The primary purpose of Project 1, Design for International Social Entrepreneurship, was to expose you to some of the tools and thought processes that go into community-centered design, from ethnographic research to benchmarking to building sustainable models for implementation. Working in teams, you attempted to respond to the needs of communities that were far removed from your physical location and way of life in Providence. Due to these limitations, your design concepts (while excellent overall) were inherently speculative and difficult to verify, though it was apparent that all of you constructed sophisticated models of the communities based on your research.
Whereas in the first project you devised plans for conducting field research and user studies, the second major project in this course will focus on designing concepts that are tied to your own direct contact with a local community. You will be expected to demonstrate your ability to develop skills in these social science areas while using them to build deep, original insights into the social issues you are seeking to address. In parallel, you will create many iterations of design sketches and models and discuss them with the entire class as well as small groups in order to maintain a lively, collaborative studio culture. You will benchmark your ideas against similar project precedents and build sustainable business plans that take into the consideration the limitations and opportunities inherent in the financial, cultural and environmental landscape that you are working within. You will work directly with community members and representatives of social organizations in order to incorporate a tight loop of feedback into your design concepts.
You will work hard, have fun and leave this course with something great in your portfolio. That's the goal!
There are two basic project structures to choose from:
1: Consult for an existing social organization
Deliver the design of a new financially self-sustaining product, service or system to an existing social organization based around their mission, needs and preferences.
2: Create a plan for a new social organization
Building on insights you have gained through direct contact with your target community, propose a new social business or non-profit based around a financially self-sustaining product, service or system.
Timeline (more detail TBA)
4/9 : Organization chosen, volunteering begins
4/24 and 4/29: Mid-Crit
5/24 : Final crit
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