getting (re) organised
Posted: May 31, 2011 Filed under: design, innovation, knowledge, mapping, master of design, process, prototyping | Tags: design, diary, organisation, planning, post-it notes, schedule, semester, timetable 2 Comments »Another semester, another attempt to get organised. I always remember when I was at school, my dad would get on to me for spending all my time making study planners instead of actually studying… with that in mind (sorry dad) I have created my very own scheduler, combining a method I’ve been using for most of this year (the urgent /important quadrant) with a tip I heard from Hazel White yesterday (to do list + must do list – from How to save an hour everyday by Michael Heppell).
I stick all my tasks on mini post it’s at the top of the page then organise them according to importance. I can then decide which ones I must do today (max of 5) and which ones can wait ’til later in the week. The ‘sometime’ sounds vague, but is really important for me – the method I was using before was good for getting all the urgent stuff done, but not so good for future planning and visioning. The ‘done’ box is essential – so I can see all the stuff I’ve done and give myself a pat on the back (or a large glass of wine). Ok, that’s the planner done, now for some work…
ps. if anyone is confused I have been back from Cuba fro a wee while – I’m just slow at writing up my experiences…
workshop planning
Posted: February 17, 2011 Filed under: community, engagement, interviewing, mapping, prototyping | Tags: Dundee, map, memories, Menzieshill Leave a comment »
Stages of planning a workshop I’m holding next week – I’m enjoying the magic whiteboard! I’ll be working with some sheltered housing residents about how they feel about the area, which we’ll be looking at through the lenses of memories and change. Old photos and film, maybe some personal objects – looking at what areas are familiar to them, which places have meaning and why. Plus there will be cake.
trees of knowledge
Posted: September 17, 2010 Filed under: design, ethnography, knowledge, mapping, master of design, process, reflection | Tags: metaphor, Trees, workshop Leave a comment »
On Thursday we were invited to create our very own Tree of knowledge. Tom Inns and Fan Xia led a really interesting session to understand ourselves a bit better and to see where our new classmates interests and influences lie – another process to fast-track the exchange of information.
We were to think of the tree as a metaphor for ourselves – the roots delivering our nourishment and support; the branches representing our main questions, interests and obsessions; leaves for current projects; buds for potential projects and fruit/nut/berries to show the fruits of our labours. I personally loved this exercise.
I felt it gave me the opportunity to get a lot of what I sometimes feel are diverse interests mapped out in one place, and although my tree ended up looking more like some tangled, unruly bush I did feel more focused.
It was great seeing how diverse all the other trees were – you really couldn’t get a better overview of the range of personalities and experiences that our new forest contains! The final stage in the process was pollination – we got to be bees and tagged themes/words/questions that others had in their trees – our points of common interest. This should hopefully lead to much fertile ground and bountiful collaborations!
red flags
Posted: September 9, 2010 Filed under: city, community, cultural probe, mapping, participation | Tags: degree show 2010, Dundee, flags, map, questions Leave a comment »
Wonderful responses to the question “What strengthens community?”. Left by visitors to the 2010 Duncan of Jordanstone degree show. To see more visit the Commun-i-tea facebook page
green flags
Posted: September 9, 2010 Filed under: city, community, cultural probe, mapping, participation | Tags: degree show 2010, Dundee, flags, map, questions Leave a comment »
Here is a taster of some of the flags that were stuck in the map of Dundee at the degree show. I’ve posted the rest on the Commun-i-tea facebook page.
2010 degree show
Posted: July 3, 2010 Filed under: community, cultural probe, design, interventions, mapping, participation, tea | Tags: degree show 2010, drawing, Dundee, engagement, map, tea Leave a comment »
Better late than never – some pictures from my degree show. It was an interactive exhibition with the map being the most popular – I was asking people to flag places in Dundee where you might find community. Some responses: “Nether Inn”, “Granny Lunch fri lunchtime”, “Dens park and Tannadice park, both with long traditions”, “The Parlour”, “Casa Helen and John” – to name a few. I also asked people to highlight what is missing that could strengthen a sense of community. This time folks mentioned outdoor cafe’s, activities for teenagers, police patrols…
I also had my trusty tea trolley and a smaller impromptu tea kit that can attach on to a lamp post for a spontaneous tea-gathering. Getting a real lamp post turned out to be a bit tricky so one had to be cobbled together in the workshop. I also had on display small booklets that I had left around Dundee and people had picked up, filled in and posted back to me. They had been completed beautifully, but unfortunately the ‘Pick me up’ instruction was followed at the degree show too and I lost most of them.
John Thackara
Posted: February 7, 2010 Filed under: city, design, food, mapping, participation, urban agriculture | Tags: complexity, exchange, experiment, In the bubble, John Thackara, share, vision Leave a comment »
Currently reading “In the bubble – designing in a complex world” by John Thackara which I bought after hearing him give a short talk where he spoke about ‘mapping’ areas to find out what was needed before even thinking about designing anything. The book is very much about people and systems rather than objects, where humans are naturally designers and how we can positively vision where we want to be. He has a great blog and is very involved with design around food systems – he says “I’m convinced that every city needs a market place in which people can present grassroots projects, exchange experiences, and involve fellow citizens in ever larger numbers as participants in these experiments.” Very inspiring.
