HELLO

SimonO’RaffertyDesign researcher20 Howard St. Cardiff, CF242AXhello@simonorafferty.comwww.simonorafferty.com+44(0)7846749264@sorafferty

I am a design researcher that specialises in sustainability and social innovation.

I have a strong interdisciplinary mindset and I collaborate with commercial, public sector, educational and non-profit organisations.

My research portfolio is diverse and I have supported both product and policy development.

I am experienced in multiple research methodologies but I am interested in participatory, ethnographic and co-design methods.

This portfolio will highlight some projects I have been involved in. It will focus on applied and participatory projects, networks and data visualisation.

my key areas of expertise

Research strategy - Deepening understanding and providing direction through research insights, scenario development and strategic roadmapping. Designing and undertaking primary research (evaluation, interviews, observational, ethnographic) as well as secondary research (thematic studies, policy research).

Sensemaking - Undertaking formative and summative evaluation, developing research reports, guiding documents, policy briefings and presentations.

Knowledge exchange - Designing and facilitating knowledge exchange workshops and events for innovation, insight, exploration and learning.

Networks - Designing and developing networks to connect people to knowledge.

who I have worked withThis is a small selection of organisations that I have worked with but it includes national governments, large manufacurers, SMEs, universities and industry associations.

Applied research

cycLED (eco-innovation of LED products) – FP7 fundedRole: lead researcher, proposal development

LCA to Go (Life Cycle Assessment tools for SMEs) – FP7 fundedRole: lead researcher, proposal development

KARIM (meta-network on responsible innovation) – Interreg fundedRole: research manager, co-investigator

Baseline of Welsh Manufacturing and proposed policy interventions for Welsh GovernmentRole: lead researcher, project manager

Phasing out hazardous substances from construction products for Constructing ExcellenceRole: lead researcher, project manager

Interdisciplinarity in Design Education for Sustainability for UK Higher Education Academy [2010]Role: lead researcher, project manager

Networks

E:DN (ecodesign network for design industry) Role: project director, event management, workshop design and facilitation

thinkARK (social design network)Role: co-founder, collaborator, workshop design and facilitation

Social design

Cardiff Walking Strategy public engagement for Cardiff Council Role: project director, research strategy

Trade School Dublin/CardiffRole: co-founder/collaborator

ARKADE (empty shop project)Role: collaborator, workshop design and facilitation

Cardiff Cycle Strategy public engagement for Cardiff CouncilRole: research strategy, workshop facilitation

some projects I am proud ofThis is a small selection of projects I have been involved with. I am proud of these projects because they were aimed at policy development, product and service innovation aswell as local social innovation.

Research papersO’Rafferty, S., O’Connor, F. & Millward, H., 2013. Regional Design Systems for Sustainable Development. In Crafting the Future, 10th European Academy of Design Conference. Gothenburg, Sweden

O’Rafferty, S., 2011. Integrating Sustainability in a Regional Design Sector. In Nordes 11: the 4th Nordic Design Research Conference. Helsinki: Aalto University.

O’Rafferty, S. & DeEyto, A., 2011. Building a Sustainable Literacy – Sustainable design integration initiatives from Wales and Ireland. Swedish Design Research Journal, 1.11, pp.38–45.

Claes, M., O’Rafferty, S. & O’Connor, F., 2011. Strategic Questions for Design Education for Sustainability. In 13th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, London:City University London.

O’Rafferty, S., O’Connor, F. & Claes, M., 2010. Design Thinking and Design Doing: The regional policy context of design for sustainability. In Knowledge Collaboration & Learning for Sustainable Innovation. European Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production, pp. 1–20.

O’Rafferty, S., O’Connor, F. & Curtis, H., 2009. The creativity gap? – bridging creativity, design and sustainable innovation. In Aalborg, Denmark: Aalborg University.

O’Rafferty, S., Curtis, H. & O’Connor, F., 2009. Capacity for sustainability: the changing contexts of design. In 11th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education. Brighton: University of Brighton.

O’Rafferty, S. & O’Connor, F., 2009. Regional perspectives on capacity building for ecodesign – insights from Wales. In J. Sarkis, J. J. Cordeiro, & D. A. V. Brust, eds. Facilitating Sustainable Innovation through Collaboration. The Netherlands: Springer-Verlag New York, LLC.

