Making interactive furniture in Senegal

As part of an ongoing exploration of African design, we spoke to Thierry Giles, founder of the first UX research lab in West-Africa.

From the Series

Setting up shop in Senegal, industrial designer Thierry Giles found that furniture and interior designers were forced to go into Europe to find sought-after materials and processes. He founded incubators like; YUX Dakar, the first UX research lab in West-Africa; and Super Now Architecture, a company that conceptualises and implements smart home solutions. Through these initiatives, Giles is able to train local artisans, design with local materials in mind, and push the boundaries of interactive, responsive interior design.