ABook WHERE IS DESIGNER?SOCIAL → → → → → HOW FROMFAR →→ → DESIGN?SOCIAL→ 64 students. 13 tutors. 22 real-life projects. Many routes. Many orbits. One community. 21 22
Ezio PoliticsManzini,ofthe Everyday →
The point of view and action on the world, for me, is the hyperlocal. It is obviously something very local, but it is also, and today more than ever, a boundless local from which we can see and act far away, yet always and only from the point where we stand.
ABook
WHERE IS DESIGNER?SOCIAL
→ → → → →
Ezio PoliticsManzini,ofthe Everyday → → →
The point of view and action on the world, for me, is the hyperlocal. It is obviously something very local, but it is also, and today more than ever, a boundless local from which we can see and act far away, yet always and only from the point where we stand.
ABook
HOW FAR ARE YOU FROM SOCIAL DESIGN?
→ ABook
We all know that between the persisting problems and human actions lies a decisive gap, a desperate deadlock, a challenge against which we could do nothing...... a ‘distance’.
A way of strategic thinking and tactical doing. A method of flexible zooming in and out the complex social systems. An envisioning of the global by intervening in the local. A process of caring for people, things, and their sociotechnical milieu. Such a multitude of thinking, doing, methods, perspectives, care, and connections together form the character of Social Design.
Social Design is a practice of playing with ‘distance’.
Playing with ‘distance’ all Social Design students have experienced and experimented with this distance between societal problems and individual actions. Social Design is not so much about the awareness, consciousness, and good intention of individuals. Instead, it is about radical change, real impact, new desires and values, and how we can make these happen creatively for the future.
Social Design: At a Distance
We live under infinite crises: urban aging, mental health problems, social inequality, digital divide, over-consumption, global warming, pandemic, and so forth. They are undesirable, but most individuals do not think they can change these on a ‘societal’ level. We are willing to use less air-conditioner at home, donate money to the needy, buy less and live simple on an individual level. Still, we lack practical insight into real-world poverty, injustice, or environmental disruption.
02
Here we present 15 Final Projects and 7 Interim Projects, all conducted by Year 4 and Year 3 undergraduate students from Social Design Programme at PolyU Design, as evidence of their exploration of the many ‘distances’. Reading them at a distance at this very moment, you may come closer to us at the next.
Pattern in Social Design
03Learning
04 Mapped by Marsha Lui & King-chung Siu
05 → Contents → DesignSocialfromyouarefarHow ContentsSocialDesignas an Effect-oriented Practice Final Project Tutors: Kam-fai, CHAN / King-chung, SIU / Markus, WERNLI / Jonathan, YU From Imagination to Action: Prototyping the Social Social Design as Methods: Probing, Listening, EnactingIIIIII → Talking Plast!c → Playing with Gap Time → ‘Recycling Helpers’ and Their Neighbourhoods → Polyouth Closet → Dr. Woven → Meet in the FIELD → Co-Greenation → Don’t Sit, Get Fit → Long Journey → Food Saviour → Inkertainment → Hand in Craft → Calligraphy as a Listening Tool under the Pandemic → Hike Safe, Hike Friendly → Re-experiencing the Hin Keng Market393735333115131109072725232119→ ABook
Part SocialI: Design as an Effect-oriented Practice TALKING PLAST!C → Designing behavioral change in the use of plastic bags in Hung Hom POLYOUTHMarket CLOSET → A self-service system for a fashionable & sustainable community0503020401 PLAYING WITH GAP TIME → Creating values via co-creating the ‘RECYCLINGeveryday HELPERS’ AND THEIR NEIGHBOURHOODS → Enabling a mutual support network DR.WOVEN → A sustainable community-led revitalisation project
This project adopts a progressive approach for the ‘beginners’ at Hung Hom Wet Market. Instead of asking for a complete and immediate rejection of plastic bags, we encouraged them to start with reusing and reducing. With our ‘Green Market Pilot Scheme,’ in which we collaborated with 5 vegetable stores, we introduced 3 different strategies for different types of stakeholders:
1
Wai-shan Viann, CHEUNG / Yuet-ting Joyce, HUI / Wing-hei Heidi, LAU / Ka-yi Yori, DesigningWONG behavioral change in the use of plastic bags in Hung hom Market PracticeEffect-oriented
TALKING PLAST!C
→ 071Part
→
Despite the full implementation of the Plastic Shopping Bag (PSB) Charging Scheme in 2015, the amount of PSBs disposed of at landfills in 2020 was 4.18 billion, increasing by 2.6% year-on-year in real terms. Its effectiveness and the scope of coverage are being questioned. For example, it is challenging to change the habit of using plastic bags in the wet market. Preparing for the transition to the future zero use of PSBs, this project aims to transform people’s mindsets and habits by creating favourable socio-economic conditions and a lower threshold for behavioral change.
