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our focus
PRODUCT DESIGN
To design innovative products and services that are focused on the user.
EXPERIENCE DESIGN
To design user interactions that create a positive experience
SOCIAL INNOVATION
To design innovative design solutions to social and environmental challenges.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE
PRODUCT DESIGN
Sanitation-related diseases in Bangladesh kill over 100,000 children annually.
Bangladesh faces a water crisis impacting both scarcity and quality. Diarrheal diseases, linked to malnutrition and poor maternal health, affect thousands daily, contributing to a 4.5% infant mortality rate. The project aim was to explore the sanitation issues by conducting extensive user-based research and to design an effective sanitary squat toilet.
EXPERIENCE DESIGN
Designing an environment that better meets the needs of young mental health inpatients.
The CDN team was tasked with redesigning the SickKids 7A ward to better treat children at risk to themselves or others, while reducing one-on-one patient to healthcare worker time. The 15-bed mental health unit serves patients aged 8 to 18 with eating disorders (ie. anorexia, bulimia, binge disorder, etc.) or major psychiatric illnesses. The resulting in hospital environment is less than perfect for the needs of these young patients.
SOCIAL INNOVATION
Children's lives today are increasingly disconnected from nature.
Children today are increasingly disconnected from their surroundings, especially nature and plants, as they focus on digital devices. The GAIA project aims to reintroduce indoor plants to children through an educational smart toy. This device enabled children to be aware of their plants needs, to befriend them and to communicate with them. GAIA measures a plant’s needs (water, sunlight, air quality, soil pH) and sends this data to a child’s tablet or phone, encouraging them to care for their plants.
APPROACH
HOW WE DO IT
We use a design thinking and a user focused approach to resolve meaningful challenges important to people, business and their communities. It involves showing empathy and engagement with people’s lived experience by reframing problems from their perspective.