Module_03.

Week_08: Collaborative tools, Building new models and Tools for future practice.

Lecture Notes:

This week’s lecture provided a valuable perspective for designer’s whom are primarily focused on the development of tools and services, that facilitate a societal need. I found myself in agreement with Dan and Nana Parry on a number of points, however, I also found myself disagreeing with their position on a number articles, chief among them, the notion that a cheaper product and a quicker delivery time equates to a superior tool. I disagree with this notion, in the strongest possible terms, as the point itself undermines the value of craft and good practice, and in place of this acknowledgement advocates an economic system that accommodates poor practice, and the exploitation of the consumer. On a fundamental level, this proposition also undermines their own objectives, specifically: Providing stable services, that offer accessibility and value, to their users.

Upon reflecting on the role of the societal landscape in relation to my own proposal, I would assert that technology is not a catch-all solution to a complex societal problem and in response to this commonly held belief, reaffirm my own position, that being that design-thinking is to be considered the solution, and that the technology is a tool, a vessel of delivery. In developing my own tool, I aspire to place the human condition at the centre of my considerations, and convey how our own unique needs dictate our interactions with the environments, in which we reside. At the core of any proposed methodology, I will be seeking to implement the user’s transient needs, and any response to such a proposal is to be translated into strategy, going forward. My key aim here, is for the manifesto and the tool itself, to be positioned as a platform that changes and adapts to the needs of the user, as the project progresses, the document and the digital platform, along with all auxiliary services should endeavour to adapt and evolve.

In the discussion, we are at one point asked to consider how the process of collaboration can add value to our own proposals. And upon further reflection on this question, I would propose that by collaborating with my target audience my proposal is able to isolate the problem and compartmentalise each stage of development, in an effort to further distill the challenges, and extrapolate valuable insights. Such data can then be used to improved the collaboration between creator and user.

As designers, there are many paths for us to take in the service of self-improvement and we should, through our own understanding of our own individual humility, demonstrate a willingness be open to adding value to our role as problem-solvers. We can achieve this by making better use of the tools around us, not just those that are at-hand, but also those that are not always obvious to us, at first glance. Chief among these tools is our user, own target audience, or put in less sterile terms, our fellow human-beings, because at the heart of our individual and professional objectives, should be the intention to contribute to the betterment of the collective society.

Workshop Challenge

Research:

Context:

Proposal:

The Global Education Network aims to bring communities together, through a platform that provides vital resources and educational content to some of the world’s poorest populations, with a specific focus on enabling entrepreneurs to scale-up and further develop their businesses by providing them with access to education and resources, that are difficult to obtain in their own respective communities.

The tool will be delivered in conjunction with a manifesto, that outlines the philosophical aspirations that are driving the project, along with the practical objectives, against which the success of the tool will be measured. During the implementation and testing phase of the programme, the users will be invited to contribute their own ideas on how they think the tool will be best used, and where they think that each of their respective communities could contribute. For Example: A key aim of the endeavour is to provide healthy food to school-age children, and so the tool would seek to collect and collate recipes from all of the communities that have signed-up to the scheme, and work with local suppliers to establish viable and sustainable supply-chains, in an effort to encourage inter-community trade, and entrepreneurship.

Workshop Challenge: Digital Tool.

Implementation & Testing:

Integral to the implementation of the scheme, will be the cooperation of the local population, and in endeavouring to secure this trust it will be vital to the success of the programme as a whole, to work with and alongside organisations such as: The RedCross, OCHA

Analysis, Evaluation, & Feedback:

The catalyst for this project had been, for the most part, my long-term interest in South East Asian cultures, specifically those countries that are currently undergoing a profound cultural and economic shift, and whose lower classes are proving to be among the most industrious and innovative thinkers, in their respective countries. It is these individuals that have transformed the economic landscape, and through their need and desire to survive and prosper, they have established small, local businesses that, although rarely completely legal, do offer their employees and the communities they serve, a chance of hope, and a future for their respective families.