08
(1) designing ‘green shops vouchers’ to increase extrinsic motivation;
(2) designing ‘self-service boxes’ to nudge customers to make sustainable choices; and
(3) nurturing behavioral change by demonstrating how to minimize the use of PSBs right outside the market.
The project focuses on diversifying the use of daily time by the young generation. To intervene in people’s stressful life by creating fun and a sense of well-being, we hacked into the ways young people spent their spare but oft-meaningless time what we called the ‘gap time’ like waiting, queueing, and commuting on public transport. We successfully prototyped and organized four co-creation workshops, in which we explored, played, and experimented with the concept of ‘gap time’.
2 → PracticeEffect-oriented → 1Part
Our project aims to facilitate young participants to (1) reckon with the potentiality of the gap time, (2) act playfully and insightfully during the gap time, and (3) rethink the intrinsic value of the everyday. Grounded on the workshops, we further developed a game design package an app and a gap time diary to enable young users and players to experience the gap time on their own initiative.
CreatingYIU values via co-creating the everyday
PLAYING WITH
GAP TIME 09
Yip-pui Anna, CHEUNG / Lijuan Laris, LIANG / Pui-ki Yvonne, NG / Tung Nina,
10
The project built a closer relationship between Sheung Shui ‘recycling helpers,’ their neighbourhoods, and different shop owners via various design prompts and interventions. This process ultimately accomplished the following: (1) the workload of the recycling helpers was lessened, and work time shortened, as soon as the shop owner started the recycling process themselves;
RECYCLING HELPERS AND THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS
Hoi-shan Eva, EnableLOKa mutual support
SheungnetworkShuiiswellknown
as a paradise for parallel traders. Cardboard and rubbish leftovers are everywhere on the streets. Who is responsible for the community’s cleanliness? In general, the neighbourhood has negative impressions of the scavengers, the actual recycling ‘pioneers’ and ‘helpers’. Also, shop owners lack the awareness to recycle the waste themselves.
11
This project aims to change these neighbours’ mindsets, facilitate people to empathise with the ‘recycling helpers,’ and finally enable different parties and stakeholders to cooperate in the recycling process.
→ PracticeEffect-oriented → 1Part3
(2) as more helped the recycling process, the recycling helpers could have a new information channel (a WhatsApp group); (3) a reward system (2-dollar coupon) was developed by the shop owners as a support to the recycling helpers; and (4) Sheung Shui neighbourhood successfully set up a public comment page, which hugely improved the communication among all parties. The comment page also attracted the attention of social workers from ‘Waste Picker Platform’ and gained support there.
12
13
POLYOUTH CLOSET
Chui-shan Sharon, CHAK / Wing-yan, CHIU / Ka-man Jack, TAI / Leo, WONG A self-service system for a fashionable and sustainable community
4 → PracticeEffect-oriented → 1Part
Polyouth Closet is a sharing economy project with a self-service platform for people to exchange clothes. The self-service setting makes people more comfortable and avoids time conflicts. In addition, participants can share their unique clothes-related stories and memories with others. Compared with the typical clothes donation, it is not only about giving usable clothes, but also involves interactive experience, social reciprocity, and personal connections.
In the research, our team discovered that PolyU students purchased many fashionable clothes and accessories, and had diverse and unique wearing styles. On the other hand, many had stored abundant clothes that were still trendy but would not be worn again. Most students were concerned about producing fashion waste and guilty of dumping usable items. Therefore they were looking for a way to resolve their concern, e.g. searching for a new owner who would treasure the clothes.
