I attended Austin Center for Design and we spent much of the year using design to address homelessness. We collaborated with organization leaders, case managers, job placement agencies and many individuals currently experiencing homelessness. We went through a process of research, design synthesis, prototyping and testing. My understanding and perceptions surrounding the issue and the power of design were transformed throughout the process. I found that sharing and including individuals in the process increased their understanding of what design is and empowered them to create change on their own in new ways.

 

We started with extensive research and exploration. My team conducted interviews with participatory research activities as well as question/answer scenarios with individuals experiencing homelessness and staff for the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH) and LifeWorks. I spent time volunteering in the computer lab at ARCH to give back to the community and gain insight into their interactions with technology. We reported all our findings back to ARCH in a presentation and collective report picutred above. ARCH is still working with the documents and felt that our insights were valuable. They have changed their intake process and changed their approach to engaging board members and donors. Many students are still actively working with them on various projects.

 

view the posters and report we gave to ARCH, I was responsible for the visual design of these pieces. 

Outreach was an area that really interested me after our initial research and finding. Was there a better way to reach out to individuals that were not involved in formal programs? Could a better set of tools help the case managers and staff that are regularly involved in street outreach? I worked on a concept for an online learning platform for my final project combining my passion for learning and my background working with youth. I partnered with LifeWorks in Austin to develop action plans and we tested it with youth that use their drop-in center. We were amazed with the results. The youth took notes on plans and sent me thankyou emails for a budget plan. Many of the youth left town during our 3 week experiment, but were able to continue participation because it was online. It was exciting and rewarding to work with LifeWorks as they continued to change their view on how they can use technology in the organization and explore new models for learning for the youth.