MZ Design

Exhibition

The outcome of this project was exhibited in DesignTO 2020:
Design for Health, Wellness, Aging and Inclusion

Location: OCAD University, Great Hall, at 100 McCaul Street, Toronto 

Project Explanation

Safehaven plans to build a new site for the residential need of their 18+ clients. Our team was required to research one of the potential location to determine whether it was a proper location to build the future Safehaven site. Then, we were asked to design for the amenity area in the building to invite people around the community into the building and spend time with the Safehaven residents.

The project is called reversed inclusion because the goal is to encourage the establishment of long term relationship between clients and the surrounding community members by inviting people from the neighborhood to participate in the activities in the Safehaven building, instead of making the residents go out.

Full version: https://issuu.com/3161743/docs/id4_final_storyboard_version

The Challenge

It was a very challenging and complex problem that we faced in this project. The budget and information I could have access to were quite limited. My team tried to think from the clients’ perspective and find the common ground for them to participate in the same activities that are also valuable for the community members. It was not easy because many of our clients are non-verbal and with physical/mental disabilities. We needed to observe and analyze every little detail I can get to understand their thoughts, ability, and preference. We had only two days to shadow their daily routine, interview their caretakers and parents. At the same time, our solution needed to be cost-effective because some of our clients come from low-income families. My team agreed the project time frame and communication cost with the vulnerable groups were the two main constraints we had.

Our Solution

I participated in every part of the design process. We went through many brainstorming and iterative sessions. We had developed many ideas like the “Buddy system”, “one-way adoption”, indoor waterpark activity, and so on. The final concept was one of my initial ideas inspired by the decorated planters on the balcony at one of the Safehaven locations. My approach was to encourage people with more exposure to mother nature, which would relax and heal people from a fast-paced lifestyle and allow Safe Haven clients to feel and be inspired by the power of plants. My design solution used a rooftop garden as the intermediate between Safehaven clients and community members. Safehaven store and kitchen on the side are designed to serve as fundraising facilities that provide safe and affordable meals and grocery products to people in the community and gather funds to cover the operating expense of Safehaven garden. Our proposed system not only fills some of the people’s essential needs physically but also has a profound positive influence on every participant mentally. It is a family-friendly opportunity for young children to participate with their parents and learn to help, understand, and communicate with people with different disabilities at a young age. So that when they grow up, people in society will have a wider acceptance of vulnerable groups.

Finalized Storyboard & Prototype

My Reflection

Our time frame only allowed us to research the potential problem, design, and develop a feasible concept. With more time or a second chance to do it again, we would include a user testing process to check the validation of our design solution and modify the details of our concept with more iterative versions. As a designer, I would love to spend more time living with and observing clients during different activities because it is very important to feel empathy and think in the clients/stakeholder’ shoes to know what works the best to fulfill their potential needs.