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DESIGN TOUCHPOINTS Having worked on the continent
for a few years, designer Ahmad Fakhry is back and getting stuck in to designing better experiences for all concerned. words Richard Seabrooke – After living and working on the continent, where is Dublin and Ireland in terms of a design-led culture and our understanding of the benefits to society, commerce and community? I don’t think Dublin is design-led, sadly, certainly not in the same way Amsterdam or Copenhagen would be. I believe there are facets that are, there are certainly people who are doing great things and pushing to make things better. Like with many areas of the arts here we have incredibly talented people, however, I feel designers are not the first ones in the conversation when they should be, too often they are left with only a chance to add some gloss and not the substance. It’s certainly gotten better since I’ve been working in the industry, but, having lived in Amsterdam and other cities, it still feels behind. It’s not ingrained in our culture like other cities but that’s not to say that won’t change. – When designing spaces for people to live, work, shop and come together, what are the most important things you consider in your approach? Usually, when starting any project, it’s all about the functionality of it, be it spatial or an object. If that’s a restaurant, for example, we start by looking at the offering, how it’s going to be served, how do you order it, what type of experience is desired, lots of questions really. From that you build up how that works and how people interact with it, customers and staff, then we can start adding layers of touchpoints, of materiality, of colour and texture. Usually, though, it’s the classic function then form. Often the best results reflect the people involved, their passion and drive and those touchpoints take a backseat. – As retail reopens, hopefully this time for good, what will be the trends and changed habits you’ll be designing for? I think what we’re going to see and what I’m working on for a couple of retail spaces now is much more engagement with customers, something a lot of independent stores do so well already. I think time in-store will also increase, people will want a more engaging and thorough experience, nothing that feels rushed. Spaces that encourage interaction with staff and time spent understanding the value, the life and the quality of products being bought. As we’ve seen with many places over the last year that have had to pivot to offer either more diverse products or a wider range, I think we will see a greater level of curation of product too. I’m hoping there’s a shift in the mentality of what people are buying too, buying less and buying better has hopefully hit home for many over the last year. The push to shop local and community spirit that has built up will make for a much more engaging retail experience. 12