I believe the awards are a credit to CC’s ability to address individual user problems while also impacting those wider societal issues. We have cross-disciplinary teams of designers, engineers and technologists, all working together to create the best possible solutions. This holistic approach is amplified by our deep tech mindset – continually pushing design and technology boundaries to create new-to-the world innovations.

Collaboration with AstraZeneca

On that note – let me share more about the Maru Paediatric Nebulizer concept we’ve developed in collaboration with AstraZeneca. Successful in the professional product concept category, Maru transforms the nebulizer experience for child asthma patients and their parents, by combining advanced technology with major usability improvements. The child-friendly design features an interactive interface that engages children during treatment sessions and promotes correct inhalation technique.

The Maru ecosystem supports parents with guidance for independent home use. Maru enhances child cooperation while simultaneously reassuring parents and caregivers, creating a more enjoyable and effective treatment experience for families.

Accessible AI for all

The second CC entry recognised by the IF DESIGN AWARD is the Imaigo Play & Learn AI Children’s AI Educational App in the user experience (UX) category. We partnered with the Cambridge Science Centre in its mission to make AI accessible to children, by demystifying AI and transforming complex concepts like image classification, recognition, and data bias into engaging, multi-sensory activities.

The educational app uniquely blends physical and digital interactions, engaging visuals, while the child-driven design breaks down barriers to engineering subjects. Through an iterative and collaborative design process, feedback from children was incorporated to ensure that the app provides an intuitive and gamified learning experience that makes AI accessible to all, and both informs and inspires.

Novel technology to improve health outcomes

Last but not least to be a winner – again in the professional product concept category – is KERA, our novel digital corrective eyewear for keratoconus. With this progressive eye disorder, the cornea becomes permanently deformed, impeding people’s ability to see clearly.

Typical prescription glasses do not improve the condition and existing solutions such as rigid contact lenses have severe usability pitfalls. The patent-pending KERA concept uses innovative display technology and eye-tracking to identify what a user is looking at and improve image sharpness. It is also bespoke for each patient, taking into account their unique eye shape.

We’re certainly doing something right – our consistent record of achievement over the years means CC is currently placed number two in Europe in the iF design ranking and fourth worldwide. Do please reach out to me if you’d like to discover more about this work or any of the topics I’ve discussed, I’d love to hear from you.

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