Dundee design students to represent the UK at Microsoft Design Expo 2008
Press release:
A team of design students from the University of Dundee will take their
latest project - a unique storytelling/storymaking machine - to
Microsoft’s world HQ next week.
The Dundee students - drawn from the University’s unique
interdisciplinary courses in Innovative Product Design & Interactive
Media Design - are the UK’s sole representatives in the Microsoft
Design Expo 2008, being held in Redmond, just outside Seattle.
They are participating alongside designs schools from the US, China,
India, Mexico, and the Netherlands in the annual challenge set by the
computing giant. This is the first time that the University of Dundee
has been invited to participate in the Expo.
The brief set by Microsoft this year was in the area of learning and
education, encouraging design solutions that improve the daily life of a
wide variety of users, from promoting creativity and curiosity in new
topics, to demonstrating novel ways of providing instruction, to
rethinking education systems and tools.
The Dundee team of Natalie Montgomery (20), Lee Murray (19), Neil
Dawson (19) and Joanna Montgomery (20) have responded to the challenge
by developing their `Storymaker/Storyteller’ machine, which enables
users to combine pictures and commentary to create stories.
“The thinking behind the machine was inspired by my grandfather,
Donald Aitken, who was a former head of the British School in Tehran,”
explained Neil. “He has a vast library of pictures held on slides, and
there are some great stories behind them.
“We thought, why not create a machine that makes it easy to tie those
pictures and stories together and we came up with the
Storymaker/Storyteller device.”
The students have designed and built a working prototype which they
will take to the USA this weekend.
“Microsoft’s brief focused on the idea of networked objects,
machines which can effectively speak to each other,” said Natalie.
“Ours is aimed to encouraging communication between older people
and younger generations, relaying the stories they can pass down. This
works by using two machines - one to put the stories together and at the
other end a receiver which can project them.”
Mr Aitken has worked closely with the students, providing detailed
voiceovers linking some of his thousands of slides.
“This has been a great project to work on and the fact that it is
Microsoft has given everyone a real buzz,” said Lee.
“We are only in our second year at the University, so this is a great
way to mark the halfway point of our degree,” said Joanna.
The project builds on previous links built between the University and
Microsoft, which has in the past taken IPD graduates on much-prized
summer internships.
“Our courses in Innovative Product Design and Interactive Media
Design - and the close relationship they enjoy - put the University of
Dundee in a unique position within the United Kingdom to tackle
challenges such as those set by the Microsoft Design Expo,” said Polly
Duplock, programme leader for the IPD course.
“Getting to work with companies of the standing of Microsoft adds
extra excitement for the students and they have responded really
well.”
The students leave for the United States on Friday and will present
their project to Microsoft during the Expo on Monday and Tuesday of next
week.
Lili Cheng, Group Manager at Microsoft Research, said, “Microsoft
Research is delighted to provide a forum where young designers, from top
schools around the world, prototype solutions addressing real-life
opportunities.
“This year’s topic is learning and education, and students explore
areas such as managing time and money, learning through play, and
learning for all life stages. It is energi
sing and wonderful to
showcase high quality, deep ideas from so many different
perspectives.”