Industrial Design Students Create Concepts for Our Aging Population at International Design Workshop

Industrial design students and faculty from Auburn’s School of Industrial + Graphic Design were invited to participate an international innovation workshop at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines in Saint-Etienne (EMSE), France, March 21–24. Working under the direction of associate professor Shea Tillman, students (Jana Haas, Rachel Williams, James Swasey, Madeline Sharp, Shelby Taylor, and Travis Taylor) travelled to Saint-Etienne after a two-day visit to Paris to take part in the L*unchbox, “a multidisciplinary, multicultural, four-day creative event.” This workshop teams Auburn industrial design students with engineering students from EMSE, design strategy students from Brunel University in London, and design students from Politecnico di Milano in Italy.

Working within teams of four, students designed for the challenge: “Imagine a Future Where Your Parents Live Better, and Love Every Minute of It.” After initially generating 100 ideas, each team worked to refine a future scenario focused on improving lives as people grow older. These scenarios include new product and service models aimed both existing organizations and startups.

John Boult, associate professor of design strategy at Brunel University, and one of the co-founders of the workshop states, “This year’s L*unchbox underpins the way creative teams can work together in pursuit of a common goal. The methodology, which has been developed and co-created over the past eight years, minimizes the cultural gaps between engineers, designers, and other creatives. This is something that corporates strive to achieve, but not always with success.”

Shea Tillman summed up the workshop by adding, “L*unchBox provides a unique opportunity for Auburn industrial design to contribute in global conversations that affect each of us, all while experiencing the cultural diversity within France.”