This project intervenes in this situation by nurturing a clothes / fashionsharing culture in PolyU. With Polyouth Closet, everyone can share clothes and personal stories with others instead of consuming new items from the market. This reduces fashion waste and satisfies young people’s desire for new wearing items. In our design, no one will monitor or manipulate participants’ choices and behaviours during the self-service process, and this fosters trust, empathy, and a new sense of fashionable and sustainable community.
14
We find effective ways to reactivate and prolong the lives of ageing communities in Hong Kong by focusing on a range of minor problems and jointly creating a design concept to shorten the communication between the public and designers. With positive comments and responses from the 13 Streets community, our team synthesises them to develop a series of community planning, facilities design, and sustainable lifestyle models. From street to rooftop, from tiny products to huge facilities. We turn stakeholders’ feedback into visualised designs, bringing everyone into co-creation.
A sustainable communityled revitalisation project
DR.WOVENWing-laamWing,LAW(EID)/
Communities, like human life, experience birth, old age, sickness, and death. A community can also lose its appeal if it becomes sick or may even die unless given the right treatment. Residents move out of neighbourhoods that are not well-managed or out of control, which may lead to a deterioration in security and the community’s health. In the end, the history, culture and neighbourhood can disappear and be redeveloped into a new community that is decontextualised and ahistorical.
15 → PracticeEffect-oriented → 1Part
Chi-tat Gulu, TANG (EID) / Hoi-kan Miko, WONG (PRD) / Tsz-ching Joey, WONG (SDS)
5
16
17
INKERTAINMENT → Temporary tattoo as a cultural probe Part SocialII:Design as Methods: Probing, Listening, Enacting 1008070906 HAND IN CRAFT → Co-creating a new way to craft CALLIGRAHY AS A LISTENING TOOL UNDER THE PANDEMIC → Making sense of pandemic memories THERE-EXPERIENCINGHINKENGMARKET → Conversation maps, interactive tasks, the RPG workshop HIKE SAFE, HIKE FRIENDLY → Shaping the hiking experience with tactical intervention
196 → EnactingListening,Probing, → 2Part INKERTAINMENTTemporarytattooasaculturalprobeCheuk-lamFina,CHAN/Wing-hungIvan,KAM/Lai-ting Tracy, LIU
Inkertainment (a combination of ‘Ink’ and ‘Entertainment’) is a project centring around ‘temporary tattoos’: playful drawings on one’s skin, often lasting for a short period, i.e. a few days or a week, and serving as a socio-aesthetic marker and reminder to its owners. By gamifying temporary body drawing, we intend to make changes in people’s relationships.
Temporary tattoo games were designed to facilitate participants to strengthen their connection to their bodies on an individual level. The collective bond would also be strengthened in games that required a group of friends or couples to play together. As our body is biologically, psychologically, and culturally defined at the same time, drawing on one’s skin surface could be a profound experience, whose social potential has been tactically explored in our offline pop-up events and online workshops.
20
Yin-tung Christine, LAI / Lok-yi Antonia, YAN
Co-creating a new way to Althoughcrafthandicraft
21 → 2Part HAND IN CRAFT
making is time-consuming and sometimes challenging, some people believe handicraft is an ideal tool for expressing emotions and releasing stress. Based on our observation, most handicraft workshops in Hong Kong are skill- and outcome-oriented and one-way practice teaching. This project aims to promote a different kind of handicraft culture. We designed a themed co-creation workshop series, throughout which people could co-design a craft kit for some specific scenarios. The participants were able to use crafting as a tool to present their stories and design ideas to others. We hope this project will nurture a new way to craft crafting not only aesthetically pleasant artworks but also socially insightful relationships.
7 → EnactingListening,Probing,
22
→ EnactingListening,Probing,
People infected with Omicron have different experiences and complex feelings, which have not received enough attention in our city. This project provided a platform for ex-patients to listen to, tell and share the Omicron stories in the community during the pandemic. It used calligraphy as a medium to contain these stories so that they could be shared and gathered in workshops. Ex-patients had a chance to share some of their profound experiences during the home quarantine and wrote down a sentence to frame their stories. Participants then narrated and reflected on these stories in the ‘Hearing Stories in Ink’ workshop with each other, with the aid of ‘slow writing’ of calligraphy.
