Design for Global Challenges
All Around the World
This map represents the countries represented by INDEX:CIID Summer Camp participants, faculty and visiting speakers
Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, Norway, Qatar, Spain (including Canary Islands), South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, The Netherlands, UK, US
What is INDEX: ? INDEX: is the catalyst which spurs public and professional awareness of the human and commercial potential in ‘Design to Improve Life’. INDEX: pursues this goal by awarding the biggest design award in the world, presenting international design exhibitions, hosting summits for world leaders on design and innovation and by publishing and distributing knowledge about Design to Improve Life. For more information on INDEX: please visit: www.indexaward.dk
Who are CIID? Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID) is a new initiative happening in Denmark. The aim is to create a high profile design institute that will encourage a multicultural and multi-disciplinary environment – providing an international setting for new thinking in design and technology. The structure of the institute will incorporate an integrated plan of teaching, research and consulting allowing the different areas to influence each other in their vision and philosophy. The school and research lab will provide a platform for a strong academic program, innovative research projects and new research models that interface with both academia and industry. For more information on CIID please visit: www.ciid.dk
Table of contents
Introduction The overall objective of INDEX: is to inspire designers, business and societies to unfold the human and commercial potential in ‘Design to Improve Life’ in order to solve the global challenges of mankind.
Through a ‘bottom up’ approach – using individuals as a starting point – students developed new solutions for issues that will have an impact on people all around the world.
As part of the INDEX: 2007 events, CIID was asked to run a three week summer camp for more than 30 students who had been invited from all over the world. The aim of the camp was to encourage user-centered design (UCD) and innovation methodologies among future generations of designers. Working in groups on a theme of Global Challenges and Intercultural Dialogue, participants gained understanding of how to identify a problem, how to generate and test concepts, how to rapidly prototype solutions and how to best communicate their final concepts to a relevant audience.
This year’s participants were a fantastically motivated group of young people – talented and creative with a passion for using design as a tool for real world solutions. This documentation records the range of activities and projects undertaken throughout the INDEX:CIID Summer Camp 2007. Video and other digital media created for each of the projects is available on the summer camp website: www.ciid.dk/summercamp
It was an amazing experience for everyone involved. We hope you enjoy the results.
Theme Global Challenges & Intercultural Dialogue Global challenges are daunting because of their scale, yet they influence us all without exception. Climate change, epidemics, sustainable development, natural disasters and energy resources – these are challenges that we are all aware of. It is a common belief that solutions to these challenges should be formulated at international summits and implemented at governmental level but at the INDEX:CIID Summer Camp we decided to look at both the macro and micro scale, starting at the role of the individual. The aim of the camp was to provide a platform for freedom of expression. Each participant has experience of their own culture’s attitude towards global challenges and we encouraged knowledge exchange with the other participants from other cultures. The objective was to create inspiring and real solutions for problems that could be solved by opening an intercultural dialogue – learning from those that do not see the world in the same way in order to gain a higher level of understanding. According to the UNESCO definition, intercultural dialogue is built on an effort to understand the differences and multiplicity of the world in which we live. These differences of opinion, viewpoint, and values exist not only between cultures but also within each individual culture. An effective dialogue is an enriching and opening interaction which encourages the respectful sharing of ideas and an exploration of the different thoughtprocesses through which the world is perceived and understood. This interaction emphasises opportunities for broader and deeper knowledge. As a process, intercultural dialogue encourages an identification of the
boundaries that define individuals, and then asks them to relate across those boundaries and even to call them into question. Usually, when talking about intercultural dialogue there is a tendency to think of a one-way movement of aid and knowledge from the first to the third world. However, the third world may have a serious lack of economic means, but they hold a rich pond of cultural values. These values and their diversity could very well represent a huge potential of inspiration when innovating solutions on a larger scale. Intercultural dialogue is not exclusive to a conversation between the first and third worlds - it can also be a knowledge exchange between countries of a similar wealth with different attitudes and approaches to global issues. There were 20 countries represented in the summer camp which invoked interesting conversation and comparisons about many different topics.
Process and Approach Facts & Trends
Key Data Collection
Key Insights
Synthesis of data
User Observation
Approach Nobody can single-handedly change the world for the better in three weeks but we made an attempt to harness design thinking, at both the strategic and implementation levels, creating valuable solutions that are sustainable and would improve quality of life. These solutions may not necessarily duplicate across cultures, but could have the ability to adapt and transform to suit regional needs. Design is equally about creating radical solutions to massive problems as much as it is about improving existing solutions. Design has the power to change people’s lives and have a humanitarian impact. The solutions conceived in the summer camp emerged from using design thinking as a catalyst. This required collaborative and
Analysis
cross-disciplinary effort in order to make valuable solutions that are pragmatic, enabling them to act as agents for change. Participants were asked to consider the economics and feasibility of their solutions and the context of use. Ideas are not valuable if they are not consciously designed to be accessible both economically and logistically. They were also asked to maximise local resources and skills to create and recycle the final outcome. We tried to understand global challenges in relation to individuals, creating solutions from a bottom up perspective. The big challenge was to envision how this bottom up approach could be harnessed on a larger scale and to think about how policy and action at a macro level can be shaped.
Potential solutions
Concepts
Validate Concepts
Proof of concept
Experience Prototype
Specification
Service Blueprint
Hand over process
Stake Holders
Creating Sub Themes
Communication
In the first week of the summer camp we co-created four clusters of thinking that acted like sub themes to the umbrella topic of global challenges:
The final projects were informed and inspired by an intercultural dialogue, which is connected to globalisation and rapidly emerging forms of communication technologies. One of the design challenges was to figure out how to orchestrate individual efforts to become more powerful because of the collective effort of thousands of individuals. The INDEX:CIID Summer Camp provided broad but inspiring briefs and took participants though the process of generating ideas, concepts and prototypes. But, designers, business people and innovators come up with good ideas all the time, so how can we ensure that these solutions are implemented correctly with a long-term vision?
- Awareness to Action, - Design for Society - Energy - Globalisation The purpose researching under these sub themes was to help the participants focus their efforts and also align their thinking with their peers. This also enabled the collection of shared resources, references and case studies. Importantly it also gave participants enough time to get to know each other which helped when it came to the project group formation at the start of week two.
Team Work Participants divided themselves in to project teams of 4/5 people to work on proposals of their choice for the remaining two weeks. There was a broad range of proposals which made the studio a lively and inspirational environment to work in. Teams built brand identities for themselves and were incredibly motivated by each other.
Communication is imperative and participants were expected to think about the involvement of stakeholders, decision makers and policy makers who would be essential to the implementation of their concept in the real world. We hope that the project teams will continue working on their ideas and take them to the next level.
Initial Research The summer camp participants started working before they even arrived in Copenhagen. They were asked to complete a number of research tasks to present to their peers on day one of the camp. It was important for us to gain insight in to the everyday lives of each individual in order to understand who they are and where they come from. This research provided us with a rich collection of viewpoints and alternative futures from people at different life-stages from all around the world.
On the afternoon of day one of the camp, each participant was allocated just 4 minutes to present themselves and their research findings. This was a fantastic way to break the ice and launch the workshop. The unanimous feeling was that the participants knew each other better and even though it was not deep research, the findings offered a glimpse in to the very different lives of the people they would be spending the next three weeks working with.
initial research brief There are two fundamental facts of life: we are born and we will die. In between, our lives are made up of a series of stages. Our life-experiences, our beliefs, our dreams and our culture influence who we are, the communities we live in and the world to which we belong. Our age and our life-stage influence the way we think and our vision for what could improve our lives. Metaphorically speaking our worlds are getting smaller which means that global challenges and inter-cultural dialogue are increasing factors in all of our lives. New opportunities and solutions can arise through knowledge sharing and open communication.
Task 1: Critical Everyday For this task participants were asked to become more aware of what makes up their everyday lives by keeping a visual diary: photographing and sketching objects, situations, people, behaviours, services or environments which they encountered. They were asked to observe everyday activities and surroundings with a critical perspective. For example, there may be many things that usually go unnoticed but to people from other cultures may appear out of the ordinary: catching a bus, shopping for groceries, checking bank accounts, meeting up with friends. This task could be completed over a period of time or alternatively done intensely in one particular day.
task 2: text-bytes of the future We asked the participants to approach eight people - each (if possible) from a different generation i.e. teens, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 years old - and ask them one question: "What is your vision for your future?" These may be people that were already known, family, friends, neighbours - or strangers that they met in the street. The participants were asked to record the answers, photograph the person and translate the quotes.
task 3: your own vision of your future Lastly, the participants were asked to take a photograph of themselves with one A4 sheet of paper where they had written their vision for their future.
