Umeå Institute of Design ranked first by Red Dot

For the third year in a row, Umeå Institute of Design has retained the number one spot in the Red Dot Design Ranking. The prestigious ranking annually rates product design educations in the Americas & Europe.

The position atop the Red Dot Ranking is a direct reflection of the projects produced by students at the school over the past five years. Amongst the winners from UID this year we find projects and products about electronic waste, fire hazards in poverty-stricken areas and paramedic equipment.

"Sharing and collaborating is at the core, in every stage of the process"

Thomas Olofsson, Head of Department at Umeå Institute of Design, talks about what makes UID a place that strives for continuous development.

"To once again be at the top of the Red Dot Ranking shows that we have been able to continue to foster a unique creative environment. This environment would not be possible without a common understanding and commitment amongst everyone involved, students and staff. At the core of this commitment is sharing and collaborating, in every stage of the process. Such recognition makes us hope, and believe, that we can continue to build an even more exciting future for design education and research here at Umeå Institute of Design."

Infrared camera could revolutionize paramedic diagnostics

Alexander Abele from Germany, who won an individual award at the gala on Friday September 28^th, is taking his final year of the Master's in Advanced Product Design. He says the secret behind Umeå Institute of Design's success is a culture of collaboration and the ever-present emphasis on solving real-life problems.

"The intense and creative environment at UID keeps students working closely together. There is a collaborative spirit, across all programmes, that creates something quite special. Also, the way we approach new projects is always close to what goes on in the actual industry. Through constant field trips and presenting to people working in the real world of design we are able to create meaningful solutions to actual problems.", says Alexander Abele.

The project that got him the Red Dot award tries to solve one of those very real-world problems. The product, FLIR HC150, is a thermal heat camera that aims to improve instant diagnostic in the crucial first minutes when paramedics arrive on the scene of an accident. With infrared technology the camera provides a faster way to conduct a non-invasive examination of the patient by scanning the body on the site of the accident.

"In hospitals they use computer tomography to detect these injuries. But the time between accident site and hospital is vital and can decide whether the patient lives or dies. Even with the tools in an ambulance today, invisible injuries such as internal bleeding, a stroke diagnosis and disturbed blood circulations, often stay undetected. With this camera we hope that we can provide paramedics with new important information while the scanned images can also be sent to the hospital to provide them early with crucial information.", explains Alexander Abele.

This is the third consecutive year that Umeå Institute of Design has been ranked number one in the Red Dot Ranking. For morte information on UID award winners, see below.

UID Red Dot Winners 2018

This year Red Dot Award's Design Concept received a record 5,640 entries from 55 countries. On September 28^th, the winners were honoured at the award ceremony in Singapore.

On site were APD alumnae Rebecca Daum who received an award for her thesis project Malaika. Present in Singapore were also APD's Alejandro Mandrion who received an award for Electrorun and Ruben Eriksson who was acknowledged for Flir Fieldtech, design concepts both developed during their first year at the Masters programme in advanced product design.

In total, UID had projects winning five awards, which included APD's Alexander Abele and his infrared camera for paramedics, Flir HC150, and James Skeggs and Franziska Heuck, who won a prestigious 'Best of the Best' for their collaborative robot Revive.

For more information, please contact:

Jens Persson, communication officer, Umeå Institute of Design, Umeå University
Phone: +4690 786 50 63
E-post: jens.persson@umu.se