8 Lai-sze Stephanie, WAI
CALLIGRAPHY AS A LISTENING TOOL UNDER THE PANDEMIC
23 → 2Part
While people need others to listen to their stories, there is a lack of medium to communicate and share. This project is to experiment with calligraphy as a ‘listening tool’ for encountering, probing, gathering, and reflecting on our pandemic memories and their meanings in workshops.
Making sense of pandemic memories
24
25 HIKE SAFE, HIKE FRIENDLY → 2Part9
This project aims to educate hikers with basic hiking knowledge like uphill and downhill skills and remind hikers of potential dangers. It helps promote hiking culture like sharing and cooperation. Hikers were educated at different levels, including learning by seeing, practising through interactions, and sharing experiences. Signage and games were designed to provide a tour-like experience for hikers. The Instagram page acted as an online exchange platform. Hikers also found additional meanings and significance by collecting stamps on the postcards. Hikers, therefore, obtained experience-based knowledge that could be applied to further hiking trails.
This project was conducted at Leung Tin Au Valley (Por Lo Shan), a hiking hotspot with multiple types of terrain. Hiking has become a popular outdoor activity, and the number of hikers has increased since the pandemic. However, the accidental rate has increased, and the social distance between people remained unchanged due to the disinfection policy of the government. Although hiking is popular, it does not help enhance interactions between people.
→ EnactingListening,Probing,
Kei-tung Moon,
ShapingCHEUNGthe hiking experience with tactical intervention
26
→ 2Part → 27EnactingListening,Probing, THERE-EXPERIENCINGHINKENGMARKETAsapartofHongKongculture,wetmarketssymbolisethelivelihoodofHongKongcitizens.However,peoplenowadaystendtoshopmoreinlarge-scaleandcommercialisedchainstoreslikesupermarketsandshoppingcentresinsteadoflocalsmallshops.Nevertheless,wetmarketsareirreplaceableastheyretainthelocalculture,traditions,andpractices,whichdeservemorepublicattention.Thisprojectaimstopromotemodern-style,recentlyrenovatedwetmarketstoyoungpeopleanddemonstratehowtheserenovatedwetmarketseliminatesomeofthepainpointsoftraditionalwetmarketswhilestillpreservingthelatter’spracticeandculture.Thisprojectdocumentedtheenvironmentaldetails,collectedstories,andidentifieddiversefunandattractivefeaturesintheHinKengMarket.Wealsodesignedsomeconversationmaps,aseriesofinteractivetasks,androle-play-game(RPG)workshopsfortheyounggenerationtore-experiencethewetmarketspaceanditsculture.Ho-yingKelly,CHUNG/Ka-waiNancy,LAI10 Conversation maps, interactive tasks, and the RPG workshop
28
29
Part FromIII:Imagination to Action: Prototyping the Social LONG JOURNEY → A community paper for cross-generational communication CO-GREENATION → Nurturing relationships in planting FOOD SAVIOUR → Saving for a resourceful community MEET IN THE FIELD → Co-creating alternative uses of a family farmland DON’T SIT, GET FIT → Building a workout community in PolyU through body-weight training1512141311
(1) Opening up my father's farm field to different generations; (2) Creating new possibilities in the use of agricultural land; (3) Developing a farming community with the surrounding residents.3111
The project objectives are:
Hung Shui Kiu (HSK) has been chosen by the government as the site for the new-town development. HSK will cease to exist in its current form, with its rich history lost and the farmland wiped out. My family has lived here for 40 years. This project aims to preserve and reflect on this family and local history by developing a new form of homestead farming. The project ‘Meet in the FIELD’ resulted in significant changes in my father’s farmland concerning feeling, learning, and practice. People across various generations were invited to visit the field, where they encountered each other with designed memorable experiences. The project changes the use and potential of this vastly abandoned farmland while recording the last appearance of the homestead farm in HSK.
MEET IN THE FIELD → 3Part → ActiontoImaginationFrom
Yui-ting Gigi, Co-creatingFUNG alternative uses of a family farmland
32
Tower (Block V) was certified as a green building. However, its interior is grey and gloomy. A spontaneous ‘green corner’ has appeared in the building over recent years and added a touch of life to it. This ‘green corner’ contains plants grown in recycled media and traditional pots. They are planted by some of the staff of this building, including the often unnoticed cleaning workers. As we learn more about their story and the reasons behind their planting, we ask ourselves: Can we build relationships through potted plants?
