What we can do for you:
In a half day workshop you can gain an overview of the design cycle, from how to identify a problem to what it feels like to prototype a solution. A half day workshop is also a great format in which to concentrate more fully on just one topic, such as
*empathy
*brainstorming
*creative confidence
*unpacking insights
*low risk prototyping
*story-telling
What we have done:
Rethinking public spaces:
Human-centered design is a flexible approach to problem solving that can be applied to many fields. It was an especially good fit for the people who had gathered for the Gehl Institute Public x Design conference. These architects, city planners, and community organizers who gathered during Detroit Month of Design, already knew that the success of any public space intervention depends on understanding the values and motivations of the people who will use the space.
In a two-hour presentation to this group, we focused on Learning from People – techniques for gaining deep empathy for the people they are designing for. Using a combination of lecture and hands-on exercises, and drawing from a human-centered design perspective, we taught participants the value of these approaches and how to implement them. Participants learned why and how to conduct an empathy interview and observational empathy, explored the benefit of talking to extreme users and of going deep rather than wide (5 great stories can sometimes give you more information than 1000 surveys). We dove into how noticing people’s hacks for using a space can help focus in on individuals’ unmet needs, and participants learned ways of unpacking the information gained through these techniques in a way that not only is thorough and rigorous, but also unlocks their creative talents. Participants left with a new tool-kit of techniques to apply to their specific design problems and projects.
Designing for Health & Wellbeing:
It turns out that alumni attending their college reunion are not only looking to catch up with old friends and revisit their favorite spots on campus. They also showed up in droves to learn how to apply human centered design principles to pressing issues of health and well being.
At this two hour workshop, Onesuch guided participants through a high energy, hands-on process to “Design a Healthier Life.” Alumni had an opportunity to Learn from People by talking to a partner, Notice Patterns in what they learned, Imagine Something New, and Try it Out by building a low resolution prototype. Learning something new while having fun was the ideal recipe for a perfect reunion weekend activity.