Projects After the first week of initial research and brainstorming, the summer camp participants had a much clearer idea of which topic they would like to focus on. They divided themselves in to seven multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary project teams where they worked together to develop concepts. The teams worked on topics ranging from; harnessing the kinetic energy produced by the human body’s movements and transforming this in to electric energy, to; addressing the conditions of the lives of the
elderly in order to connect them with their loved ones. On the final day of the workshop teams presented their final projects to a varied audience. As you will see on the following pages, the results were very impressive. You can watch video and download other digital media for each project on the summer camp website http://www.ciid.dk/summercamp/projects. html
Projects Old Dear
http://www.ciid.dk/summercamp/p1.html
David Salazar Masip (Spain), Julie Phanstiel (US), Marie Hugsted (Denmark), Martijn The (The Netherlands), Sarasiff Kjærgård (Denmark)
context
project ideas
By addressing the conditions of the lives of the elderly, Old Dear connects the elderly with their loved ones. The aim of this project is to develop adapters between connective tools (internet telephony, SMS, chat etc.) and the ones the elderly use (TV, phone, snail mail). Simplified devices for the elderly and increased convenience for connective technology will facilitate more frequent and better quality interactions. The aim is to increase the presence of family and friends in the lives of the elderly. There will be parallel services offered, some targeted toward us as primary users and some toward the elderly.
Hello Grandma ;-) is a service that converts texts or emails to an easily readable oversize postcard and delivers them to the door of the recipient. The second product, My Story, is a life documentation service. An assistant from “Old Dear� comes to Grandma’s home and helps her to scan her pictures and record stories about them. They are then immediately packaged onto a DVD with music and a zoom function. Poor sighted Grandma and her friends and family can then see the pictures in clearer detail and the images are preserved digitally, creating a durable legacy.
Main tenets of our design remained consistent throughout our process: that the product work with existing technology, the content should be presented in a foolproof way to the elderly, and that these products should increase convenience, and therefore use, among standard technology users.
process
next steps
These products were researched and developed through 5 visits to Betania Nursing home in Frederiksberg, where we prototyped and tested our concepts with the residents and employees. We worked mainly with Henny, who lives in the nursing home and has particular trouble with sight. Our original motivation, to foster intergenerational relationships, remained intact. However, through conversational interviews we discovered exactly what kind of relationships matter to the elderly. The elderly want to have better connections with the people they already know and love and are not as interested in meeting new friends. They said that they wanted pen pals, or new friends locally and from around the world, however these needs are secondary to the primary desire to connect with their families.
Implementing these services would not be difficult and because they could be expanded to a larger market, it would also be profitable. Major stakeholders in “Hello Grandma ;-)” could be cell phone companies or the postal service, who would profit from offering this additional service to the suite of services they already offer. Implementation would involve refining the look and branding of the service, writing the code for this application and licensing the idea and application to one of the above services. The postcard could also be offered to fully-sighted people who prefer the romance of print mail. My Story could be offered alone or in conjunction with companies that already offer archival services but might want to expand their services to a new customer. The swelling population of senior citizens, and the diminishing need for storing paper files, indicates a demand and a likely supplier. We would also need to do market studies to determine if people are willing to pay enough per visit to make My Story feasible. If not, this service could be offered part of a cultural initiative or health initiative within in the EU. In conclusion, these services are poised to change the way that old people communicate with us, and we with them. Old Dear will allow us to involve our elderly friends and family members in a broader spectrum of our everyday lives without our inconvenience or their discomfort. “Hello Grandma ;-)” will enable maintenance of family bonds across distances, decreasing loneliness and isolation of elders as well as increasing our feelings of being mentored and loved. My Story will also help to preserve knowledge and stories that might otherwise be lost and which can be of use to families, researchers and ethnographers. Implementation of these services is feasible simply, and there is much to be gained from their realisation.
learnings Throughout the process, we proposed several solutions. "The Window" a flat-screen integrated in to a wall or stand alone frame allows the elderly people to access standard communication technology in a user-friendly manner. Possible functions included a simplified video-phone, and a media receiver with a zooming function that allows the elderly to see that media. Another attempt was a life documentation service that included a physical book. Through numerous rounds of testing on our favorite old lady, Henny, we learned what products were cognitively overwhelming and which hit a sweet spot technologically between magic and incomprehension/fear. We then refined and combined our ideas into “Hello Grandma ;-)� and My Story, which both received the Henny stamp of approval.
Giflerne
http://www.ciid.dk/summercamp/p2.html
Dima Masoud (Canada/Jordan), Emerson Velazquez (US/Guatamala), Mikkel Proschowsky (Denmark), Noor Ali (Jordan), Robyn Penhall (South Africa)
context
project idea
3rd Party is an application that can be used in existing online communities like Facebook and Myspace. The application is aimed at helping foreigners integrate into their new surroundings. It allows the user to establish communication with a friend of an existing friend. We found that during relocation and travel, people often found themselves disoriented and in need of guidance unless there was an existing connection beforehand.
As people generally do not want to connect to strangers, this third party networking creates more personal and safe connections through your existing friends. A person must have registered with an online community in order to use the third party application. When they are part of the online community, the user has the option to add the third party application. They need to specify where they live and the languages they speak. When the user logs on to their account a world map is provided. Here the user selects the place they are relocating to by simply clicking on the location on the map. The application then zooms in to the country selected and the user is provided with all the contact possibilities through their existing friends. After this step the user may specify the exact city they are traveling to and the application automatically filters all the third party possibilities, displaying only those in the specified city. When the user has selected a third party they are comfortable with a message is sent to them asking if they accept your request for help.
process The Giflerne group was formed around a common interest of connecting people from different cultures. We began by brain-storming a series of concepts aimed at children of 611 years as a way to educate them about other cultures, facilitating interaction between parent, child and object. One of these concepts was the Hybrid Human, a Rubix-cube-type toy that would create a hybrid figure by moving the faces. However, we decided not to focus solely on children because we did not want to limit our design parameters. The second idea involved sending out an object to a stranger in another part of the world, with the intention of the receiver personally returning the object (e.g. diary or meal) to the sender. At this point we realised that the topic was too broad. We began focusing on developing concepts that would feed people’s cultural curiosity while eliminating negative perceptions between different cultures and developing a sense of belonging. The value to the user would be expanding their social networks and travel possibilities. To test out our assumptions we interviewed people about their travels, interactions with other cultures and some of the difficulties they faced when in a foreign country. We concluded that people were not interested in interacting with random strangers, and that financial constraints of travel, communication and mobility were the biggest hindrance for many people. From our research, we decided the dominant target group was immigrants and foreigners. After more focused interviews about personal experiences and difficulties in a foreign country, it was clear our results were divided. The positive feedback was from people who had existing friend and family connections in the country, which helped them to adapt to the culture more easily. Alternatively, those without personal connections felt isolated and disoriented due to language barriers and lack of social interaction. Establishing connections prior to travel, whether for tourist
or immigration purposes, was the overwhelming issue we felt could be addressed with 3rd Party. We established a 3rd Party email address and sent out mock invitations for our friends to help out another friend of ours who they did not know, to test whether people would be open to the concept. All the responses were happy to help, which confirmed our intentions that the third party connections were more appealing to people than connecting with strangers, as opposed to the interview responses where not one person wanted to meet a stranger online.
next steps
learnings
Our group became very excited about our final concept, as it was something that we would all personally use if it was available online. Because 3rd Party is connected to an existing social network, it would be feasible to implement in online communities such as Facebook or Myspace. Therefore, we are planning to find someone to implement the 3rd Party concept.
Working with people from different disciplines and cultural perspectives was challenging and often conflicting, but the overall results usually ended up being more comprehensive and clear. Our different perspectives allowed us to bounce ideas off each other and generate concepts that we would not have thought of on our own. From our research, we realised that the process is just as, if not more, important than the end result. Throughout the design development process, our greatest challenge was that our assumptions were often proved wrong by our user research. We found it difficult to keep in mind the user's needs and not our own design thinking. It was difficult to deal with global challenges when we could only assess local information. We could not design for a context that was removed from our current location, as our research showed that we needed to interact with the users in order to get a accurate understanding of the problems they faced. Finally, we learnt that wine, chocolate and cinnabuns (giflerne) do in fact enhance the creative process!
We feel we have really benefited from this experience and would like to arrange a reunion in the future, possibly in a different context. Perhaps by then some of the other INDEX:CIID Summer Camp final projects would have further materialised and exist as more than just concepts.
Team Squat
http://www.ciid.dk/summercamp/p3.html
Anders Thogersen (Denmark), Freddie Eksteen (South Africa), Justin Johnsen (US), Nayla Almulla (Qatar)
context
project idea
This project is for the fast growing global population living in squatter cities all over the world where they lack basic human rights. It is for the 1.1 billion people who don’t have access to water & the 2.6 billion who do not have access to adequate sanitation. It is for the upcoming 2 billion individuals who will find themselves in a similar position. In a new world that is unfolding rapidly and strongly, someone needs to take action and through this project we dare to hope that the two ends of the world will collaborate to explore the possibility of a better life for all.