In the project, we spread planting knowledge and enthusiasm as we connected a group of people to grow and look after plants. Workshops and small tasks were designed to facilitate the co-planting process, through which participants did not just tend the plants but grew up as individuals. Moreover, participants strengthened their bonds with their families and friends by planting together and broadening their social circle by meeting new faces in the community.
→ 3Part → 33ActiontoImaginationFrom12 CO-GREENATIONChi-lamChilam,SHEK/Hui-chingChloe,TONGNurturingrelationshipsinplantingPolyUspentmillionsofdollarstoensuretheJockeyClubInnovation
34
DON’T SIT, GET FIT
Ka-ho Elthan, CHAN / Kwan-fai Jacky, WONG
13
Well-being projects are getting popular these days. Under pandemics, people are restricted mentally and physically. Therefore, we take body-weight training as a medium to build a workout community in PolyU. By bringing people together through exercises, this project builds connections and interactions between participants. Body-weight training is a charge-free exercise, which can strengthen our muscular flexibility and balance. Through holding several workshops, we met new people, collected their stories, and opened up unexpected social connections. Some examples: collaboration with the street workout coaching team, participants topping our dead-hang challenges, and a student group coming to free their stress every week. People were gathering together for various purposes on the same platform. On the online Instagram platform, our participants share our group training pictures and experiences, the results of challenges, and also our ‘Don’t Sit, Get Fit’ video.
Building a body-weightthroughcommunityworkoutinPolyUtraining
→ 3Part → 35ActiontoImaginationFrom
What is meaningful about organizing this well-being project is that we can drag people back from their working routine to their selves. Starting with many participants’ personal mental and physical health issues, this project extends it to facilitate healthy and quality relationships.
36
Ka-yan Ariel, HO community paper
for a‘Longcommunicationcross-generationalJourney’isalocalcommunity-ledpublication,designedwithco-designmethodtoserveretiredseniorcitizensinCheungShaWan and
JOURNEY
A
The community paper does not just focus on the grassroots concerns of the elderly readers but also aims to facilitate and intensify cross-generational communication. Its content is community-relevant and readable, assisting the readers to familiarize themselves with various social issues and their role concerning them. We hope, with the facilitation of the community paper, that senior citizens will be eager to learn new things and listen to what the youngsters think. On the other hand, they could also transmit their experience, knowledge and stories to the younger generation. The project, therefore, will enable and foster productive and diverse social connections through these dialogues within the neighbourhood.
LONG
Sham Shui Po. The co-design process began by reaching out to the senior citizens and involving them at the beginning of the editorial process.
→ 3Part → 37ActiontoImaginationFrom14
38
Saving for a resourceful Customerscommunitydonotprefertobuyfoods
that will soon expire; most individuals have a negative attitude about them. Expired food frequently leads to further socio-economic and environmental issues, including food waste, disposal at landfills, and the release of methane.
→ 3Part → 39ActiontoImaginationFrom15 FOOD SAVIORS
Cheuk-ying Hera, HO / Yui-chi Eunice, NG
In this project, we used the online platform to disseminate relevant information about soon-to-expire food and market its benefits and value. Moreover, we re-designed a ‘save-food cart’ and interacted with residents in our community weekly. We collected the soon-to-expire food people had accumulated at home and provided a platform where citizens could freely exchange food. We hope that with this intervention, citizens will change their mindset about the soon-to-expire food, become more willing to share the community resources, and transform the meaning and value of food.
