Marketplace Literacy Project: Setting the Scene
Founded by Dr Madhu Viswanathan, the Market Place Literacy Project “aims to engender knowledge and skills, self-confidence and awareness of rights” in its participants. These principles are being taught through 360º video content, putting global students in the shoes of Tanzanians. In the examples shared in the above slider, viewers are put into various scenarios and encouraged to watch the video for both observations – and to use design thinking practice to imagine how their lives might be improved.
Assignment Idea: Walking in Unique Shoes
Description
Human-centered design is the concept of creating through an iterative process that sees designers in conversation with users through the prototyping stage. It relies on direct feedback and a multifaceted testing process to arrive at more nuanced final products.
In our fast-paced modern society, it’s easy for some groups of people to get left behind as processes and products are designed and deployed. While the best solution would always be more nuanced from the very beginning, many firms specialize in bridging the usability divide for all.
For this assignment, you will be putting yourself in the shoes of an inclusive designer to help create products so that they can be used with individuals from all walks of life including different backgrounds and abilities. Your task will be to identify a process or product that may be challenging for a specific set of users. What makes these users unique? What makes the tasks associated with process/product challenging for this group? What training and support would help? How would you make these resources available?
Example
In many underserved communities, residents do not have access to a checking account. However, increasingly, online and in-person businesses rely on digital payments through apps like Venmo for purchases, tips, delivery, etc. Without a bank account to fund these app transactions, many are left out of time-saving conveniences. This cycle wastes time and ends up costing neighbors extra money in our local community, too.
Our proposal: In our local community, the grocery co-op has a community bank model that creates no-cost checking accounts for members. Our team will develop two 360º training videos. The first covers getting to the co-op, approaching the member services desk, enrolling for membership and opening a members’ checking account. The second will cover linking this account with the community’s transit app and then using the app to pay for both train fare as well as checking out a bike share.
Subject Areas
Business (Entrepreneurship), Economics, Education
Deliverables
- creation of an observation or survey tool to help identify usability gaps
- identification of process or product with usability gaps
- identification of group of users with unique needs
- supporting article demonstrating the systemic issues (optional)
- pitch, in written or video format, detailing the problem, audience and proposed solution
- storyboard for 360º video-based training walking users through the solution
- (optional) 360º video training module