The RSA Student Design Awards are an annual, international design competition that challenges students to address social, environmental, and economic issues through innovative solutions. During the pandemic, my sister and I tackled an RSA Student Design Award Brief, creating a product solution to make aging-in-place more inclusive and community-oriented.

01 // Our roles

Myself: Led on research, leveraging my innovation background to apply design thinking and systems design, ensuring our solution was deeply informed by user needs and systemic insights

My sister: Led on design, utilising her expertise in interior and product design to create detailed schematic drawings and ensure the solution was both functional and visually compelling.

02 // Our approach

 

+ Primary research: Conducted in-depth user-centered research to understand the needs of aging populations through conducting 5 primary interviews (virtual due to COVID-19)
+ Secondary research: Used secondary research to identify systemic barriers to aging-in-place and focused on creating inclusive solutions

+ Design: Integrated systems design to create a holistic, community-oriented solution that addressed both individual and societal challenges.
+ Collaboration: Worked closely with my sister, ensuring her design was deeply informed by user insights and centered on human needs

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03 // The outcome

Developed an innovative, socially impactful proposal that earned a Highly commended award in the RSA 2021 competition.

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