Meet the team behind HUG
HUG by LAUGH ltd. is a spin out company from Cardiff Metropolitan University. The founding members are researchers from the LAUGH project and the CARIAD research group. The company is founded on eight years of design research led by Prof Treadaway which is published internationally and is considered world leading in the field of design for advanced dementia. Our value is not only in the HUG™ product that we have developed, but also the underpinning research and Compassionate Design approach developed by Prof Treadaway.
Compassionate design approach
Our design process is guided by Compassionate Design that ensures that loving kindness and the needs of the user, are kept at the heart of all we do.
You can read more about Compassionate Design and the research journey that led to HUG's development in 'Compassionate Design: a toolkit for designers'. We have written over 40 published articles about our research and many of them can be accessed and downloaded for free. Our research has also been published in a number of edited books on wellbeing and design.
We use technology in our products to extend their sensory properties. We know that music can provide special magic, transporting a person back to special moments in their lives. Aidan Taylor is our Technical Director, and his research continues to develop and refine innovative ways of interacting with our products to bring special moments into every day.
Our future research will focus on developing new sensory products to help people living with cognitive impairment, dementia and those in end-of-life care. Our aim is to bring joy, comfort and pleasure through the designs that we create.