This work has taken the form of initial ‘Design Thinking’ workshops with members of Lord’s Taverners staff and with user groups that play the game across the year, connected with iterative design phases and prototyping work.

Design concept development and user testing has now lead to prototype kit that is now in final stages of design for manufacture,  with an initial order of 1,000 full kits being ready for use later in 2023. Over 10,000 children with disabilities in the UK play Table Cricket every year, culminating at a national championship event at Lord’s Cricket ground every summer. The work done will ensure a much higher quality of experience for all users, and will ensure the longevity and growth of table cricket on a national and international scale.

The project aims to provide consultancy services for product and industrial design to deliver a high calibre playing experience for all participants, leading to heightened inclusion and social impact.

Objectives

• Identify the challenges with current table cricket equipment.
• Engage with Lord’s Taverners teams to understand the user need.
• Design and develop high quality equipment that is easy to use for coaches and players.
• Heighten the quality of the playing experience.
• Deliver social inclusion and impact through good design.

Project staff

• Ben Durack, Course Leader: Three Dimensional Design, Gray’s School of Art
• Daniel Sutherland, Associate Dean, Gray’s School of Art

Testimonial

"Robert Gordon University and the staff at Gray’s have been brilliant at listening to our needs. We really wanted to get it right, we wanted to work with the best organisation, and we wanted to create the best kit. Our vision is to work with every school that we work with, to make it accessible for them to play table cricket." - Workshop participant