The project aims to help people through creating a new method in the way usercentered design is approached. Through it, we hope that design shifts from being about the designer to being about the people. This project does not seek to find the design, but rather to find the appropriate approach. Often, people have tried to bring design to those in need but yet something always seems to be missing. It is either not right, not possible to implement or short lived. The following project is a step towards achieving a new wave in design, a lasting one we look forward to with great optimism. It is a bottom up system where people who matter are in charge. By providing an online open-source platform the system aims to create a constant flow of knowledge between the people, the designer and anyone who has an interest to better the world. So how does this work? The intention is for squatters to share their situation, problems, and solutions to the rest of the world. This information will be documented in a database along with existing solutions for problems, the process behind them, and why they do work or do not work in specific areas. International and local designers then use this platform to ground their solutions in reality and the practicality of life instead of false assumptions and the naivetĂŠ of the uninformed. An important part of this system is the feedback loop that will emerge as a result of people implementing the designs, modifying them, and critiquing them. By design, we include products, services, systems, and ideas. This will reduce wellmeaning but ineffective projects from being implemented in environments that cannot support the design. Moreover, it will encourage the effective approaches and add new spirit to already innovative people.
process
next steps
The road leading to this point was quite long and bumpy. The reason is that as young designers, we tend to want to come up with the design that would save the world, which is completely inappropriate in this situation. We were four students working in Copenhagen trying to solve third world issues, something we have never experienced. It was hard trying to overcome our own ego and shortsightedness. When we realised our error, it was all about planning and developing.
We need a dedicated group of people to get the whole project up & running: director, designer, researcher, web designer/ maintainer, on location/off location human resources and a marketing director. We would then need to choose a neighborhood within a specific squatter city to make connections with the people and organisations there in order to do a feasibility study. By doing this we would find out how people react to it and what needs to be adjusted or deleted. This would lead to a fullyfledged business plan with the exact cost of the whole system. Then we would need to find a sponsor. With funding in place we would set up the web-page and start collecting the initial research about preexisting designs. This informational structure would grow over time creating an extensive online reference for solutions to global challenges.
As we started to explore the issues of squatter cities, problems started to unfold. The first step was to look at existing solutions. It was amazing to see the amount of usercentered design out there. However, each one had something missing: designs were out of context, arrogant and eventually led nowhere, and the research was all about statistics and shallow information, rather than details about everyday life that would help in coming up with an appropriate design. Also, every situation is different; therefore, what works for one place does not necessarily work for the other. From this line of thought, the idea of the whole system approach emerged. We started out by looking at how the flow of the information would happen, and how the system would hold itself afloat. We came up with scenarios as to how this might work and then prototyped. The database is a big part of the project so we mapped it out: content, functions and services. We put all the pieces together, and the project solidified. The next step was to look at how the whole system would be maintained: the business plan.
learnings It is easy to drift away from the main goal of helping people and into the realm of egocentricity. It is hard to design for a situation that one has never been through or even witnessed. It is impossible to come up with one solution fit for all. It is unrealistic to try and force foreign objects and ideas onto people who do not know you or share the same mindset. Helping people can only be done when they decide that they want to help themselves and take action. What we can do as designers is find the means to work with them instead of for them. As an added value, we learned how to work together in a group of multi-cultural people with different educational backgrounds. It was amazing to go through the process of design with everyone approaching the problem in different ways. We gained a lot of exposure to different viewpoints and working techniques. Not only did the work matter, but we also got to meet some incredible people, learn about their culture and teach them about ours. It was a great mix of hard work and solid fun.
4:Sight
http://www.ciid.dk/summercamp/p5.html
Alejandro Rey-Stolle (Spain), Jeongeun Kim (South Korea), Jihyun Park (South Korea), Yeonoo Shin (South Korea)
context
project idea
Keeping memories for blind people in an emotional way
‘People just want a simple device that’s easy to use and friendly.’ Steve Tyler, RNIB technology specialist
From very early on in the summer camp we decided that we would like to design something for blind people. This is a huge global issue as there are over 40 million blind people worldwide. Looking at abilities, feelings, surroundings and needs, and by comparing blind and non-blind people our idea was to design a product & service for blind people, with blind people, about blind people. For inspiration we went to "Dialogue in the Dark", an exhibition at Copenhagen’s Experimentarium where in total darkness we experienced and attempted to understand our surroundings using our other senses. The exhibition was done in co-operation with the Danish Association of the Blind, the Institute for the Blind & Partially Sighted in Denmark and the Danish Society for Cerebral Palsy. At the exhibition we found ourselves in a room from which all light had been excluded. We were in intense darkness, with only a cane, our other senses and a blind helper to guide us. Our roles were swapped for a while, as the guide showed us around various environments we would find ourselves in on a daily basis. The trip ended in a café, where we could buy beverages and talk to our guide – still enveloped in complete darkness. Without our sense of sight, we were obliged to make use of our other senses. For a brief time we learnt to navigate in the world of the blind and how they ‘see’.
We decided to design concepts for blind people in the context of memory and how we remember things. Memory can be factual or emotional and ideally we wanted a device that could remember in both ways. We came up with a range of concepts, from an album for the blind, to a way of experiencing darkness on the web. We were also aware that whatever we design should also be relevant to sighted people as these concepts should be able to enhance the life everyone. The philosophy behind this was to encourage interaction between those that can see with their eyes and those who see the world in a very different way. Our final concept was a small sound and scent recording device that can be stuck on to objects around the home and office. Flexing the small disc activates the recording facility and by pressing the button in the centre you can replay the message. These devices are subtle enough to be placed in any environment and simple enough in terms of interaction to be used by both blind and fully sighted people of any age. The device would be formed from silicone so it is durable enough to be placed almost anywhere. New advances in textile design mean it is possible to collect a scent and store it for a limited amount of time. We imagine a material like this could be framed by the silicone disc, allowing you to recall smell as well as audio memory.
process After visiting the Dialogue in the Dark exhibition we spent a lot of time brainstorming about what it means to be blind. We were aware that there was a huge difference between people who were born blind and those who lost their sight later in life. To get some genuine insight in to what it means to be blind we interviewed Sunkyung, a 32 year-old pianist from South Korea, who had been blind since birth and Marian form Denmark, who lost her sight when she was a child. Talking to blind people and putting their insights in to the context of urban design, memory, society and interaction, genuinely helped us realise the needs of blind people around the world. Our early brainstorming led us to think about painting with scent, a present for the senses and games for blind people. We also researched relevant technologies such as barcoding which is used to store information. In the end we decided to combine a number of these areas to explore before deciding our final concept.
learnings For us the most difficult aspect of this project was communication. Three of us are from Korea and the other from the Canary Islands. We learned to be patient and listen to one another’s ideas. We all had different skills ranging from industrial design to visual communication design and we discovered that we could learn from each other and our corresponding cultural backgrounds. As a team, we had a great experience at the summer camp.
Ding Dong
http://www.ciid.dk/summercamp/p4.html
Floor Borgonjen (The Netherlands), Malene Bolvig Nielsen (Denmark), Nicola Plaisant (Italy), Phoebe Liu (Taiwan)
context
project idea
Within the scope of global challenges our perception is that the world is becoming smaller. International information and communication across borders is within our reach at the click on the mouse. UAE, Australia & Canada are just a flight away. However, we seem to have forgotten a simple thing: talking to our neighbours. Why are we opening up to the outer world but closing ourselves to our immediate & daily environment?
Our vision is to provide neighbours in a building block with a tool that can connect them by stating a common goal. This goal provides a sustainable solution to a global challenge: energy consumption. By monitoring sustainable energy consumption, neighbours can save money and common expenses by cooperating to achieve this goal. Initiating conversations and mutual understanding will be easier if the neighbours have something to share and talk about. The proposal is a product/service system, offered by the local energy company to the neighbours living together in a building block. Instead of the energy companies stating what is a low, middle or high usage of energy, together with the government they would state a sustainable usage of energy. This would be a new standard that normal people can understand. The new standard is stated as �Green�.
Today, we live door to door with people from different cultures, ages and social backgrounds. We can choose to see this as a unique opportunity to inspire and learn from each other, create a tolerance, curiosity and understanding for each other that is more and more needed in the global village.
The system would be installed in an apartment building, where indicators both outside the house, inside the common area and in the individual apartments, give an indication of the energy usage not by showing kW, but by a colour system and use of metaphors that people can relate to. This system will indicate to the people living in the apartment and also to the whole neighborhood, if their building is sustainable. The idea is that the energy companies would launch a Green Plus challenge. Each apartment building can apply for the Green Plus challenge, by setting a common goal to achieve the Green Plus standard. If the building achieves the Green Plus standard (awarded every quarter), they then receive a reward from the energy company such as free trash disposal that the apartment owners would normally pay for. Every household would pay their energy bill in advance instead of afterwards. The
process amount of money is always a conto amount: an average calculation of last year’s usage. The energy company would invest the advanced money in the best way possible to gain interest and increase the amount of money. This finances the Green Plus awards and is lucrative for the energy companies. If a household and a building uses less energy, they will receive money back at the end of the year, meaning the energy company will receive interest on their clients money until the end of the year.
