Project Lumos
Introduction
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I spent 12 weeks researching and exploring design concepts which could support the homeless.
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Behavioral prototyping
Concept generation
Insights
Predispositions
User research
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Andi Zhang
Rohini Malpe
Ya-ching Tsao
Design Problem
My challenge was to develop a concept based on Respect.
With my team, I shared my personal experiences delivering food to homeless shelters while I was in high school. We all discovered a common interest in volunteering for the homeless, which became the focus of our project.
Design Space Exploration
To better understand the design space we were in, I led discussions on what we should do, can do, can know, and what forms our design can take.
Should Do
Show respect and inclusivity when designing for the homeless.
Can Do
• Provide a better environment
• Support stakeholders
• Empower the homeless to be independent and self-reliant
Can Know
• Available resources or services
• Charity donations
• Shelter management
• Professional & public needs
Forms
• Digital: games, apps, website
• Community: social networks, events, spaces, environments
• Communication: charity, awareness, education
Illustrated Predispositions
First, I considered the initial assumptions I had about the homeless.
To do this, I photographed scenes around Bloomington, Indiana and described the predispositions I held for each photo.
Homeless sit in front of theater: the media does not cover the plight of the homeless.
Homeless camp out near court house: the government should provide support and resources for the homeless.
Police station values: the police have more important duties than helping the homeless.
User Research
Having identified my assumptions, I then used a variety of secondary and primary research methods to better understand the topic.
Literature Review
I conducted an independent review of current papers on the relationship between technology and the homeless.
Ellie Harmon, Chris Bopp, and Amy Voida. 2017. The Design Fictions of Philanthropic IT: Stuck Between an Imperfect Present and an Impossible Future. In Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '17). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 7015-7028.
Takeaway
Technology offers new ways for organizations and individuals to volunteer and donate.
Christopher A. Le Dantec and W. Keith Edwards. 2008. Designs on Dignity: Perceptions of Technology Among the Homeless. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '08). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 627-636.
Important Quote
“It’s one thing being homeless but it’s another thing. . . disappear [ing] from the face of the earth. And that’s the biggest danger for homeless people. That’s the hardest thing to manage, is when you get disconnected.”
-page 630
Takeaway
Phones are the one thing homeless people don’t want to live without because it is their only means of staying connected to people.
Stakeholder Map
I came up with the idea of using a sunburst chart to plot out the different relationships between stakeholders.
With the team, I identified three main takeaways:
Several stakeholders have a direct relationship with homeless shelters. These are included in the purple circle.
Other stakeholders, such as the police, have a distant connection to the homeless - marked in the grey circle.
Homeless shelters have the most connections with stakeholders.
Exploratory Interview
“All of it can be really isolating, and that leads to hopelessness, which leads to needing that hope restored… There’s not one face to homelessness. We tend to put one face on homelessness or addiction.”
My team and I wanted to learn from someone with experience in dealing with homelessness. I set up and coordinated an interview with Josie, an Outreach Coordinator from an established homeless shelter. The quote above highlights just one of many valuable insights we took away from our interview. Some other takeaways are shared below.
Just because we don’t see the homeless does not mean they aren’t there.
Acknowledging, remembering a name, and forming a relationship means so much more to the homeless than we realize.
Some people leave shelters over pride and because of the rules.
It can be very intimidating to show up at a shelter when just becoming homeless.
Shelters can always use more basic resources and volunteers (money is their biggest need).
Research Insights
After our research, I identified two manageable concepts we wanted to design for.
Relationships
Homeless people would benefit from a stronger, more connected support system. We can use technology and networks to bridge the gap between the homeless and the public.
Resources
Homeless people are often disconnected from public services (police, government, hospitals, etc.). Technology can get more stakeholders involved and help the homeless become more resourceful and self-sufficient.
Concept Sketches
Having analyzed the design space, I was ready to synthesize our insights into potential solutions.
Our team sketched real or fictional ideas which could benefit the homeless. I drew connections between our concepts, built on my team’s different ideas, and challenged us to think outside the box. The breadth of our ideas is captured in the gallery below.
Next, I narrowed down our concepts. We voted on which ideas resonated with us the most.
Here are our top five selections:
Free Space: A community location open for the homeless to congregate, spend time together, and learn new skills.
Staying Connected: A wearable wristband that allows the homeless to connect, share, and record information.
Homeless 101: A high-school class session that teaches students about the homeless.
Pen Pal: A pen pal system that connects a person with a homeless individual so that they may exchange stories.
VR Game: A Sims-like VR game that puts the player in the life of a homeless person.
Below is a slide show of illustrations we drew to depict these scenarios in greater detail.
Free Space
Staying Connected
Homeless 101
Pen Pal
VR Game
Concept Storyboard
I weighed the pros and cons of each idea with the team, which resulted in pursuing the staying connected idea.
We liked that this concept empowered the homeless by giving them a voice. I came up with the idea of a comic strip storyboard (featured below) to play out what this scenario could look like in real life. The comic reads from left to right.
Prototyping
We created prototypes to evaluate our concept.
Behavioral Prototype
To understand how people would behave with our idea, I wrote an interview script for us to ask people questions as they scrolled through the following screens.
Users receive a notification when they get near someone with a wristband.
Swiping right reveals where the individual is on a map along with a route to follow.
Users can also receive an alert if someone with a wristband has an emergency.
As shown in the photo, my teammates and I took turns asking questions and recording responses during our interviews of people in the public.
Users said they were willing to interact with the homeless or help in case of emergencies.
Several users liked that they could know more about the homeless and their status.
Some users had concerns over tracking who they meet and worried about safety and trust.
Prototype Feedback
I reached out to Josie again and asked what she thought of our concept. Her advice was encouraging.
“This could be a life changing idea; however, I think it would be very difficult to maintain and would require staff to manage... if those kinks could be sorted out it could be an amazing option. These alerts could go to a shared source/group network, to the Department Resource Officers, Centerstone, etc. throughout the community. It may alleviate the weight on one organization and help deliver resources to those in need.”
In considering the feedback we received, we decided to redesign our concept with a greater focus on providing resources instead of building relationships between the public and homeless.
Design Solution
To bring this idea to life, I printed a 3D model of the staying connected wristband. As a team, we added features to the design.
The wristband can function as a wearable voice assistant to provide the homeless with local information about shelters and resources. It also has an alert system in case of emergencies.
Lumos
We named our band Lumos after the Harry Potter spell which creates a light, similar to the band’s function as an assistant that guides the way.
Reflection
Thank you for taking time to learn about my experience. While there are limits to what can be accomplished with a class project, I am proud that we created something unique and socially responsible. We thought outside the box and developed a new, physical product idea. In doing so, I learned about a wide variety of design methods. A picture of us after presenting in front of our studio class is featured to the left. I am thankful to share this experience with such a great team!
The reason I want to be a designer is to use my talents to make the world a better place. This project made me realize that sustainability is a design opportunity. I hope I get the chance to design with purpose in my career.