O’Rafferty, S., O’Connor, F. & Cox, I., 2008. Supporting sustainable regional innovation and ecodesign in small to medium enterprises: a discussion on the issue with insights from Wales. In Sustainable Consumption and Production: Framework for action. Brussels:

O’Connor, F., O’Rafferty, S., 2007. Ecodesign Centre Wales – continuing the ecodesign agenda. In 11th European Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production. Basel.Research reports

Research reportsO’Rafferty, S., Prendeville, S. & O’Connor, F. (2013). Ecodesign Baseline for Wales Waste Prevention Programme final report, Cardiff, UK. (client Welsh Government)

O’Rafferty, S., Koehler, A., Van der Velden, N. & Sherry, J. (2012). Interim report on Policy Impact of LCA to go project, Cardiff, UK. (client European Commission)

O’Rafferty, S., O’Connor, F. & Prendeville, S. (2012). Ecodesign Centre Position Paper on links between the proposed SD Bill and the proposed Wales Innovation Strategy, Cardiff, UK. (client Welsh Government)

O’Rafferty, S. (2011). Interdisciplinarity, design thinking & sustainable development: Strategies for UK higher education. Cardiff, UK. (client UK Higher Education Academy)

O’Rafferty, S., Claes, M., & O’Connor, F. (2010). Perceptions among European product designers on the use of pre-painted metals, Cardiff, UK. (client ECCA)

O’Rafferty, S., Curtis, H., & O’Connor, F. (2010). Discussion document on construction materials for the construction sector plan, Cardiff, UK. (clients Constructing Excellence Wales)

O’Rafferty, S., Curtis, H., & O’Connor, F. (2009). A feasibility on the scope and potential for a BASTA system for the construction sector in Wales, Cardiff, UK. (client Constructing Excellence Wales)

O’Rafferty, S., Curtis, H., & O’Connor, F. (2009). ECONetwork: A feasibility study on the scope and potential for ecodesign and eco-innovation knowledge exchange networks for the professional design sectors in Wales, Cardiff, UK.

O’Rafferty, S., Curtis, H., & O’Connor, F. (2008). Ecodesign literature review for the Wales Waste Strategy, Cardiff, UK. (client Welsh Government)

O’Rafferty, S., Curtis, H., & O’Connor, F. (2008). Ecodesign and waste prevention policies and interventions: Recommendations for the Wales Waste Strategy 2009-2025, Cardiff, UK. (client Welsh Government)

some articles I have publishedThis is a small selection of articles I have published. I have published in academic journals and books, industry and pracitioner publications. I am experienced in writing reports and briefings for policy makers.

applied researchThe next section presents some applied projects I led. The development of these projects involved various research activities such as semi-structured interviews, focus groups, case study development, secondary data analysis, technical analysis.

Cradle to CradleAbout: As part of the Ecodesign Centre team I supported Orangebox during the development of a new line of task seating. The chair, Ara, incorporated a number of sustainable design and material innovations alongside changes to the company business model - e.g. product take-back.

Client: Orangebox, Welsh Government

Role: Research strategy.

Cradle to CradleAbout: Orangebox in became the first European furnture manufacturer obtain the cradle to cradle certification.

responsibleinnovationAbout: This project developed a meta-network for responsible innovation in North-West Europe. I led on the development of a guiding document about responsible innnovation. This diagram is a framework for Responsible Innovation that I developed for the project.

Client: European Commission

Role: Research strategy.

framework for Responsible Innovation in SMEs

strategy

guiding principles

process

implementation

Review actions and practices related to RI

Improve actions and practices related to RIEnhance company credibility regarding RI

RI Diagnostic toolsStandard vision/strategy tools e.g. EPISTEL, STEER, PEST, SWOT

RI Diagnostic toolsLife Cycle AssessmentStakeholder dialogue/communicationKnowledge & network management.

establish business

case for RI

monitor technologies, trends &

markets

manage knowledge

& ideas

develop RI vision & strategy

develop & realise project

develop supporting structures for project

acti

ons

tool

s

Accountability & Transparency / Ethical Behaviour / Respect for laws, environment & other stakeholders

key governance issuesEnvironment / Human rights / Fair labour and operating practices / Consumer issues / Community involvement

knowledge

Understand the RI opportunities and barriers of the company

Market foresight, stakeholder dialogue, trend analysisKnowledge management tools

My PhDAbout: My PhD thesis “Ecodesign systems and government intervention: an analytical framework” argued that ecodesign policy interventions failed because they were based on a linear logic and therefore we need to build capacity at all levels of the design system.

RQ 1 RQ 2

research methodology

My PhDMy thesis explored the systems aspects of design in small companies. It showed how many policy interventions are based on contested linear models of design.

My PhDMy thesis developed a novel framework for analysing and designing policy interventions for ecodesign.

Design educationAbout: This project explored interdisciplinarity in design education for sustainable development. It involved a survey and semi-structured interviews with leading experts from design education.

Client: UK Higher Education Academy

Role: Funding, project conception and direction, research and data analysis, report writing.

research methodology

review literature

synthesise research

areas

designeducatorsworkshop

report

internationalbest-practice

scan

expertinterviews

sustainable design

education

interdiscip. design

education

research areasworkshop format

Introduction to research and key insights

Exploration of perceptions of interdisciplinarity (creative exercise and prepared example)

Re�ection on insights from Jane’s PhD, international best practice and provocations

Framing of strategies for interdisciplinarity (priorities, policies and projects)

participatory researchThe next section presents some social design projects I led and collaborated on. The development of these projects involved various research activities such as interviews, participatory events, user journey mapping, on-street dialogue, interactive surveys, digital mapping and co-design.

it’s good to walkAbout: This project enabled local communities to identify and map barriers to walking in their neighbourhood. Data was collected through on-street dialogue, micro-ethnography, online survey, digital mapping, social media.