The proposal for the product/service system was the result of a research on people living in Copenhagen. We observed and interviewed 7 people (4 women and 3 men) in the neighborhood of Østerbro and Nørrebro. We were particularly interested in knowing people’s attitude toward their neighbours and neighbourhoods. We wanted to discover what type of interaction people have with their neighbours and how they feel about it. According to the interviews and observations, we concluded that difficulties in initiating conversations and personal perception about having nothing in common with neighbours are the two main reasons that hinder the relationship and keep it from developing beyond greetings. However, occasions like social events and helping each other are what really bring people together. Brainstorming in staircases of buildings was done to examine how the architectural elements in the building could be integrated in our service. By being on-site we could observe how people act and interact in the buildings. We also tested another of our concepts which was conceived to provide a semiformalised way to ask for help from neighbours. We posted messages in the building and recorded how people reacted to them. We found that it is still not easy for people to initiate connections or to offer help if it’s not an emergency. Even if the communication is built through helping, people still need a common goal or shared interests for further engagement. As a result, we decided that connectivity can be enhanced through shared responsibility.
next steps
learnings
Regarding global challenges, we considered aspects of natural, social and individual imbalance. Within our concept, all these elements were taken into account. Saving energy is the focus point, and providing neighbours with a shared goal functions as a way to connect people. By asking people to cooperate in the neighborhood, the barrier to talk with various people is lowered, encouraging more tolerance.
Be with the people you design for and experience what they experience! That was the most important thing we learned from this process. We come from different backgrounds and cultures, and we all have our own assumptions about the relationship between neighbours. Talking to people opened our eyes and helped us understand the situation within the specific context. People are emotional and unexpected so by observing them in their own environment, we learned a lot on how they cope with daily situations in different ways. By performing the tasks ourselves, we understood what it is like in their situation. This approach not only helped us create solutions that better fits the needs of people, but also helps to reach a consensus among team members very easily. It is also very important to design things that can be integrated in peoples daily lives easily, rather than designing something that requires them to do something very different. Even if we want to make radical change, the design solution has to be incremental so that people can adapt to it. Apart from the design aspect, we learned a lot from working with people from different backgrounds and cultures. We have a lot of assumptions based on our culture and experience when we talk about ideas and create design solutions. Misunderstanding and arguments can arise from that. It is better to assume good intentions and take time to understand each other. The best reward of the INDEX:CIID Summer Camp was not only about understanding global challenges from different perspectives, but also about getting inspiration and learning how to resolve issues through a diverse and multidisciplinary environment. We believe that will be the future role for the designer.
PowerBank
http://www.ciid.dk/summercamp/p6.html
Camilla Masala (Italy), Isabel InÊs Casasnovas (Spain), Maria Foverskov (Denmark), Mie Kongstad Søgaard (Denmark), Trine Roed (Denmark)
context
project idea
The municipality of Copenhagen has set up a vision for 2015 to make the city the EcoMetropole of the world. With that vision in mind a number of goals have been set up, including a demand for sustainable behaviour from the citizens. Our aim is to teach young Danish boys (10-13 yrs.) a positive attitude about sustainable energy consumption. Teenagers pollute 20% more than others and boys are less aware than girls, so we wanted to address this target group before they grow up.
Effectricity is a game that teaches 10-13 year olds about the effects of their own energy consumption. The goal for the project is not only about creating awareness on this subject but also to teach environmentally friendly behaviour. The game is played both in the virtual and the real world. Touch points for the game are a physical bracelet with pulse meter, RFID tags, Bluetooth, a cell phone and a webpage. The goal of this project is to stop Dr. X from destroying the world with his polluting army which consists of oil and coal power plants and energy consuming products. To fight Dr. X the players have to generate energy in the real world by being physically active. The player creates a profile on the web, where he can customise a figure and progress in to the game. The generated energy is being measured by a pulse meter in the bracelet and converted into points in the virtual game. These points can be used to create sustainable energy sources, like windmills. The most efficient way to win the game is to work together in groups, both virtually and in real life. Aside from creating awareness and teaching environmentally friendly behaviour, the concept also fights obesity and encourages face-to-face social interaction. Finally the player should also influence the parent’s behaviour.
process
next steps
Our process looked like this:
The project is based on two different levels. In the first one, kids win points by generating energy. In the second one they can gain points by adopting sustainable behaviour towards energy consumption. This is a concrete way to teach kids about living a sustainable life style. The first level has already been prototyped so designing the second level would be the next step of the project. It is important to understand the working system of the second level both in the real and in virtual worlds. It is also necessary to define the technology to convert this sustainable behavior in to points for the game.
Before the PowerPlay girls came together, in the first week of the summer camp we had inspirational talks about how to create massive change and were advised on how to do research on people. We brainstormed, talked and formed research groups. The PowerPlay girls were in two different groups: Awareness to Action and Globalisation. Through a shard interest we formed our project team. During the second week of the camp we concentrated on concept generation and scenario building. Our research continued by interviewing people on the streets of Copenhagen and brainstorming in the studio.
PowerPlay should be piloted in the Copenhagen municipality before introducing it gradually to a wider context. The goal is to create a platform that starting locally could become a global game involving kids from different countries.
The PowerPlay girls were interested in many issues, most adherent were 'loser' centered design, the city of Copenhagen, bikes, young people and a concept of an energy bank with eco-behaviour as currency. The rest of the week involved intensive experience prototyping and continuation of concept generation. Our focus narrowed down to 10-13 year old boys. We invited three boys to Experimentarium (a Danish educational amusement place) to observe them play. In the final phase the energy bank transformed to an energy game but using sustainable energy behaviour as currency.
learninggs The summer camp offered a lot of challenges, but also a lot of fun! Meeting people from other cultures with a different way of life has been very inspiring and useful to open our mindset, encouraging us to think of alternative ways to do things. Furthermore the summer camp has taught us that life is big and beautiful.
AAAA
http://www.ciid.dk/summercamp/p7.html
Clara Christensen (Denmark), Francesco Fraioli (Italy), Leungo Tumedi (Botswana), Tobias Toft (Denmark)
context
project idea
The developed world consumes the majority of the world’s energy resources. This results in effects such as global warming, air pollution, damage to ecosystems and the endangerment of life in general. Our philosophy aims towards alternative means of generating power in an eco-friendly way through physical movement of the human body.
Imagine if you could use your body movement to generate energy and power your personal devices such as your iPod, remote control and mobile phone. Our idea focuses on harnessing the kinetic energy produced by the human body’s movements and transforming this in to electric energy which could then be used to power electric devices. It is alredy possible to replace traditional poisonous batteries with a power source based on human movement. Low power devices such as remote controls, flashlights, and mp3-players could easily be powered by the simple principle behind the traditional bicycle dynamo, the shakerflashlight or the crank-charger. On a micro scale a few replacements wouldn’t mean a lot, but if the majority of the developed world’s users replaced their batteries with human powered devices it would definitely have a positive impact on the environment. The idea doesn’t stop here though. Imagine if you could harness the power that is being lost in every door that is being opened and closed, or if you could collect energy from the continuous flow of people through a busy metro-station. Door-based generators in an apartment block could power the lighting in a hallway, saving money and raising awareness about sustainability and sustainable products.
process
next steps
The project started out at a very theoretical level concentrating on alternative ways of harvesting energy from the human body. We then looked at current research that was being done around this area such as piezoelectrics, thermocouplers, and other new inventions. Half way through the research phase we decided to build on already existing technologies, which focused on more abundant energy: kinetic energy, using the well-known induction-principles to generate power, like in both small & largescale generators ranging from the smallest dynamos to steam powered turbines.
The next step would be to find interested organisations that would be willing to join us in the project. The project is not only about manufacturing a range of human powered products, but also about raising awareness through untraditional campaigns. Besides sending the message about taking action to the users, it would also make designers and decision-makers aware about the potential in manufacturing sustainable products.
We prototyped a lamp which was powered by a foot pedal and decided to communicate our other concepts through video. This gave us the ability to explain our concepts to a wide audience in a very clear and concise way. We wanted to have a powerful impact, making people really think about the potential of generating energy like this. It was important to communicate the fact that small interventions done by millions of individuals can have a massive impact on the environment.
learnings As international students we found that the only difference we have is where we are from and that as individuals we all possess similar likes, dislikes and interests. Working in an interdisciplinary team has been beneficial to us all, as it has opened our eyes to how designers with different cultural and educational backgrounds perceive the world. Last but not least we have extended our social and professional networks which will definitely be of great value to us later on.
