What is Sustainable Design? Kingston Environment Centre
Tzu-Yun Liu K1732342 Sustainable Design
Content Challenge 3
Interview 5
Event observation 7
Research 8
Solution 11
Prototype & Testing 15
Final outcome 17
Summary 18
Challenge- Volunteering Many people volunteer at KEC just once. Why is this? How can we encourage volunteering? We thought of gamifying it, but how could this be done?
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Why I chose this challenge? For a non-profit organization, volunteers are the most important human resource to work with. A volunteer who has the same goal as the centre, not only can help developing the project, but also offer their specific skills and new ideas for the organization. The attendances of volunteers make the organization integrate into the society, and they can attract more people to participate in the organization.
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Interview • Questions for the Staffs in KEC. • Questions for the Volunteers in KEC.
• Tool:
I use the Question Ladder from DIY Toolkit to make a questionnaire.
Who are the majority volunteers in KEC? students/ housewife/ retirement people? What skills are required for your volunteers? What is your assignments in KEC?
What work did you enjoy most in KEC?
What benefits you can offer?
Where did you usually hold the promotion events?
• Respondents:
Three staffs and one volunteer in Kingston Environment Centre.
When do u usually come to KEC?
Why did you choose to volunteering in KEC?
How do you feel after volunteering? happier/ more confident?
How do you recruit these volunteers? How did you know that KEC need volunteers?
Why would you commit yourself to KEC for a long time not just once?
How frequently would you interact with volunteers?
Figure1. The Question Ladder. (Diytoolkit.org, 2017)
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I have already been a volunteer in Kingston Environment Centre for five years, I have health problems, so it’s difficult for me to find a work placement. However, I am interested in the environment issue and I participated in the Kingston Biodiversity Network project. I feel more connected to the society when I join Kingston Environment Centre, and I am happy that I can give something back for the society. In addition, I also learn a lots of different things such as using social media, managing the website and fundraising.
I am a staff in Kingston Environment Centre, and most of my assignments are office work. I pay attention on the local environment issue, so I decided joining the centre. In my opinion, there are many different opportunities you can choose, but most people don’t know that the building is open and we are recruiting volunteers. People think there is only work opportunities about environment, by contrast, we also offer assignments such as organizing the library, radio and managing social media. Volunteers are able to choose the positions which they are more comfortable with.
I am a volunteer manager, and my job is to recruit new volunteers and organize them. I usually use social media, newsletters and events to attract more people. We have holden lots of events like lectures at the Kingston University, which educate people to do some eco-friendly work around their houses. If people want to dedicate their time for the Kingston Environment Centre, they need to feel value and make changes to the society. In my experience, both short-term and long-term volunteers are valuable and important for the centre. 6
Event- LUSH
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In order to understand the recruiting strategies and promotions of Kingston Environment Centre, I observe their fundraising event, which they collaborated with local LUSH store. When I arrived the store, there were two note boards, which were put on the ground outside the store, educating people about the importance of preserving environment and the beauty of natural (Figure 1). However, the height of the display was not suitable for people to read, so many people just walked through and ignored the information. Moreover, when I walked into the store, the arrangement of the event did not focus on fundraising. Figure 2,The products were placed at the corner and there were too many categories leaflets instead. It was hard for people to engage in the event, because there was no poster or instruction about the activities. 7
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Research Data analysis According to the diagram, the number of the followers in social media of Kingston Environment Centre are less than 1% from the whole Kingston’s residents.(Data.kingston.gov.uk, 2017) Therefore, there are still many opportunities for KEC to recruit more people. Instead of gamifying the job, KEC should focus on the promotion of the centre and try to recruit RIGHT volunteers, who really concern about the environment issue.
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The number of residents in Kingston Upon Thames. 9
Redefine the challenge How to recruit the RIGHT volunteers? Basis on the research I done, I think the most important part of the volunteering process for making people stay longer is the beginning. If you find the RIGHT people with strong intention to participate in the organization, they will admittedly stay for a long time and willing to dedicate themselves. • Someone is interested in the environment issue. • Someone willing to work with people.
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Solution 1 Assignment List. • ASSIST volunteers choosing the work they really want to do. • Make a list, so people can DECIDE by themselves. • Find things they can ENJOY. Using assignment list to display for non-volunteers what work they can do in Kingston Environment Centre. When people can make their own decisions on what they want to dedicate in the centre, they will take the responsibility at the same time. Hence, volunteers can remain their original intention of volunteering, and develop the work in the centre for a long time.
