Section from my project proposal

Personal Statement/ Philosophy

I am interested in all aspects of design and being a designer, however I am particularly interested in design for function (how design can make everyday/mundane tasks become easier and sometimes more enjoyable) and I strongly believe that form should follow function. I am especially interested in design for public spaces and how users interact with these spaces. I am inspired by designs which are so simple yet incredibly effective; for example those which aim to change the users lifestyle routines for the better. One particular designers style which I aspire to is Yves Behar, I think his designs are incredibly stylish, modern, and very unique.

My ambition is to produce a really strong project for my honours year and graduate with a grade which reflects this. I hope after university I can find employment in a design based company, working within a team of designers, perhaps in the medical field.


Project Aims and Outlines

For my Honours project I have decided to look into Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), A neurotic disorder in which the person displays and/or complains of either obsessions or compulsions (or both) to a degree that affects his or her everyday functioning or causes him or her distress. In particular i will look at how design can help sufferers of the mental illness. The reason why I chose this particular subject is because I didn’t know very much about the illness and its effects, and I wanted a project where I had no preconceived ideas about the final design from the outset.

The final outcome should aim to alleviate any stress that sufferers of OCD experience (More than two thirds of OCD patients suffer from depression (Montgomery, Zohar, 1999)) and act as an aid to the routines which many sufferers perform hundreds of times a day.

I shall begin by undertaking primary research, contacting Aberdeen’s OCD sufferers support group, Posting out questionnaires and also contacting the two major online OCD charities directly.
Secondary research will consist of reading key texts from the library, this being books and journals and also making use of the internet to explore past research about OCD.
Concept development will begin when I have some high-quality research material, both primary and secondary, and when a specific problem area within OCD has been located.