I had observed through watching a broad array of eclectic documentaries, how the citizens of economically-devastated communities had identified a need in their community, and over a long period had worked within the local hierarchies to achieve a position, that would in time bring them opportunity and a chance at financial independence: Securing such a role had then allowed them to accrue the influence and the financing required to progress their endeavours. It was against this backdrop, that some of these individuals had built considerable businesses, that if legitimately funded and managed through a professional body, could be regarded as exemplary. However, the lack of legal documentation and being reliant on an unskilled workforce, often results in such enterprises being shutdown, by local government.

Among the challenges that are faced by these aspiring entrepreneurs are the legal requirements, established by the local governments to ensure a professional standard, that in-turn allows those respective countries to operate on the global stage. The problem is that such legal requirements, can often stymie the progress of these grass-roots businesses, and subsequently cause wider economic damage, to the communities they serve. It is this insight, that had led me to reflect on this problem, and I had soon identified that the bureaucracy that is present in local government, specifically in regards to this context, can be counter-productive, and that there was a need for such entrepreneurs to be able to access services and education, that would better equip them to navigate the emerging practices, within the business landscape.

One of the insights that had emerged from the research that I had undertaken, was the fact that for many of the rural communities living in South East Asia, mobile platforms were fast becoming a key tool in daily life, specifically in areas such as banking and in the delivery of education. Therefore, in considering the provision of a new tool to serve such a community, it had seemed logical to focus on the conception and development of a digital platform.

The functionality of the tool would be primarily focused on the provision of digitised, and expertly sourced resources, collected and collated in conjunction with a number of external partners, among which would be a number of national galleries and museums. Their role would be two-fold, firstly they would provide consultations and resources, in the delivery of the design strategy, on the ground. Secondly, they would act as a channel through which the programme could engage the general public. This would be manifested in the form of regular exhibitions, each focusing on a different region or aspect of the projects operations. Thereby, helping both the target audience and the external partners, in their respective endeavours.

The funding for the project would be raised through partnering with the private sector to build a media arm of the organisation, through which the project could build its brand, and communicate its message. This could take the form of an online media platform, offering exclusive access to original content such as: Documentaries; Photography; Live-streams; and Ethically-sourced products, that would also provide some revenue for the communities that had produced them. In this endeavour, the strategy may look to existing brands such as RED and FairTrade, to establish the most pragmatic approach to achieving this aim.

In reviewing the feedback, collected from a peer-to-peer critique, I had been reminded of a number of key points, that I had initially considered, but had then failed to implement fully. And I had come away from the meeting feeling somewhat, frustrated at my own inability to fully realise the outcome, that I had conceived of at the beginning of the project. Therefore, I had then returned to my blog, in order to reexamine the primary objectives, outlined in the design strategy. The outcome of doing so was to prove constructive, and I had then realised that the scale of the proposal was far too, broad and that the strategy would work far more effectively as a more linear proposition, with more emphasis placed on precision targeting and clearly defined objectives. This too, was the general mood among my peers.

In conclusion, and in my opinion, the general outcome of this assignment could be surmised as: A valid and well-considered idea, that had not fully been resolved. So often, and specifically when operating under the constraints of a schedule, such ideas are not fully explored, and fail to emerge as comprehensive solutions. For me, this is the case here and given more time to reflect and further develop the solution, I would place an emphasis on reducing the scale of the proposal, while also focusing more on the users in each respective region, in which the project intended to operate. Ultimately, I would wish to refine my approach in order to establish a self-perpetuating model, that could exist as a financially independent body, in the long-term. And on a final note, this assignment was a useful exercise, in that it had helped to reaffirm the importance of listening to the user, and placing their needs at the centre of any proposals, put forth. All such projects should have humanity, and the needs of the respective audience, at the core of the projects objectives. And design, at its best, should improve the lives of those it seeks to serve.

Group Discussion

Bibliography:

TATE, (2020). The manifesto of An Imagined Museum. [online] tate.org.uk. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-liverpool/exhibition/works-know-heart-imagined-museum/manifesto-imagined-museum [Accessed 17 July. 2020].