Participants
Alejandro Rey-Stolle Naveira 25 Spain (Canary Islands)
Anders Thøgersen 20 Denmark
Camilla Masala 26 Italy
I study industrial Design at the University Jaume I (Valencia) where I’m currently finishing my final project. This is a bench of accessible urban furniture. I also study music (percussion) but for me it’s a hobby. I am a very open person and I like to meet people who have different ways of looking at life. I like to travel and to know other cultures. My passions are design, music and body-boarding. Regarding design, I like to use pencils & paper to express the ideas I’m thinking about.
I finished high school in 2005 and studied at Krabbesholm in the fall of 2005. I then enrolled at DTU (The Technical University of Denmark) in January 2006 before being accepted at The Danish School of Design, where I’m currently developing my skills as a industrial designer.
I was born in Genoa but I live in Milan. I studied Industrial Design at the Polytechnic of Milan, specialising in Service Design. I have experience in projects about sustainable development and social services. I’m sensitive to environmental topics and my wish is to design for people and the environment. I love gardening and I’m an active member of an animalist organisation.
I wanted to have the opportunity to get to know students from other countries who are feeling restlessness regarding design today. I believe that ideas, work methods and knowledge from other countries, will extend my vision. I hope I managed to contribute and to be of aid to my companions at the summer camp. I also hope that I was an ambassador for Spanish design. I consider that environmental impact is something that concerns us all and this is the reason why I hope that we provide appropriate solutions for it.
I enjoy generating ideas and intelligent solutions in collaboration with talented young individuals and exploring designs potential as a tool that can work across different disciplines. I am all in favor of improving peoples lives and change this world for the better. The INDEX:CIID Summer Camp has been a great experience. Having the pleasure of working in a group with such diverse nationalities is indescribable. It has been very giving and enjoyable!
I was very interested in the summer camp topic because it is the field I would like to work in. Above all I wanted to meet people from countries where the attention to global challenges is higher than in mine. In this way the camp represented a chance to exchange experiences and knowledge. It was an important opportunity to make people aware of global challenges. I learnt a lot.
Emerson Velazquez 26 US/Guatemala
Floor Borgonjen 24 The Netherlands
Francesco Fraioli 23 Italy
Born in Guatemala City, I immigrated to the U.S. with my mother at the age of 3, settling in Long Beach, California. My attraction to design and visual storytelling eventually led me to enroll at the graphic design department at Art Center College of Design (Pasadena), where I am currently working on my undergraduate degree. I am the first in my family to attend college. My inspiration for designing comes from my life experiences. I believe that design can be most effective when one is able to relate on a personal level.
I am currently studying Design for Interaction (Msc.) at Delft University of Technology. Curiosity is the driving force behind my work and lifestyle. I love to explore the world around me, both in an objective way as a researcher and in an active, subjective way when participating in ‘life’.
I am currently studying for my second degree in Visual and Multimedia Design at IUAVUniversity, Venice. I'm very interested in visual communication and new media and I'm focusing my research on image and sound. I collaborated on performances aiming towards the interaction between electronic music and theatre. While working on those projects I realised the potential of software applications and have implemented that knowledge in my work on the Interaction design courses at university.
The idea of being able to exchange thoughts with people from other parts of the world is very intriguing. The summer camp was a great opportunity to compare the similarities, and differences in point of views with people who share an interest in design. My hope is that we all gained from this experience, and that it will encourage creative and personal growth.
Diving into different societies and cultures is one of the affects of my curiosity. I love to travel and meet other people, learn from their visions and dreams. At the summer camp I was amazed by everyone’s enthusiasm from the very first moment we met and the intensity in which we were connecting with each other during the three-week summer camp. One of the most surprising things I found out this during this project is that working with people from different cultures is not so difficult compared to the fact that everyone has a different background in education. I had the opportunity to use the skills I learned over the past few years. Together we created a mutual understanding on the project.
Interaction design fascinates me: I like the idea of helping people minimise their problems by designing solutions that allow a much easier approach with complicated technologies. I'm looking forward to meeting other people involved in this field and to a reciprocal sharing of our expertise.
Clara K. Christensen 25 Denmark
David Salazar Masip 30 Spain (Madrid)
Dima Masoud 19 Canada/Jordan
I am studying Industrial Design at Denmark’s Designschool in Copenhagen. I am very interested in whatever weird theory I can get my hands on and try to turn it into something strategically useful for problem solving. I love sci-fi, especially if the authors actually take inspiration from the present and take it that one step further. And don’t get me started on the newest, coolest, gadgets that can actually do some good!
I started studying Interior Design three years ago, though I’ve always been interested on it. Before that, I was an actor but that’s a very difficult way of living in my country, so I opened a new door that’s giving me great moments of joy (and some headaches too!). Designing is a perfect mixture of technique and art matters and I’m very interested on developing myself in both ways. There’s still a lot of work to do.
My aim for this summer camp was to develop my international skills. Talking to someone from the other side of the globe can be like stepping into a new world and the experience will always trigger something new in a person. This ’new’ is what I wanted to try and grasp – to see if I can shape it into something worthy of passing on to others.
I was excited about attending the summer camp, traveling abroad again, getting to know Copenhagen, meeting new people from different places, getting to work on a bike... There were many, many things that will made this experience a great one. Focusing on the workshop itself, I think the most important thing was the subject we focused on: improving life and taking care of this planet. Today’s designers, should be taught in this way because it’s not going to be a choice in the near future.
I am originally from Jordan but I grew up in Ontario, Canada. About five years ago, my family and I moved to Qatar where I graduated from high school. I am currently in my junior year at Virginia Commonwealth University where I am double majoring in Interior and Fashion Design. I decided to pursue my studies in the design field because I enjoy working with people and I feel that this field will allow me to connect and communicate with others. I enjoy traveling and a selection of different sports including swimming, hiking and basketball. Before attending the summer camp I was looking forward to meeting new people and learning from them and their experiences as designers. I got the chance to share my cultural background and how this influences the way people from my region approach world scale problems. I believe that this program helped me grow as a designer and it was a place where I learned to create change as an individual. I also learned what I can do as an individual to help resolve some of the great global challenges that people face on a daily basis.
Frederick Eksteen 22 South Africa
Isabel Inés Casasnovas 34 Spain (Madrid)
Jeongeun Kim 26 South Korea
I originally come from Cape Town, South Africa but I’m currently studying in Malmö, Sweden. During my studies I have completed a three-year course for my National Diploma in Industrial Design and I have just completed my first year in the Interaction Design Masters program in Malmö.
‘Jack of all trades’, master of none: entrepreneur, graphic designer, web interaction designer, project manager, lab organiser... I’m good at people.
I have a bachelor's degree, majoring in computer science and visual communication design and now I'm majoring in a visual communication design at the Hong-Ik University graduate school. I am especially interested in web design and user-centred interface design. I took a visual communication design class last year where I became interested in user-centered-interface design. I have a tremendous amount of energy and love to be challenged. I have participated in a UNESCO work-camp in Japan and various other workshops and internships around the country.
My focus for the summer camp was to collaborate with people from across the globe, interested in innovative solutions for problems we as society face on a daily basis. For me there is a solution to any problem through design and it is just a matter of research and development through innovative thinking. My aim was to network and collaborate with other designers on an international level to produce a more sustainable way of thinking to ensure a better, more efficient future for generations to come, by focusing on user-centred design. Most importantly I learnt how to approach problems from other directions.
I have a Masters in Advertising and PR. Since graduating, I have run my own Graphic Design studio, worked for a IT multinational as GUI consultant and headed-up the (tiny) UX department. In 2005 I joined a web-native company to create a whole Java app. through user-centered-design. Now, I freelance, and run away from working schedules, looking for what I really want to do. I love Interaction Design but I need to widen my limits: new media, new people, new interaction scenarios... new challenges. Sometimes I feel I move backwards like a crab. Is the next step learning to walk? :-) I learn ‘by doing’ more than reading, by listening more than studying, by living more than making plans. That’s what I gained from the summer camp: learning, doing, listening, living.
This summer camp was a great opportunity for me. Copenhagen is fascinating because I hadn't been to Europe before. I had a deep cultural and social experience by participating in this workshop.
Julie Phanstiel 30 US
Justin Johnsen 25 US
Leungo Tumedi 23 Botswana
I have a BA in Art History from Wellesley College and a BS Candidate in Environmental Design from Art Center College of Design (Pasadena).
I grew up in south-central Pennsylvania where I developed a fondness for nature and an interest in art. After high school, I attended Harrisburg Area Community College receiving an associate degree in art & design. I moved to Philadelphia where I have spent the last four years studying industrial design at Philadelphia University. I have just completed my undergraduate degree and have begun an exploration of new opportunities.
My country of origin is Botswana but I am currently based in South Africa where I am completing my BA in Multimedia. I have an interest in all design fields as I feel there is a level of integration that can be applied throughout different design disciplines.