40
Designer: Ho-lam Thomas, WONG (@whlthomas_ig)
Social Design Graduation Class (2022)
Man-kwanEditors: Kaka, CHAN / Mei-ying May, FONG / Po-yee Bowie, LEUNG / Chun-kit Kit, TSANG / Wing-hei Yuki, YUNG
Chui-shan Sharon, CHAK / Cheuk-lam Fina, CHAN / Ka-ho Elthan, CHAN / Kei-tung Moon, CHEUNG / Wai-shan Viann, CHEUNG / Yip-pui Anna, CHEUNG / Wing-yan, CHIU / Ho-ying Kelly, CHUNG / Yui-ting Gigi, FUNG / Cheuk-ying Hera HO / Ka-yan Ariel, HO / Yuet-ting Joyce, HUI / Wing-hung Ivan, KAM / Ka-wai Nancy, LAI / Yin-tung Christine, LAI / Wing-hei Heidi, LAU / Lijuan Laris, LIANG / Lai-ting Tracy, LIU / Hoi-shan Eva, LOK / Pui-ki Yvonne, NG / Yui-chi Eunice, NG / Chi-lam Chilam, SHEK / Ka-man Jack, TAI / Hui-ching Chloe, TONG / Lai-sze Stephanie, WAI / Ka-yi Yori, WONG / Kwan-fai Jacky, WONG / Leo, WONG / Tsz-ching Joey, WONG / Lok-yi Antonia, YAN / Tung Nina, YIU
Programme Leaders: Michael, CHAN (2022) / King-chung, SIU (2021)
Special thanks to Caritas: Labour-Friendly Communities Project ( 明愛——基層工友支援工作小組 ) / Concern for Grassroots Livelihood Alliance ( 關注草根生活聯盟 ) / Health in Action ( 醫護行者 ) / Hong Chi Morninghope School, Tuen Mun ( 匡智屯門晨輝學校 ) / Hong Kong Federation of Women’s Centres ( 香港婦女中心協會 ) / Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation (J.C.DISI) ( 賽馬會社會創新設計院 ) / Making On Loft ( 樂在製造 ) / PolyU APSS ( 理工大學應用社會科學系 ) / St. James’ Settlement ( 聖雅各福群會 ) / Esther Lee (sticker illustrator)
32
31
30
North Point, Quarry Bay, and Tai Koo will undergo enormous urban changes in the future. This project aims to lay the groundwork for future engagement with these urban communities. Students studied the local histories of the streets, housing estates, and vernacular businesses; mapped the complex neighbourhood relationships between residents and independent store owners; and identified and curated some socio-cultural themes for the future community tour design. In the process, students experimented with diverse community-led visualisations and storytelling techniques.
→ 07ProjectInterim7 THEMATIC MAPPING FOR COMMUNITY TOURS Subject: Visualising Network, Media and Community (SD3302) Partnership: St. James’ Settlement ( 聖雅各福群會 ) Tutors: Kam-fai, CHAN / King-chung, SIU Students: Sze-wai Moon, CHAN / Tsz-ching Crystal, CHIU / Chung-lam Anson, CHOI / Mei-ying May, FONG / Hing-wan Nicole, FU / Chin-hang Mike, KWAN / Szeyam Cici, LO / Ka-hei Hei, Mok / Wynne Yin-yan, WONG / Pak-kit, YEUNG / Hin-wa Wadee, YU North Point, Quarry Bay, and Tai Koo29
28
27
26
This project reframes the street cleaners’ demands, long disregarded by the current public institutions and policies. Our team extracted three themes of the cleaners’ work conditions, i.e. ‘Un-known ( 不清 ),’ ‘UN-clean ( 不潔 ),’ and ‘UN-fair ( 不公 ),’ after months of observation, conversations, and cocreation experiments with the cleaners’ community. Following a bottom-up, community-led design methodology, this project encouraged citizen creativity along two axes of design activism: ‘tossing cigarette butts’ and ‘researching cleaners’ toolkit’. We hope our creative intervention in public space (playful collection of cigarette butts) and the tool-making research (co-making of cleaners’ DIY tools) will provoke and inform the public’s understanding of the cleaners’ work culture, challenge, and folk creativity.
→ 06ProjectInterim6 CREATIVE CITIZENSHIP Design with cleaners Subject: Creative Citizenship in Practice (SD3303) Partnership: Caritas, Labour-Friendly Communities Project ( 明愛——基層工友支援工作小組 ) Tutors: Chin-wai Luke, CHING / Yi-ying Bow, WU Students: Sze-wai Moon, CHAN / Ka-chung, HO / Simon, LAM / Ho-yin Oscar, LAU / Chung-yin Sam, TANG / Kin-hin Eric, WONG 25
24
23
Socio-material space is a fundamental condition for community formation and the community-led design process. In this project, two student teams investigated how the existing socio-geographic resources and community assets can be re-appropriated and re-used productively. Students visualised the social geography of Sham Shui Po and Cheung Sha Wan, mapped the daily journey of the grassroots, analysed the commonalities shared by disparate stakeholders, and generated some essential criteria for nurturing a mutually caring community, where citizens could encounter each other and take a break.
