MY ROLE

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Immersion

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Co-design

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Prototyping

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Interaction design

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Design research

OUTLINE

We set up a lab in Footscray with the Australia Post Social Design team, with the aim to create new essential services that increase participation within the community.

To do this we immersed ourselves in the culture of Footscray, engaging the local community and co-designing potential solutions to issues facing locals and grassroots community groups.

Client / Australia Post
Studio / Craig Walker

PROBLEM

Australia Post and Craig Walker conducted research about key social issues facing communities around Australia.

The lab was set-up in Footscray with an aim to create essential services that increase participation in the local community.

IMMERSION

We immersed ourselves in the Footscray community. To begin this process we walked the neighbourhood to build an understanding of the socio-cultural geography.

We set-up community engagement meetings and interviewed local groups to build a picture of what they needed.

CO-DESIGN

We ran co-design workshops with the local community. This exploratory method resulted in the creation of two perfect service ideas.

PROTOTYPING

We employed a fail-fast methodology, by rapidly prototyping and iterating ideas. We mapped initial service blueprints and researched different moments of contact.

OUTCOMES

Research from this project has been published in Design for Social Innovation, a collection of case studies from around the world that explores the power of design to enact social change.

WHAT I LEARNT

Immersion in a community enhances research and resulting design outcomes, as they are shaped by what people need.