Following a lifelong wanderlust, I’ve lived in the US Midwest, New York, Boston, Mexico, San Francisco, Bangkok, The Netherlands, Berlin, and finally Los Angeles. My course of study in theory and culture has prepared me to focus on content driven design in the environmental design program at Art Center where I’ve worked on exhibitions about Los Angeles and Berlin, a full-scale prototype of sustainable modular housing, and furniture with a “memory” of place and music. My goals for the INDEX:CIID Summer Camp were to learn about how people across the globe perceive the future and to deepen my experience in intercultural collaboration. Living and working abroad is such an incredible opportunity to understand the world and your place in it.
In this summer camp, while we were increasing our knowledge of the global issues, I met a whole new network of people. Meeting new people to share experiences and knowledge with is a valuable asset that I'm sure we can all appreciate. I wanted to contribute and learn new skills and insights that will help to create an interesting stepping off point, that will hopefully lead to further exploration after the course.
My main objective for the summer camp was to meet with and learn more about what other designers from across the globe are doing in terms of interactive design, from multimedia screen-based work to tangible, constructed design works. It was really interesting to interact with designers from different backgrounds as everyone has their own story to tell, this paints a collage of interesting design stories. I hope I succeeded in enlightening other designers as to where design is in terms of progression where I am from, and share ideas and solutions to some of the problems that an African designer or a designer from a third-world continent might face. Within the context of global challenges, these problems might be the same as those faced by designers from first-world continents.
Maria Foverskov 28 Denmark
Malene Bolvig Nielsen 25 Denmark
Marie Hugsted 29 Denmark
I have a BA in Industrial Design from Denmarks Designschool and have studied various directions within product design from 2002 until now. In the fall of 2006 I went to Design Academy Eindhoven in The Netherlands, to pursue my curiosity within conceptual design. It is within my focus on interaction between people and social life in design, and throughout my traveling and work experiences, that I discovered my profound interest in user-centred design and human interactions.
After taking my bachelor-degree I did a one-year exchange at Politecnico di Milano, where I studied Product Service System Design, focussing on strategic innovation and design in products and services. Back in Denmark I did an internship at “Kontrapunkt”, specialising in corporate identity and product brand identity. I have now returned to the Design Department at the School of Architecture (Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts), where I combine light and furniture in one object.
I have a BA in Needlecraft/Textiles. Previously I had been teaching textiles, art and Danish in a school for two years
At the summer camp I wanted to explore how people develop wild ideas & concepts and then make more real, tangible solutions through intercultural collaboration. I was given the opportunity to question the way we live our lives and dream utopian ideas. Ideas I hope eventually will become more real, in the global world we all live in.
Studying in Milan introduced me to user-centered design and gave me the taste of how innovative and creative projects can become when different backgrounds and knowledge unite. At the summer camp I wanted to see how far discussions and ideas can take us in the aim to create ‘design to improve life’ and most importantly - to see how a good idea can develop and not just remain a good idea. Working in intercultural &multidisciplinary groups gave me inspiration and a perspective on solutions that I could never have come up with alone. Learning about other cultures has proved to surprise me in the most positive way.
My aim for the summer camp was to expand my knowledge on usercentred design. There was a lot of discussion about this in the context of global challenges because we come from different parts of the world and looked upon the issues from different points of view. I hope the discussions about ‘design to improve life’ will inspire us to keep on caring for the subject after the summer camp.
Martijn The 24 The Netherlands
Mie Kongstad Søgaard 24 Denmark
Mikkel Proschowsky 24 Denmark
I was born and raised in a family of mixed ancestry (Dutch – ChineseIndonesian), which is very commonplace in The Netherlands nowadays. Having lived in The Netherlands for most of my life, I am very Dutch, although probably with a twist. Since my childhood I have always been interested in purposeful creation. I always wanted to be an architect. A few years ago I started studying Industrial Design Engineering and currently, I am doing the Master course in Design for Interaction at the Delft University of Technology.
I am studying for a Masters in Design Engineering. After high school I traveled and worked in many European capitals. I did an environment course in Bangkok last year with different nationalities, among them students from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Poland, Portugal and Thailand. Last year I traveled the world with my boyfriend. I've had many jobs: music teacher, dog trainer, model and waitress. I've been engaged in many association activities in my different schools, my college house and in an agriculture organisation.
I live in Copenhagen and I am halfway through my master education in design & innovation at the Technical University of Denmark, where my focus is on interaction design. I have had several courses in HCI and am currently doing a small project on web browsing on mobile phones. I like prototyping and testing out ideas on real users, as I believe user involvement is the only way to make good products. Beside my study I am a scout, which I enjoy very much.
At the summer camp I met people from different cultures, exchanged personal experiences and shared insights on the global challenges that we face. I contributed what I learned over the past few years about design in general and interaction design and service design specifically. As a group we inspired each other throughout the process of finding solutions to global challenges.
I love to travel the world, to think and to meet new people, I love to ‘do’ and learn new things. That’s exactly what I got at the summer camp. Thank you for a great time!
I had a really good experience at the summer camp where I exchanged knowledge and shared interests. I was really looking forward to the challenge of working together with new people from various cultures, and this intercultural element brought the innovation to new heights. I was looking forward to attending the Index: Award and to work together with the rather new CIID. Besides from these points I just wanted to have a good time, doing what I like so much, together with new friends from all over the world.
Nayla Ahmad Al-Mulla 21 Qatar
Nicola Plaisant 23 Italy
Noor Ali 22 Jordan
After graduating from a local high school, life took me on many paths, some I liked, and some I didn’t. Now I am 21, and happy! Three years ago I found myself in the parameters of design school and I am currently studying fashion design at the Virginia Commonwealth University of Arts, Doha, Qatar. In design I see great potential. Through it I aspire to solve many problems.
I live in Mestre, a town near Venice. I attended artistic studies in Venice, at Liceo Artistico Statale (Arts High School) and then my bachelors in Industrial Design at IUAV Treviso. The theme of my BA thesis was a graphic identity for a foundation. Now I'm attending the Comunicazioni Visive e Multimediali (Visual and Multimedia Communications) degree course at IUAV - Faculty of Design and Arts.
I have the advantage of being from a bi-cultural family. It has made me appreciate the importance of overcoming cultural boundaries and finding a common ground where respect and understanding are utilised to the full. I am dedicated to improving my design skills and learning as much as I can about everything because I believe that a designer should have a well-rounded knowledge of how the world works.
For the summer camp my first aim was to learn more about sustainable design and to share experiences and knowledge with people from other parts of world. It was a good opportunity to improve my skills in various fields of Design.
Through my work in the summer camp I was able to gain insight into user-centred design in the context of cross cultural communication. I wanted to represent VCUQ and the state of Qatar, to be an ambassador of goodwill, a designer who is socially, culturally and politically aware of the world, who understands the culture of this region and can represent it in a positive manner, and a designer who genuinely wants to address the world’s challenges on a global scale. This is the purpose of INDEX, and I truly believe that going there helped me become a better designer, and more of a benefit to community, my peers and VCUQ.
Martin Luther King said, “No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent”. I see that applicable to design, for no design form is an island, entire of itself, every design form is a piece of the continent. That said; I would like to experience the collision of design with meaning. I want to strive for understanding and solutions far beyond what a single design type can offer.
Phoebe Liu 29 Taiwan
Robyn Penhall 22 South Africa
Sarasiff KjĂŚrgĂĽrd 27 Denmark
My background is in traditional HCI and I have a Master of Science in Information Management and Systems at UC Berkeley, USA. I worked as an interaction designer for Trend Micro and Yahoo! After three-years of working I decided that I would like to move beyond web and software, and learn more about the tangible aspects of interaction design, which is why I started my studies again at MalmĂś University, Sweden.
I am a South African student, currently studying Interior Design Honours at Greenside Design Center. I have already completed a Bachelor of Architectural Studies at the University of Cape Town, and plan to continue with architecture and obtain my Masters in Architecture in the next two years. Last year, I worked in Dubai as a junior architect for the architectural firm, Creative Kingdom, focusing on hotels and large residential/ retail developments in U.A.E., Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
For the last 8 years my main focus has been on painting. In 2000 I spent one semester at a BA - visual arts painting - course at Camberwell College of Arts in London. In 2002 I studied philosophy for a year at the University of Copenhagen. Since I attended Danmarks Designskole in 2006 my interest has moved towards how it can be possible to design a better and more humane world for the people who live in it. How can we create a material environment that effects our relations, our feelings and our actions?
Global challenges impact all our lives in large scale. Inter-cultural dialogue is particularly important to understand how to face these global challenges in a local context. At the summer camp I was interested in applying interaction design techniques to develop something good for human beings and for our environment, to bring some joy and laughter to our lives. I gained the best friendship from being in such a diverse environment and the inspiration created within this international group of people helped me to see things from many different perspectives. To resolve cultural differences and create something we are all happy about for global challenges was the best experience ever!
