How ecoBirdy’s Design Process Fosters “Design Thinking” for Kids

From July 1^st, 2023, after three years of renovation, the re-opening Young V&A Museum (a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London) will feature a permanent collection of works by ecoBirdy. Not only the renowned design pieces but the entire design process will be exhibited as a case study.

We are delighted to provide a glimpse into the design process behind our products. In a world filled with boundless possibilities, children are the ultimate dreamers. Their vivid imaginations hold the power to shape the future, and as designers of children's furniture, we believe in nurturing and celebrating their innate creativity.

Practising Design Thinking has been recognized as an important skill for children’s intellectual and personal development in the rapidly changing world of today. Standford University’s d.school, founded by designer and entrepreneur David Kelley, has defined a framework of the process to foster a design thinking mindset among our children, which resonates with the ecoBirdy’s case study in different stages at the exhibition:

1. Empathize: Empathy is the foundation of human-centred design

ecoBirdy’s research started with the observation of a lot of plastic toys being discarded in a short life span, thus potentially creating pollution and harm to the planet.

2. Define: Turning findings into needs and insights

ecoBirdy’s investigated the possible technology to recycle plastic, what was the challenge and possible solutions.

3. Ideate: Generate radical design alternatives and explore wide solutions

ecoBirdy chose to turn recycled plastic into something beautiful and valuable that hadn’t been seen yet.

4. Prototype: Getting ideas out of the head and into the world

ecoBirdy applied a new design of children’s furniture, studying the proportion and ergonomic shapes.

5. Test: Gathering feedback and refining solutions

ecoBirdy’s Charlie Chair has been extensively tested and is officially approved by SGS for use in educational spaces, where the most brutal and intensive handling is simulated.

The Young V&A exhibition aims to present design as a human-centred problem-solving process, a tool that can be used to positively change lives and design is important as an entire thinking process rather than a single outcome.

We would like to invite children of the world to embark on a journey through the creative process, fostering their understanding that the most extraordinary creations often begin as humble concepts. Through this experience, young visitors will grasp the importance of imagination, problem-solving, and the power of design in shaping their environment.

Visit the Young V&A: open every day 10.00 - 17.45, free admission.

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