Industry Services
Applied design work with manufacturers and land-based industries, begun as careful field study rather than a catalogue of finished answers.
Starting on the shop floor
Industry work at the Centre begins where a product or process is actually used. Before a brief is written, our designers spend time with the people who make, operate and maintain the object in question.
This habit of looking first shapes everything that follows. Questions about tolerance, fatigue, cleaning and repair often matter more to a client than the first sketch.
Observation on a working line, where handling and maintenance decide the shape of a redesign.
Core activities
Our industry services fall into four working areas. Each one can be commissioned on its own or combined into a longer programme.
- Product and component design shaped by manufacturing limits
- Usability review of equipment in daily operation
- Materials and finish studies linked to production costs
- Design briefs for repair, service and end-of-life handling
Prototype parts compared against the original assembly before any tooling is committed.
How a project moves
A typical engagement opens with a short discovery phase. We agree the questions, the people who will answer them and the constraints that cannot move.
Design work follows in cycles of testing and revision. Each cycle ends with a written record, so that the reasons behind a decision stay with the client after the project closes.
A review wall after the first discovery week, with open questions kept in view.
Who we work with
We work with manufacturers, equipment builders and organisations that run physical systems and want them designed for the people who use them. Our wider purpose is described in the overview of the Centre.
To discuss a question, start with the contact page. A short description of the object and its users is enough to begin.
Usability testing with an operator, the stage where small changes to controls matter most.