Client: Cardiff Council

Role: Research strategy, graphic design, data collection, data analysis, report writing.

it’s good to walkOn-street dialogue and analogue mapping with residents.

it’s good to walkOn-street dialogue and analogue mapping with residents.

it’s good to walkResidents were provided with walking diaries to record a week of their walking.

4 days of on-street public engagement through pop-up on-street interventions

Exploration of experiences of residents by highlighting their perceptions of walking, motivations, personal values, as well as perceived barriers to walking

In-depth micro-ethnographic explorations of walking in locations with six main personas/walker groups (community audit)

246 individual issues identified on the maps during on street consultation (Ely 57, Caerau 67 , St Mellons 29, Llanrumney 92)

204 individual responses to on-street dialogue

47 responses to online survey (3 in Welsh)

Youngest response – 6 years old

Eldest response – 88 years old

it’s good to walkSome key facts from the project.

Cardiff cyclingAbout: Cardiff City Council wanted to consult the public on cycling in the city. We took over an empty shop on the high-street to create a new consultation experience. Data was collected through on-street dialogue, interactive survey, online survey.

Client: Cardiff Council

Role: Research strategy, data collection, data analysis, report writing.

Cardiff cyclingThis project repurposed an empty shop to assist with the data collection

Cardiff cyclingThis project involved various interactive methods of data collection. In this case we asked people to map their preferred cycling routes so that we could determine so route density.

Cardiff cyclingThis project involved various interactive methods of data collection. We also used interactive methods such as token drops, sitting on chairs to select an answer and dot voting.

Cardiff cyclingThe response from the public to the method was encouraging.

Cardiff cyclingSome key facts from the project.

1 repurposed empty shop on the highstreet

1 online survey

50 vox pop interviews across the city

2000 flyers distributed

400+ responses to interative survey in empty shop

local press coverage

cycling related workshops for all ages

ARKADEAbout: Ark Lab wanted to explore how empty shops could be repurposed for community use. We took over an empty shop and four three days ran a series of events and workshops for community groups, businesses and the general public.

Client: Self-funded

Role: Research strategy, data collection, data analysis.

ARKADEWe ran a series of events and workshops. We also had art interventions, poetry events and a Sunday cinema.

ARKADEI led a workshop called “Imagining Cardiff”.This was an interactive workshop that involved community asset mapping and scenario development.

networksThe next section presents some networks that I developed. The development of these networks involved various research activities such as co-design workshops, interviews, participatory events, vox pops, on-street dialogue, interactive surveys.

thinkARK was initially co-developed with two other designers and then extended to a larger team over time.

E:DNAbout: E:DN was a knowledge exchange network on ecodesign for the professional design sectors in Wales. The aim was to start integrating sustainability into design practice in the region.

Client: Welsh Government

Role: Project conception and direction, funding, event management, workshop facilitation, community management, evaluation.

E:DNSome key facts from the project.

2 stages of government funding

3 co-design workshops with design sector to develop concept for network

14 events, talks and workshops related to sustainability and social innovation

4 spin-off events of “small talks“ in local pubs

1 network website

1 Evaluation report for government

E:DNE:DN was developed in collaboration with the design community. There were three co-design workshoops that helped define the Purpose, Ingredients and Outcomes of the network.

E:DNE:DN involved events and workshops on diverse topics such as social innovation, sustainable business models, sustainable material selection and design tools.

E:DNE:DN was aimed at knowledge exchange and this was reflected in the branding of the project, website and other communication materials.

thinkARKAbout: thinkARK is a a network for people interested in making our communities better through fun, engaging & collaborative projects.

Client: none

Role: Project conception, research direction, funding, event management, workshop facilitation, community management.

thinkARKWe aimed to underpin many of our projects with creative approaches or design methods. Every project is collaborative and multi-disciplinary.

Our processWe work through a very simple but robust process that we apply to all of our projects.

discover translate

>

Exploration of the perceived needs & issues

Key outcomes translated into design strategies

prototype develop

>

Development of early stage concepts

thinkARKOur projects are diverse and include Trade School (an alternative school that runs on barter), Paper Girl (a community art project).

We have also self-initiated design reserch project on topics such as train accessibility and creative networks.

thinkARKOur projects are diverse and include Trade School (an alternative school that runs on barter), Paper Girl (a community art project).

We have also self-initiated design reserch project on topics such as train accessibility and creative networks.

THANKYOU