Lara Kirwood

Through the format of a children's storybook, Beyond the Glow is an allegory exploring the complex issue of technological development, occurring at the expense of individual wellbeing and social connection. The story follows a young squirrel who learns to venture beyond the comforting and alluring light of her home, to discover the wonders of the forest and the creatures around her, conveying a message that can be interpreted in many ways. With the narrative and illustrations designed in collaboration with emerging generative AI technology, Beyond the Glow aims to highlight the importance of balance, where technology can be helpful only when harnessed responsibly.

Sprout is an app co-designed for university students to develop their feedback literacy. This essential skill enables students to effectively receive, understand, and utilise feedback. Formative feedback, often conveyed verbally through consultations and discussions, serves to help students continually improve their work. Sprout guides students through the entire feedback process, helping them prepare for feedback, engage in positive feedback conversations, and effectively implement suggestions to enhance their work. Sprout is a practical tool for students, empowering them to make the most of feedback they receive, and contributing to their academic and personal growth.

The life of an introvert is a constant balancing act between attending social commitments and recharging the social battery. In a world that often prioritises social interactions, introverts can find this challenging, and frequently end up feeling drained. As a solo player board game, Recharge is designed to highlight the importance of this balance, and provide a fun way for introverts to recharge their social battery. As a design for self-care, the game establishes recharging the social battery as a valuable use of time, helping introverts understand and respect their need to recharge in their own lives, and providing suggestions for activities which can fulfil this need.

To play the game, you must work to recharge your social battery during a week filled with energy-draining social commitments. To win, you must fill your social battery before the weeks ends, and before social fatigue overwhelms your wellbeing. Each turn involves balancing various social commitments by collecting energy tokens from relaxing activities (such as listening to music, cooking, or reading a book). With multiple difficulty levels and a dynamic game path, Recharge offers a unique and fun experience in each playthrough, for introverts to enjoy in their downtime.

Twin to 'Recharge,' as a two-player game, Energize is designed to teach extroverts the importance of spending time with the people they care about, and provides a fun way for them to socialise. Players must work as a team to maintain their social battery by completing energizing activities with others (such as karaoke night, hosting a party, or going to a concert), whilst battling disappointments and cancellations which drain their energy and threaten to leave them feeling lonely. To win, players must have a full social battery before the party on Sunday, and before social isolation overwhelms their wellbeing.

What type of watch would Princess Rapunzel like to wear? This design demonstrates the potential of speculative design, by analysing Rapunzel as a fictional character and catering to her unique needs and desires. In the watch, the gold and purple colouring, gemstones, and crown symbol reflect her royal status, whilst acknowledging her carefree character with a classic design and braided wrist band. It also features a miniature glowing lantern, symbolising her freedom, and would function in guiding her home to her family from adventures. This practice takes the elements of her character, and imagines what kind of watch she would want as a product user.