Lessons learning about how to teach & run civic design projects

As our teaching team reflected near the end of our class, we pulled out some lessons.

For example, we need to give all student teams the right physical materials in a ‘prototyping kit’ to allow them to easily deploy prototypes-tests in public spaces:

Physical Kit key ingredients

  • Folding Table (thought not if team has to go to multiple locations without a car)
  • Easel
  • Whiteboards
  • Posterboard
  • Clipboard
  • Sharpies, Pens, Stickers

Making plans for the design process

To make sure that teams were ready for prototype-tests in the field, here’s what we heard about what we need…

  • Location Prep & Partner Prep
  • Backup Plans: No People, Low Engagement
  • Funnel Plans: Getting More Info & Signups
  • Harms & Risks Plans: What Could Go Wrong, Could Prototype lead to hurting, What if there’s Awkward Interaction, What if there’s political

Leave a Comment