Innovation & Technology Product Design
Tess Mcmonagle
This year I have explored who I am as a designer, particularly in the context education. My interest in design within education began while researching design thinking (DT) in education, I explored this topic further in my dissertation – The Value of DT in Scottish schools – this has translated into my studio work, exploring learning through play. Next as I begin a PGDE Primary education I plan to innovate education from the classroom level.
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Works
Collaborative Work
Milk Drunk
Milk Drunk is a pop-up immersive event that aims to educate young people on the fun and chaotic realities of parenthood through a series of thought-provoking activities. Set in bars, Milk Drunk blends the chaos of a night out with the chaos of parenting. Milk Drunk allows attendees to develop empathy for their parent peers in a relaxed social setting through a series of thought-provoking activities.
At the event attendees, attendees are led through stations by Thought-provoking prompt cards. First; attendees choose between two balloons, either – ‘babies can be fun’ or ‘parents should have fun’, this sets the tone for the event as it intends to spark conversations and challenge perceptions immediately. Attendees then participate in; a baby bottle challenge; dress and name a toy before getting a family photo; and play a card game putting attendees in the shoes of parents with questions relating to different aspects of parent life.; finally, attendees contribute to a shared pool of knowledge by writing a family-friendly activity on a chalkboard.
Milk Drunk celebrates parenthood, reduces stigma, and builds connections between young people and their peers who are parents.
PlaySaC – SOCIAL AND CULTURAL EDUCATIONAL TOYS
PlaySaC is a scheme delivered by the local authority that works with different designers each year to produce toys for babies in the area to educate on cultural and societal issues.
PlaySac is beneficial in promoting cultural identity and community engagement for parent and child; and beneficial for local economy though sourcing materials from local business and boosting tourism through cultural vibrancy.
This year’s toy box focuses on societal issues surrounding social isolation and the importance of community delivered through two dolls that come to life when attached to each other and a book narrating the journey of the dolls.
Designing Future Experiences – The Pub 2035
As more people live their lives online, the absence of spontaneous, in-person social interaction and even basic human touch raises urgent questions about emotional well-being, immune resilience, and the future of public health. This project responds to a growing concern: by 2035, widespread digital dependency is predicted to intensify anxiety and reduce opportunities for physical connection.
Drawing from The Digital 2023 Global Overview Report by Simon Kemp, which reveals that over 64% of the global population is now online and nearly 60% are active social media users, we explored the long-term consequences of this shift. The erosion of “third places”—such as pubs, libraries, and community centres—has further deepened social isolation.Reduced exposure to diverse environments may lead to weakened immune systems and increased health vulnerabilities.
Rather than offering a definitive solution, we designed a provocation: a speculative future pub space that invites people to reflect on their drinking habits, lifestyle choices, and the role of social spaces in their wellbeing. This concept imagines the pub as a reimagined site of care, one that champions healthier behaviours, communal reciprocity, and a return to embodied, physical connection in a digital world.
By positioning the pub as a space of resistance to digital isolation, our project challenges visitors to reconsider how human relationships, touch, and shared rituals might regain value in the years to come.
