Electric Cars Driven by Research
Together with private and public partners, the research and development project etrans at the Kolding School of Design is creating the basis for making the electric car a commercial and environmental success in Denmark. The project uses the method of interaction-driven design to develop the infrastructure and the services needed to make Danish drivers embrace the electric car. One of the participants is the company ChoosEV, which is engaged in a project that gathers knowledge from a real-life test, where 2,400 Danish families try out the electric car in their everyday lives.
17 May 2011

Sustainable Development and Critical Reflection
The planet’s manmade problems cannot be solved with­out research, and design research has the potential to contribute knowledge and to orchestrate the interdisciplinary cooperation that is required. But designers must continue to develop their critical reflection to ensure the relevance of their efforts. These were some of the points that stood out after the international research seminar Frontiers in Design Research on 16 March 2011 at the Kolding School of Design in Denmark.
26 April 2011

We Want to Generate ­Innovation in Society
– Interview with Poul Rind ­Christensen, Kolding School of Design, Denmark

Until 2014, the research strategy for Kolding School of Design is focused on the interaction between research and practice. By means of so-called learning circles that connect research projects, development projects and private or government-funded organisations, the design school aims to generate interactive understanding that is enriching to everyone involved. According to Head of Research, Professor Poul Rind Christensen at Kolding School of Design, this gives research a real potential for contributing to the dynamics of an innovative society.
18 May 2010

Our Glocal Future
How can design research help promote environmental sustainability? Ezio Manzini, a professor at Politecnico di Milano, points to the possibility of working with scenarios for future development. The scenarios may generate specific ideas for new solutions. At the same time, on a methodological level, this work contributes to developing the use of scenarios as a design-specific tool that can be used to identify and discuss possibilities that have not yet been realised.
17 November 2009

User-Involvement Leads to More Sustainable Waste Management
We are drowning in garbage. But more than 80 percent of the household waste that is incinerated today could be recycled if it were sorted correctly. Together with the waste management firm Vestforbrænding, Danish design researchers are exploring new ways to improve waste sorting and recycling. In a pilot project associated with the DAIM project, Design-Anthropological Innovation Model, at The Danish Design School, design researchers have accompanied garbage collectors on their routes in order to develop a better understanding of user needs. Experiences gained in the project have already led to improvements in many of Vestforbrænding’s processes and procedures and will be made available to other companies.
17 November 2009

Design Researchers Want to Turn Danes on to Electric Cars
When the environmentally friendly electric cars are ready to roll out onto Danish roads in less than two years, drivers should see them as an offer they can’t refuse. Design researchers at Designskolen Kolding, Denmark, will do their bit to bring this about. With support from Dong Energy, the Danish Enterprise and Construction Agency and others, they have launched the etrans project, which draws on user-driven innovation to help make the electric car a commercial success and thus an environmental success.
17 November 2009