The summer camp was a good opportunity to interact with designers from across the globe, to gain a better understanding of how South African design fits into the global context. Coming from an African country, it was interesting to discover how the same design problem is tackled from different cultural perspectives and social objectives.
At summer camp I have achieved a deeper understanding of applying user-centered design and innovation to a design process. I enjoyed working with people from different backgrounds and with different point of view.
Sylvia Holthen 29 Norway/Denmark
Tobias Toft 24 Denmark
Trine Roed 27 Denmark
I finished my BA-exam in June 06 and am now studying for an MA in industrial Design at Denmarks Designschool. I have followed the glass department program for the last year, working with lighting in glass. I do also have experience making projects in wood, plastic and metal. The wide use of materials is one of the main reasons for me to study industrial design.
I am studying for a BSc in Design Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark, specialising in product design & innovation. I've always been the kind of person who (sometimes unconsciously) takes things apart, just to see what's inside and if I in any way can, tweak it. Mostly I end up breaking it instead, but in rare occasions I actually come up with something that works (at least for a couple of minutes).
I have a Bachelor in Architecture from Aarhus School of Architecture and I am currently studying for a Masters in Industrial Design. I have a passion for both architecture and industrial design and love to combine them in my projects. I will finish my studies in January 2008 as I only have my thesis left to cpmplete. I moved to Copenhagen in January so the city is still quite new to me – but I really enjoy it here!
At the summer camp, I expected to learn things that I can't learn at DTU. First of all, I met people from all over the world – I networked and made new friends. As a group I think we came up with some great innovative solutions. My focus was on interaction design, but I also contributed with a little bit of industrial design knowledge and some geeky engineering-stuff. I came to the summer camp to gain more experience in designing for global challenges but also to learn what it is like to cooperate with people from other cultural and educational backgrounds. Simple things that have a big impact fascinate me – I feel that this summer camp resulted in such inventions.
I saw the summer camp as a great chance to work in an interesting, multi-disciplinary and multicultural environment and to expand my network of colleagues and friends around the world. I gained new knowledge and inspiration and enjoyed being productive and exchanging experiences. Together we solved problems and developed design concepts ’to improve life’ - we worked hard and at the same time, had fun. It was great meeting everyone.
My focus for the summer camp was to learn and develop in another context from my usual work. I was also looking forward to being a part of a co-operation across countries and methods, looking at problems/issues seen from another angle, and getting critical feedback on aspects relevant to my subject.
Yeonoo Shin 26 South Korea I'm a Hongik graduate school student majoring in visual communication design. My major was printmaking at college but I thought that design is more effective way than fine art to communicate with people. So, I've been studying visual communication design and I'm interested in design planning media art and design management. User-centered Design is very essential nowadays. The summer camp gave me the opportunity to understand what it really is and what it can achieve. Using it to improve and influence people's lives in the future will be very valuable.
CIID Faculty & Team Heather Martin UK
Simona Maschi Italy
Vinay Venkatraman India
Heather is one of the Co-Founders of CIID. Her career has spanned consulting, teaching and research in the field of interaction design with a focus on creating new forms of tangible interfaces for products, services and environments. From 2005-6, Heather was the Academic Director of the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in Italy (IDII) where previously, she had spent one year as a full-time Associate Professor advising MA students on tangible interfaces for objects and spaces. Simultaneously, Heather was managing the Projects Unit at IDII, working to create new interfaces for various clients including Sony and Artemide. Before joining IDII Heather worked at IDEO in London as a senior interaction designer and project manager with clients such as Lufthansa and Prada. She has an MA in Interaction Design from the Royal College of Art in London (1998) and a BA in Industrial Design from the University of Northumbria (1993).
Simona is one of the Co-Founders of CIID. Her main focus is on envisioning future scenarios and experiences for people’s everyday life. She designs new concepts of services enabled by innovative technologies for both the public and the private sector and is interested in new design solutions that take companies towards a stronger attitude to environmental and social responsibility. Her last works in collaborations with academia and industries have explored different topics, such as Private and Public Transportation, Health and Wellbeing and Sustainable Housing. Simona has a PhD in Industrial Design and Multimedia Communication from the Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy (2002). She was a visiting scholar at the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago (2002) and has an MA in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy (1996). Until June 2006 she was an Associate Professor and researcher at the Interaction Design Institute, Ivrea.
Vinay’s background is in industrial design. He graduated from the National Institute of Design, India and in 2006, he graduated with distinction from the Masters programme in Interaction Design from the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea (Italy). Currently working at Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, his interests include tangible user interfaces, service design and finding new models of sustainable economic development using open source technologies. His professional life began as a product designer for manufacturing companies designing bicycles, kitchen appliances, etc. In between he was enticed by film making and worked as visual effects designer for a leading post-production house, Prime Focus Ltd, on various advertisements and feature films. He later shifted focus to software products and was a consultant to several software companies working on information architecture and user interface design. In the summer of 2005, he interned as a product designer at Microsoft in Seattle.
Alie Rose UK
Isabel Froes Brazil
Kirsti Reitan Andersen Denmark
Alie is responsible for PR & Communications at Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. Before moving to Denmark in August 2006, Alie worked at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea (Italy) where she managed client facing innovation workshops (Applied Dreams), exhibitions and communications. Originally from a concept design background, she has worked across a wide range of areas including: Innovation, Interaction Design, Marketing, and Business & Technology Research. Alie graduated with a BA in Design Futures and before embarking on her vocational tour of Europe, she lived and worked in London as a freelance project manager on creative and design centred briefs for Good Technology, Ai London, Research International, and Ragdoll Productions. Regardless of whether she is working on PR/communications or as a Project Manager, Alie focuses on people & team building.
Isabel Froes believes in intuitive and cross-cultural interfaces. She holds a Masters degree from ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program) from New York University. Having a Psychology background she focuses on the interactions between humans and technology. During her studies she was a researcher for the Brazilian National Research Center, where she investigated the changes in social interaction due to the spreading of Internet communication; the results were published in a book (”Na malha da Rede, os impactos intimos da internet”). Her experience as an interactive designer ranges from online works to physical installations for companies and museums. She has taught the courses “Interactivity in the Museum” and “The Culture of Play” at Kolding Design School and at the University of Copenhagen, where she has worked as an adjunct professor for the past 2.5 years.
Kirsti Reitan Andersen studied her BA in the English department, University of Århus, and graduated with a Master degree in 2006 from the European Studies department. During her studies, Kirsti specialised in cultural theory and analysis. Her final thesis explores the field of fashion design focusing on haute couture and the construction of fashion through magazines, designers, and fashion shows. During her studies Kirsti participated in an interdisciplinary project exploring the background and motivation of European entrepreneurs. The project was based on a co-operation between the European Studies department, the Chaos Pilots, and Dansk Industri - the results were published in a report titled 'Innovating Europe'. During the fall of 2006 Kirsti worked as a research assistant at Danmarks Designskole in connection with the school’s report on the relationship between artistic practice and research. The report was published in the Spring of 2007.
Visiting faculty
Anne Kirah 180º Academy
Toke Barter, Re Dubhthaigh Radarstation
Jennie Winhall Participle
Anne Kirah is dean and faculty member of 180º Academy, an international school for radial innovation created by a consortium of Danish industry leaders. She is responsible for running the frontend research phase in a non-linear educational programme of concept making. The curriculum combines research, design, development and commercialization of products, services and organisational change to meet the needs of a rapidly growing global world. Prior to joining 180, Kirah served as the senior design anthropologist for the Microsoft Corporation. Kirah was responsible for global field research and participatory design both within the Windows division and MSN. Kirah’s primary focus is on people-centered research, future product innovation, and strategy. Kirah has a degree in Cultural Anthropology (with minors in the Sociology of Education and Developmental Psychology) and a graduate degree in Cultural Anthropology, both from the University of Oslo and a graduate degree in Psychology from the University of Washington.
Radarstation is an innovation consultancy specialising in designled futures. Using design tools and processes they help their clients explore, map and create their future. Radarstation works at the intersection of service innovation and strategic transformation, bringing design methods and tools to business. Projects range from technology foresight projects that help define new markets, to helping organisations embed design-led innovation practices. Radarstation works with a mix of commercial, academic and cultural organisations including: BBC, BP, DTI Foresight, E&Y, Future Foundation, GN-Resound, Hitachi, IPA, Lego ConceptLab, Rich Mix, Tate Britain, Workz, London School of Economics, Interaction Design Institute Ivrea, Oxford Said School of Business and the Royal College of Art.
Jennie Winhall is a design strategist and service designer. Until recently Jennie was Senior Design Strategist for RED at the UK Design Council. An interdisciplinary team of designers, policy analysts, social scientists and economists, RED was set up in 2004 to address social and economic issues through design innovation. RED projects tackled issues such as chronic healthcare, declining citizenship and domestic energy consumption. Designing with end users and front-line workers has led to new policies and the creation of new public services. Jennie currently works for live|work, who pioneered the field of service design in the UK and create user-centred, sustainable services. She is now setting up Participle, a social enterprise focused on designing a new generation of public services, with the former RED team (Hilary Cottam, Colin Burns and Charles Leadbeater). Jennie studied Product Design at Glasgow School of Art and ENSCI Paris, and Psychology at the Open University.
