Design Innovation for Health & Wellbeing


Supervisors: Professor Irene McAra McWilliam, Dr. Lynn-Sayers McHattie

Since 2008, I have been self-employed as a weave designer and textile researcher based in Glasgow. My work is inspired and informed by innovations in sports and technical textiles; the importance of traditional textiles, craft practice and associated cultural heritage; local production and sustainable enterprise.
Education has been an important element of my professional practice; I was the weave subject leader and lectured in textile design, professional practice and employability across Design and Craft disciplines at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (2010 – 2012) and am currently a visiting lecturer in textile design at Glasgow School of Art (2012). I’ve also held workshops, lectures and talks on design, craft and enterprise at professional networking events, studio open days, in schools and as maker-in-residence at cultural craft centres (CCI, Shetland, 2007 and the Barony Centre, West Kilbride, 2012) and am a peer-mentor on the NESTA Starter for 6 business innovation programme.

I’ve worked on private and academic design-led research projects under commercial confidentiality for local SMEs, including research into closed loop recycling systems for sportswear; redesigning medical products with smart materials; eco-friendly alternatives to giftwrap; and developing practical solutions for high performance sportswear concepts.

At Glasgow School of Art, I’m currently studying for a PhD as part of Design in Action: a nationwide Knowledge Exchange project which seeks to understand design-led routes to innovation by developing and implementing radical methods based on ‘sandpits’- intense workshops which aim to generate exciting, multi-disciplinary concepts and research projects in academia- but applied to commercial enterprise endeavours.

My research aims to: understand what makes a successful ‘sandpit’ outcome by following, analysing and evaluating projects resulting from Design in Action events, within the context of Health and Wellbeing.