22
TAKE A BREAK 5 → 05ProjectInterim Subject: Visualising Network, Media and Community (SD3302) Partnership: Take-A-Break Community Space Pilot Programme, ( 社區歇腳點計劃 ) supported by Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation ( 周大福慈善基金 ) / PolyU APSS ( 理工大學應用社會科學系 ) / Hong Kong Federation of Women’s Centres ( 香港婦女中心協會 ) / Concern for Grassroots Livelihood Alliance ( 關注草根生活聯盟 ) Tutors: Kam-fai, CHAN / King-chung, SIU Students: Sin Etta, CHAN / Ho-san Barry, CHEUNG / Hau-yi Kary, HO / Ka-chung, HO / Simon, LAM / Ho-yin Oscar, LAU / Sze-man Elsa, TAM / Chung-yin Sam, TANG / Kin-hin Eric, WONG / Ka-ho Kyle, YEUNG / Wing-hei Yuki, VisualisingYUNG communityurbanspace for social encounters21
20
19
Our project aims to bridge Kuk Po, a partially uninhabited rural area, and the general public outside, including the tourist and the hikers. We started with establishing an interactive platform with different stakeholders in Kuk Po by setting up a co-creation message board area. It provided a contact point for various parties to gather their memories and collaborate constantly. We then classified and re-organized the messages into an exclusive calendar to demonstrate the aesthetic and cultural values of the traditional village. Extracting the themes ‘Light’ and ‘Night’ from the villagers’ stories, we gained further insights into prototyping the oyster shell lamps in co-creation workshops. We expect the co-created oyster shell lamps, together with the stories behind them, would transform the nights of Kuk Po into an opportunity and an entry point for the public to re-imagine and experience Kuk Po.
18
CO-CREATING KUK PO Re-imagining and re-framing the rural stories Subject: Co-creation and Project Proposal Writing (SD4307) Partnership: Research Project Team on Conservation and Revitalisation of Kuk Po (project leader: Michael Chan), supported by Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme ( 鄉郊保育資助計劃 ) 4 Tutors: Brian, LEE / Paddy, NG / Ire, TSUI Students: Man-kwan Kaka, CHAN / Wai-yee Emmy, CHAN / Ka-chung, HO / Po-yee Bowie, LEUNG / Sze-man Elsa, TAM / Nga-lam Jasmine, YEUNG / Wing-hei Yuki, YUNG → 1704ProjectInterim
16
15
The project aims to facilitate better medical assistance for the chronically ill elderly and caretakers by introducing and improving HIA services. Our prototypes include an online drug shopping platform that incorporates drug consultation and a health management application that helps users record and monitor their physical conditions.
This is a participatory co-design project which aims to enhance Health in Action’s (HIA) services by incorporating different design tools in the process. Through holding workshops and observing various stakeholders’ needs and aspirations, we continuously created co-design tools to involve users in the process, aiding us in making prototypes of services that targeted their encountered pain points and needs.
14
3 → 03ProjectInterim HEALTH SERVICE DESIGN FOR THE CHRONICALLY III Subject: Participatory Design and Innovation in an Ageing Society Partnership:(SD3304) Health in Action ( 醫護行者 ) Tutors: Kevin, DENNEY / Aria, YANG Students: Mei-ying May, FONG / Simon, LAM / Wing-yiu Katy, LEUNG / Szeyam Cici, LO / Wynne Yin-yan, WONG / Pak-kit, YEUNG A participatory design for active aging13
12
11
10
Our understanding of the students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) is often fixated on some overgeneralised discourses and images about their needs, weaknesses, and inadequacies. We seldom notice the diversity of their family life, desires, conflicts, lifestyles, and capabilities. In this project, Social Design students formed various teams to study closely SEN students’ daily practices, map in detail their everyday journeys, and explore the richness of their social life via ethnographic storytelling. Instead of reproducing the existing social images of SEN students, Social Design students endeavoured to search for some new, yet-to-explore opportunities to collaborate with them in a creative design process.