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Solution 2 Event display • VISUALIZING the information. • What is the MAIN PURPOSE of the event? • Only use one LEAFLET. According to the observation in LUSH store, the organizing of the event is not good enough for people to make a good impression to the centre. First, they don't have a poster or board to show the main topic of this promotion, and also without any introduction document for Kingston Environment Centre. So the buyers in LUSH store won’t know why the event is here. Second, there are too many knowledge of environment issue displayed on the table, so it is difficult for people to stay interest. But the aims of Kingston Environment Centre is not only for environment, also incorporating the community.
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Design the volunteer guides
When I interviewed the director of Kingston Environment Centre, she gave me a assignments list which they need volunteers to do. The list is just a reminder for her to organize the centre, but I think it can be useful in recruiting volunteers. People can see the list and decide which work is they expect to do in the future. So I want to re-organize the list and design a visual guide for volunteers to use.
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Classify the assignments Work with people
Maintain the facility Equipment in KEC • Build and fix the furniture • Zero waste management • Cleaning the indoor area
Library management
• Obtain new publication • Update book list • Organize reading days
Enjoy the environment
Office work Make the display
Project participation
Garden work
Computer work
• Organize
• Wed editor
•Kingston Green Radio
• Garden cleaning
the notice
• Newsletter
•Kingston Biodiversity Network
• Plant caring
•Hogsmill Community Garden
• Seed bank preserving
board • Design posters
editor • Social media updater
•Celebrating Diversity •Fruitful Kingston •Eco Film Night •Fundraising •Garden Share
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Prototype
A folded corner assist people turning the pages easily, and it is also a hint which reminds people that the process have not finished.
People can choose the assignment following different categories they enjoy step by step, and finally they can the one they really enjoy. Another aim for this volunteer guide is to show people that there are multiple opportunities in KEC. Not all the assignments are about environment issue. People can make friends or learn practical skills in the centre.
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Testing prototype
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• Testing location- bus station across the street. Because I can introduce the centre to the public for showing the building directly, and let people know that the centre is open and accessible. At the beginning, I tied the volunteer guide on the bus seats, in order to see if people would feel interest or not. But only one man take a look at the guide during thirty minutes, and he said it’s clear for him to understand the purpose of the book. In order to receive more advices, I decided to ask people using the prototype and giving feedbacks. Most people said it is easy to use, and the picture is clear and simple that you can tell what assignments are. In my observation, people usually use right hand to turn the page, so the hint at the left corner is at the wrong side. • I also test it at Knight Park, a student from illustration told me if I want to use colors to separate different categories, the colors should be similar color tone.
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Final outcome �What I can do� Black& White This version is used to print on the color paper, which can produce a clear different color categories. But it is expensive for KEC to print with color paper. so I create a color version.
Color The color version can print on general white A4 paper, and the different color can tell differing categories. If they want to produce more volunteer guides, this version will be cheaper and easier to use.
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The hints are at the right side of the paper for people to turn the page easily.
Using similar color tone to separate different categories.
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Summary It requires massive skills and plans to maintain the relationship between organization and volunteers, so the volunteer guide I designing is just one of the elements. That’s why I collaborate with Sabrina, who made a poster and leaflet for the centre. She help me define the visual identity colors, and it’s great to have someone giving me feedbacks during the process. TWO of us can do more than any of us. “What I can do ”assist the staffs to manage volunteers easily in the beginning, and also illustrate the clear categories of the assignments for volunteers to choose. Therefore, “What I can do” is a tool for recruiting the RIGHT and RESPONSIBLE volunteers and improve the volunteer system of Kingston Environment Centre.
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Bibliography • Diytoolkit.org. (2017). Diytoolkit. [online] Available at: http://diytoolkit.org/media/DIY-Toolkit-FullDownload-A4-Size.pdf [Accessed 5 Dec. 2017]
• Data.kingston.gov.uk. (2017). Kingston Data – Population. [online] Available at: https://
data.kingston.gov.uk/population/? geography_id=b5b6b1d33ada4b42acd03da18c640b75&feature_id=E09000021 [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].
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