William Gleave

• Course: BDes (Hons) Product Design
• Email: wgleave13@gmail.com
• Social Media: Instagram: @GleaveMakes

Title of Piece: The SCAMP

Statement:

For my final project at the university, I wanted to combine my love for helping others with my lifelong passion: trains! I regularly took the trains back and forth from home to university and therefore was very observant of the disability provisions at train stations and on trains and wanted to find something that could be improved.

One thing that stood out to me was train boarding ramps, and how they were quite simple with a lacklustre safety record for both passengers and the station staff that operated them - they were also not very versatile or easy to use. The solution, through many iterations and long days of designing, was the SCAMP – a new and improved, easy to use & safe safety ramp for the UK railway network.

The SCAMP combined a multitude of safety features, including locking ramp segments, a braking system for the wheels, barriers on each side of the ramp and grip tape for safe and secure boarding and disembarkation – the scamp was also brightly coloured for easy visibility for other passengers at a busy station.

Into the future, I’d love to run my own business being a designer/maker – using my hands (and a selection of tools) to produce bespoke items from clients including furniture from a variety of materials such as wood and metal. In the future I would love to have my own workshop where I can spend my days working, experimenting, and making things that I’m proud of. 

My Experience:

The opportunities for tips on the course are amazing, not only were we awarded the opportunity to go to Dutch Design Week, which in itself is amazing, we also were able to partake in the European Study Tour which takes you to a selection of European countries across a single week to different key areas of design with a final stop at the Milan Furniture Fair. These are experiences that would be almost impossible to realise on your own without coming on the course.

Another favourite part of the course is the Lecturers and technicians, who are always there to help you not only in the capacity of the course whenever you need but are also a shoulder to lean on if times are tough. I couldn't have done it without them, they are all simply amazing.