09 VISUALISING SEN EVERYDAYSTUDENTS’ PRACTICE → 02ProjectInterim Searching for design opportunities Subject: Visualising Network, Media and Community (SD3302) Partnership: Making On Loft ( 樂在製造 ) / Hong Chi Morninghope School, Tuen Mun ( 匡智屯門晨輝學校 ) Tutors: Kam-fai, CHAN / King-chung, SIU Students: Man-kwan KaKa, CHAN / Shun-hin Alex, CHAN / Wai-yee Emmy, CHAN / Wing-sze Wincy, CHEUNG / Po-yee Bowie, LEUNG / Wing-yiu Katy, LEUNG / Chun-kit Kit, TSANG / Sin-wan Daycee, WONG / Ka-yi Eliz, YAN / Nga-lam Jasmine, YEUNG / Hoi-ching Jasmine, YIP 2
08
07
06
The overuse of smartphones is a common problem among modern people. ‘Don’t be Stiff Neck’ aims to facilitate frequent smartphone users to stretch their necks for their cervical spine health. The project exploits their smartphone use habits as an opportunity without prohibiting them from using smartphones. We designed two Instagram story filters ‘Neck Quiz’ and ‘Nose Drawing,’ which were mini-game challenges targeting people of all ages. The stretching exercises facilitated with the assistance of the filter games would lead to neck relaxation. After playing the games, participants were guided to the Instagram page, where they could find practical information and resources about cervical spine health, such as self-assessment and improvement of neck stiffness.
05 → 01ProjectInterim DON’T BE STIFF NECK Subject: Design for Social and Cultural Business (SD4306) Partnership: Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation (J.C.DISI) ( 賽馬會社會創新設計院 ) Tutors: Yi-yi Debby, CHENG / Albert, TSANG Students: Kei-tung Moon, CHEUNG / Ka-yan Ariel, HO / Hoi-shan Eva, LOK / Yin-tung Christine, LAI 1 Design cervicalforspine health
04
03 → DesignSocialtoyouarecloseHow Contents → Contents Don’t be Stiff Neck → Design for cervical spine health29252117130905 → Visualising urban community space for social encounters → Searching for design opportunities Co-creating Kuk Po Creative ThematicCitizenshipMappingfor Community Tours → Design with cleaners → North Point, Quarry Bay, and Tai Koo Take a Break Health Service Design for the Chronically III → A participatory design for active aging → Re-imagining and re-framing the rural stories Visualising SEN Students’ Everyday Practice4167532→ BBook
Japanese community designer Ryo Yamasaki spends over 10 years studying a community before he comes up with any design solution. Yamasaki states the different stages of ‘Design for Community’ and ‘Design with Community’, and always focuses on originality when developing community design, rather than copying experiences elsewhere.
Through a process of co-creation and co-design, Social Designer thrives on collaboration between diverse partners: scientists, designers, health workers, NGOs, funders, and local communities. The ultimate goal is to let different parties work together to define the problem, develop a design solution in a way they want, and create a sense of belonging which leads to sustainable growth within the community.
Nowadays society often focuses on the blind pursuit of rapid development and production which bring along with more conflicts and waste of resources. In contrast, Social Design emphasises ‘communication’, ‘listening’, and ‘inhabitants as the main body’. Social Designer takes time to build relationship among different stakeholders to develop mutual understanding before they come up with a design idea. In the meantime, designers have to do a lot of experiments to learn from the community and gain experience by trying and prototyping.
02
Michael DisciplineChanLeader, Social Design
The goal of social design is to connect people to build a better community through innovative design solutions which truly meet the needs of end users.
Along the Way to These New Social Conditions
SOCIAL
HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO DESIGN?
→ BBook
BBook
這些「外人」其實是由始至 終最願意付出時間和耐力 去理解街坊的人，幾年來 陪伴街坊走過最無助、最 難捱的路，他們不是外人， 是我們的戰友。 周綺薇 《推土機前種花》 → → → → →
BBook WHO SOCIALIS DESIGNER? → → → → →
這些「外人」其實是由始至 終最願意付出時間和耐力 去理解街坊的人，幾年來 陪伴街坊走過最無助、最 難捱的路，他們不是外人， 是我們的戰友。 周綺薇 《推土機前種花》 →
BBook WHO SOCIALIS DESIGNER? → → → → → HOW→→→ CLOSE TO → DESIGN?SOCIAL→ 64 students. 13 tutors. 22 real-life projects. Many routes. Many orbits. One community. 21 22