-use, adaptable and requires low physical effort to use – a good example of the application of many of the Principles of Universal Design.
IDI Awards 2020: Universal Design category winner
The IDI Awards 2020 Ceremony took place on the 4 November 2020. The winner of the Universal Design Category, chosen from 50 unique entries, was Nokia Bell Labs, for its design of an interactive stall at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, for its design of an interactive stall at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition.
Nokia Bell Labs interactive stall at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition ©Nokia Bell Labs, courtesy of Ross Dowd, Industrial Design Lead of project
Nokia Bell Labs’s interactive stall was designed to be accessed and used by people with a wide range of characteristics. It was a worthy winner of this year’s Universal Design Category as the team involved, and the designed stall, addressed age, size, ability and disability to design a fun, interactive and informative stall.
IDI Awards 2018: Universal Design category winner
Pictured above from left to right: Dr Gerald Craddock, Chief Officer, Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, Áine Higgins Ní Chinnéide, Standards Officer Centre for Excellence in Universal Design and Una Healy, Creative Director, Una Healy Design
The 20th IDI Irish Design Awards event took place on 24 January 2019 at CHQ in Dublin.
Getting the Messages – Dementia Inclusive Shopping
The winner of the Universal Design IDI Award 2018 was Una Healy Design for its branding design Getting the Messages – Dementia Inclusive Shopping. The design was developed to support persons with dementia to shop in their local communities.
CEUD awarded this design because it facilitates a better shopping experience for all users, including those with reduced cognitive function and the first-time user. The design process demonstrated the application of Universal Design principles through the incorporation of guidelines around colour contrast and presentation of information, the consideration of the different ways in which people perceive information, and the direct consultation with users.
IDI Awards 2018: Universal Design category highly commended
Two entries were highly commended by CEUD for their implementation of the Principles of Universal Design.
Dolmen Design was highly commended for its design of Juku Packaging, packaging for charging and connectivity accessories for smart devices.
CEUD considers this a great example of Universal Design and of its economic value. Importantly, the design process involved identifying the desires and needs of the user through Voice of the Customer (VOC) research. The distinctive and appealing design aligns with the Principles of Universal Design, with clear and simple presentation of information, in different formats. The design’s positive impact on turnover is evidence of its appeal to a wide range of users.
Reddy Architecture + Urbanism was highly commended for its design of a new palliative care unit at Our Lady’s Hospice, Dublin.
CEUD considers this a sensitive and inviting design that reflects consideration of the residents and their families and loved ones as well as functional requirements. The application of a Universal Design approach is evident throughout the design, from the building layout to lighting and wayfinding details.