Tobias Lau Social Action
Vannesa Ahuactzin Innovation Lab
Dan Buchner Design Continuum
Tobias Lau is partner in Social Action, a development firm that creates new products and services that help people and companies to improve the world. He has a background in ethnography and design and studied among other places at Bruce Mau's Institute without Boundaries. He worked at Bruce Mau Design for 3 years where he worked for clients such as Nokia, Herman Miller, Frank Gehry and a citizen foundation in Guatemala. He also helped create Massive Change - a book and exhibition on the future of design with his colleagues at BMD. Before starting Social Action, he co-wrote the book Concept Design at the Danish Ministry of Business about the future challenges of the design consutant industry world wide. He live and works in Copenhagen. Visit www.socialaction.dk for more information.
Vannesa formed part of the inaugural group of the Institute without Boundaries, the multidisciplinary, educational entity created by Bruce Mau Design to launch the Massive Change project. She spearheaded the initial conceptualisation of the Massive Change exhibition and helped to develop the overall identity of the Massive Change project. Vannesa went on to become the Design Manager for Massive Change, working with the second year Institute without Boundaries team to coordinate, design and install the Massive Change exhibition in Vancouver, Ontario and Chicago. Following the success of Massive Change, she continues to work on projects that redefine the concept of design. Vannesa recently collaborated with the Indianapolis Museum of Art where she created a Vision Workbook (ambitious ideas, events, initiatives, proposals and programs) that serve as a roadmap for the vision of the IMA. Vannesa was born in Puebla, Mexico. She obtained a B.Arch from the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla.
If there’s one thing Dan Buchner knows, it’s how design can help a business succeed. He has started a successful company, run large manufacturing plants, led product development and industrial design for large corporations and conducted design research in farflung corners of the globe. As Vice President of Innovation and Design at Continuum, Dan manages innovation projects for leading brands worldwide. He strongly believes in the power of design to affect positive change in the world. Dan’s recent work has involved using design as an economic and social development tool in emerging markets such as South Africa, El Salvador, and India.
Russell Kennedy Monash University
Christopher Scales ReD Associates
Thomas Schødt Rasmussen Danmarks Designskole
Russell is an academic and practitioner of both graphic design and filmmaking. He is a Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Before joining Monash in 1994, he was the principle of Russell Kennedy Design, a corporate identity consultancy and Co-Director of Onset Productions, a motion picture and documentary company. Russell’s research expertise is in the area of Vexillography (flag design). He speaks regularly on the subject and in 1997 presented a paper proposing a new Australian flag at the 17th International Congress of Vexillology in Cape Town South Africa. In March 2000 he was awarded a Master of Arts from Monash University. Russell is currently serving his second term as Vice President of Icograda with the portfolio of education. He has been active in the development of the Icograda Education Network and the deployment and promotion of worldwide educational exchange initiatives
Christopher Scales specialises in new product development and innovation strategy. Over 10 years, his career has spanned California, London, Munich and Copenhagen. Christopher is currently a manager at strategic innovation consulting firm, ReD Associates, where he develops product and communication strategies for brands such as Samsung Electronics, Lego, Mars, and Nivea. Prior to ReD Associates, Christopher was a Senior Designer at Nokia Design, focusing on building Nokia’s market presence in the premium and youth markets. He spent one year with Lego’s concept lab, where he guided the initial concepts for what subsequently became Mindstorms NXT. He worked at Audi Design on the teams responsible for the show cars preluding the Audi Q7 and R8. Christopher also worked on the innovation team at the Casio US R&D Center in California. He has an MA in Product Design from the RCA, London and a BA in Product Design from Central Saint Martins, London.
Thomas has worked at Denmark’s Design School since 2002. As head of research, he has laid down research strategy and established an interdisciplinary research unit of 25. The research strategy is to investigate design sensibility from different perspectives: anthropology, engineering, cultural studies, design philosophy, practice based design research and design practice. His doctorate is in comparative literature, which received the gold medal of Aarhus University. Thomas is currently engaged in research projects on fashion, technological textiles and on the relations between research and design practice. All of his projects bridge the gaps between research, industry and design practice. He is a board member of CUMULUS, the Design Research Society and of the Danish Design Council, member of the Strategic Research Council of Norway and chairman of CUMULUS’ working group on design research.
INDEX: faculty
Lise Vejse Klint Director of Program & Events
Gunnar Näsman Project coordinator
Lise was assigned at INDEX: in August 2006. Lise is a former President of Danish Designers (2002 – 2006) and was in 2005 elected Secretary General of Icograda, the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (2005 – 2007). Lise is furthermore member of the Executive Committee of the International Design Alliance (IDA) as well. Lise holds a Master's degree in architecture from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture in Copenhagen and has many years of experience in teaching at institutions such as the Royal School of Library and Information Science, the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture. In addition, Lise is a board member of the Danish Arts Foundation, and in 2005 she was appointed by the Minister of Economic and Business Affairs to join a governmental committee on strengthening Danish design. Lise coordinates the 2007 program for INDEX: Summit & Summer Camp.
Gunnar graduated from the interdisciplinary department TMR at The Danish Designacademy in 2004. During his studies Gunnar also studied at Design Academy Eindhoven in Holland and at Accademia Italiana in Florence, Italy. Prior to working at INDEX: Gunnar worked with Bosch & Fjord.
CIID Learnings Designing for global challenges is a major challenge in itself. Ask anyone to solve largescale issues such as sanitation, poverty or climate change and they will probably look rather daunted. Therefore asking students to come up with solutions to global problems within a 3-week timeframe was very ambitious. It was even more ambitious considering that these students had never met or worked together before, they were from different countries from all around the world (for some it was their first trip to Europe), and were coming from various disciplinary and cultural backgrounds. What made these solutions you see here possible was the sheer optimism, determination, enthusiasm and critical observation from every student, faculty member and visiting guest who participated in the summer camp - and their willingness to face the challenge. Our biggest learning at CIID was how much responsibility people felt in creating solutions for real global problems, and how timely and critical it is for designers to use their skills to build ideas that will genuinely improve the quality of peoples lives. As a group, the aim was how to shift people's focus from acknowledging global problems (awareness) to actually trying to solve real problems (action) from the ground up - and at a local level. Small interventions done at a sustainable level became the focus throughout the workshop. We were very aware that every student who participated wanted to make a difference in the world. But even with all of this optimism – we didn't anticipate how difficult it would be for them to design for global challenges when they were not in the context
of the problem. It is extremely hard to design for people who have no fresh water supply, little sanitation, very little electricity, and live in the slums of Brazil for example when you are sitting in a comfortable design studio in Denmark. No matter how hard you try to imagine or research this world remotely - in truth you never really understand the issues by working in isolation. How is it possible for instance to test your ideas on real people, if those people are in a totally different reality? With this in mind, we challenge the summer camp format and hope that in the future students may have the opportunity to meet in a place where real global challenges are experienced every day - and where students can live and work in a real context, build solutions with local materials and test these solutions with local people. Not only would we expect the work to become grounded, but it would become more powerful - and in the end more sustainable. The Summer Camp provided everyone involved with the opportunity to work towards a common goal. The final projects and the research generated throughout the summer camp should not be thought of as a set of final deliverables, but as provocation for further development and to inspire other designers and entrepreneurs to take action. We hope this was the first of many CIID summer camps and look forward to the next one. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact Alie Rose (a.rose@ciid.dk)
Credits CIID Faculty Heather Martin Vinay Venkatraman Simona Maschi
Visiting Faculty & Advisors Anne Kirah, Dean 180°academy, Denmark
Project Management Alie Rose
Toke Barter & Re Dubhthaigh Partners Radarstation, London
Website & Technical Coordinator Isabel Froes
Jennie Winhall Design Strategist and Service Designer, London
Project Administration Kirsti Andersen
Vannesa Ahuactzin Design Researcher, Mexico Tobias Lau Design Researcher, Denmark
Documentation Design Isabel Ines Casasnovas Tristam Sparks Rafael Cardona INDEX: Especially… Kigge Hvid - CEO Lise Vejse Klint - Director of Program & Events Gunnar Näsman - Project Coordinator Thomas Jensen – Communications Officer Niels Jarler, 2007 Publications Editor Tine Willenbrack, Communication Coordinator
Dan Buchner Vice President of Innovation and Design Continuum, Boston Russell Kennedy ma rsa Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication Monash University Australia Christopher Scales Designer, ReD Associates Denmark Thomas Schødt Rasmussen Head of Research Danmarks Designskole, Denmark Danmarks Design School Especially… Martin Pincel Henrik Mathorne