This is the
final call to the local art, design and architecture community to view the
current exhibition at the FADA Gallery (Bunting Road Campus). The exhibition presents an opportunity
to experience the current design work of academics and senior students from FADA and
GDC; research and development projects that underscore the theme of the
recently hosted Cumulus Johannesburg 2014 Conference, Design with
the other 90%.
The
exhibition closes on Friday 10 October 2014.
Central to the curated
exhibition is FADA’s commitment to address social, cultural and environmental
issues through technology and innovation to improve the quality of life of the
local community.
Exhibition Overview
The Design with the
Other 90% exhibition showcases design for development projects from the
University of Johannesburg's Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture as well as
the from the Greenside Design School. The work selected for this exhibition
deals with the development of a variety of methods that include communities in
the design process. The work includes a mix of student and academics' projects
that demonstrate how this theme is being dealt with at various levels.
The design of products or
systems for developing communities in South Africa has a long history of
imposing solutions without the active participation of the end user in the
design process. This lack of participation has resulted in limited acceptance
of products developed for these communities. Improving the methods of including
end users as co-designers in design for development projects should result in a
greater success rate regarding the acceptance of projects. It is this very
concept that the work at the Design With the Other 90% exhibition attempts to
address: how can end users be included as contributors and decision makers in
design for development projects?
 |
| Delegates from Africa attending Cumulus Johannesburg 2014 Conference. Exhibition Opening. |
Projects on Exhibition
- A wood burning stove designed with the community in HaMakuya, Limpopo
- A multifunctional farming tool for small scale farmers designed with community members in Soweto
- A retained-heat cooker designed with members of the Orange Farm community, 45km south-west of Johannesburg
- Safe candleholders designed with community members in Alexandra, Johannesburg
- Eight Fixpert student projects designed with people living with disabilities around Johannesburg
- A series of low cost hydroponic growing systems designed with community members in HaMakuya, Limpopo
- Posters representing Greenside Design School students' research and design work with communities
- Posters depicting projects related to the DESIS network and the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Johannesburg's Design Society Development group
- Garments designed and manufactured by community members in HaMakuya, Limpopo
- Green Week projects that involved the design of potential business solutions with developing communities associated with the Enactus Group
- Research work investigating parks and playground equipment in the developing areas around the University of Johannesburg's Bunting Road Campus
Navigating the Exhibition
Each exhibit is accompanied
with an information board, similair to this board. The information boards
include a narrative of the project/s and, in most cases, also include the
methodology / design process that was followed. These narratives are intended
to introduce the projects, with more complex detail appearing on the project
posters. The long landscape posters depict the design process in a timeline
format.
Tshulu Stove
Project Overview
The Tshulu Stove has been
developed through direct engagement with community members in the HaMakuya
District, Vhembe Region in Limpopo, South Africa. The stove development
combined a user centred design process with co-design workshops, which were
used as a means of including end users as decision makers in the refinement of
the stove.
The Tshulu Stove is a safe,
efficient and sustainable wood burning stove. Each stove will save an average
household – that cooks two meals a day – 2 500kg of wood a year. The stove will
help reduce deforestation, alleviate issues of respiratory illnesses from open
fire cooking, and reduce the risk of burns that is associated with open fire
use. In laboratory testing conducted at the University of Johannesburg's SeTAR
Centre, the stove has proven to be very efficient. CO/CO2 levels are extremely
low at: 2% for paraffin, 5% for charcoal and 10% for wood (the lower the
percentage, the better the combustion efficiency). The Tshulu Stove performs at
CO/CO2 levels at an average of 3%.
The research and design
process included:
- Preliminary research and observation
- A hundred household energy usage surveys
- An analysis of identified problems
- An analysis of existing technology / precedents and best practice
- Design and development of suitable stove solutions
- Six month field testing of 30 working prototypes
- Laboratory testing for emissions, particles, efficiency and power
- Co-design workshops with field test stove users and a comparison group and the development of an improved stove and delivery of 50 of these to HaMakuya.
Candleholders
Project Overview
The aim of this project was
to conduct research in the Alexandra community and use this information to
develop design solutions for safer candleholders for off-grid developing
communities in South Africa. For this project the students were given the
opportunity to research the specific issues related to developing communities
in the Alexandra Township. Through interviews, observational studies and a
research questionnaire they gained an understanding of the specific community's
needs, their circumstances and environmental factors that were to influence the
outcome of their design solutions. The project included the end user through
the research and development phases as an integral portion of the design
process. Through the inclusion of the intended users in the product design
process, it is possible for designers to develop products which target and
satisfy the personal needs and requirements of the intended users.
