BBC

Case Study # 9: BBC
Multidisciplinary Design Innovation
Postgraduate Students
Project Director: Neil Smith/Mark Bailey

The Big Question for our Students:

What can a multidisciplinary group teach the BBC about the possible futures for Radio?

The Opportunities for Innovation:

Innovations designed to increase the static listening figures of the younger generation and build brand loyalty with them for the future.
To explore the opportunities for commercial radio partnerships and in doing so, increase listening figures in general.

Project Scope:

The BBC provided our students with background information on the current position of BBC Radio. An exploration of the alternatives such as iPlayer and online radio stations was also conducted. With the Internet providing a universal platform for radio, the BBC was curious as to how you could use these ‘connected capabilities’ to promote their own brand. However, with the BBC providing a public service, certain restrictions would have to be taken into account – for example: if a concept were to require signing up, how much personal data could be requested?

Phase One - What we did and how we did it:

In teams of two to three people, the students conducted in-depth research on the BBC brand, current technology capabilities, future technology capabilities, T.V. license fees (which funds BBC Radio), commercial radio and the human machine interface.

Posters, displaying key insights and imagery, were also produced for each of the research areas. All the information gathered by the students was shared, arming all students with a collective knowledge.

Phase Two – What we did and how we did it:

The highly visual workstations helped the students to conceptualise, inspiring and stimulating a range of possibilities.

The Result:

In order to demonstrate all their findings to the BBC, the students produced an illustrated bound document, discussing each territory in terms of; discovery, unanswered questions, insights, futures and concluded with a series of provocative ‘What if?’ concepts.

“It has been a been a genuinely rewarding experience engaging with Northumbria University’s MDI group. Their enthusiasm, thoughtfulness and creative insight has been inspiring – I look forward to continuing our relationship!”

Adam Powers, Head of User Experience & Design: 
BBC Audio & Music interactive and Mobile