The project team included
University of Johannesburg students and staff from the Department of Industrial
Design, the Manufacture Research Centre (MRC), the Sustainable Energy
Technology and Research Centre (SeTAR), the Department of Interior Design, as
well as representatives from the Alexandra based NPO Tshwarisanang Environmental
Safety Mentors (TEPRASM). The collaboration of research groups, university
departments and NPO's allows for the successful and effective development of
innovative solutions which can better the living environment in South African
townships, as well as provide employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for
the residents within these settlements with regards to the manufacturing of
these solutions.
HaMakuya Garment Project
Project Overview
The basis of this work is a
development project based in the HaMakuya District, Vhembe Region in Limpopo,
South Africa. This project involved a group of local women in the development
of a sewing co-operative. The opportunity was advertised around the community
and interested parties completed an entrance test. The successful candidates
formed part of the team that was involved in the development of the sewing
co-operative. The women, through the co-operative, manufactured and sold
fashion and homeware items made from a traditional Venda material called nwenda.
The development project occurred over a period of 18 months (between May 2012 –
September 2013), during which the women were trained to manufacture products
and operate the co-operative as a business. The training process was inspired
by the action research approach of Participatory Action Research (PAR), which
employs the iterative and regenerative methodology of a spiral. In terms of
training, this methodology entailed different stages of action and reflection
on the training process. The approach of action and reflection fostered equal
participation and enabled the women and the researcher to establish how
training could be improved with the progression of the stages. In the final
stage, the women applied the acquired skills to design and manufacture outfits
that were modelled and showcased by them in a fashion show.
This project incorporated an
action and reflection in each stage of the design process, with the local women
acting as co-participants. The reflections were driven by group discussions
between the researcher, the designer/trainer and the co-participants in order
to address ways in which training could be improved upon through the various
stages. The data from the group discussions was digitally recorded and/or
documented in written form. These discussions were facilitated by a translator.
The skills training was
supported by arts-based methods, such as photograph documentation and
role-play. The women were encouraged to use a camera to document the sewing
process. The photographs were then utilised as references for the women to
learn how to sew independently. Role-play was used by the women to organise and
plan their interaction with potential customers. Role-play afforded the women
the chance to build their confidence in order to interact with English speaking
customers. This is significant, since the women's limited understanding of
English presented a challenging experience when interacting with
English-speaking customers.
The business training was
adapted into a process of financial management. The women were trained to use a
trial balance (for recording expenses and sales), a receipt book (for immediate
sales) and a frequency polygon graph (monthly accumulated sales).
The Most Significant Change
(MSC), a technique that uses storytelling, was used to evaluate the training
intervention. Through this technique the women described a moment during the
process when they noticed a positive change. This 'story' was probed with a
question. The women would then explain why this moment was significant to them.
MSC falls within the principle of Appreciative Inquiry, which is implemented in
organisations to determine, and reinforce, the strengths of an organisation.
Through MSC the women were able to communicate the strengths of the training
and by continuing with this process of communicating the initiative will be
able to grow.
Hydroponics
This research project
involved the development and testing of small-scale agricultural system
components that rely on passive sub-surface irrigation that suits both
hydroponic and conventional growing methods, for people living in the HaMakuya
District, Vhembe Region in Limpopo, South Africa. The design methodology
utilised is that of user centred design, which includes the intended users in
as much of the design process as possible, thus maximising the probability of
product acceptance and success. This process follows a cyclic pattern of design
development, followed by implementation and user feedback. Cycles are repeated
as many times as is needed, which results in the design being refined to a
point where it is suitable to manufacture. This project is on-going, and
preparations are underway for the implementation of test prototypes in the
research area. Through the undertaking of a project of this nature, logistical
and financial implications start becoming apparent since many of the areas in
which there is a dire need for agricultural development are far removed from
the areas where the facilities are available to develop these solutions. This
research aims to evaluate the process of undertaking a user centred design
process with regards to important considerations around the necessary
partnerships required between educational institutions, intended end users,
suitable NGO's and community representatives.
This information has been
presented as part of a conference presentation at the 2014 South African
Society for Agricultural Extension: "The Role Of The Professional
Extensionist In Sustainable Agricultural Development”.
Methodology
This project followed a User
Centered Design (UCD) approach. This involved a systematic process which
started with identifying a need observed during field research trips in
Hamakuya. The design process started with the conceptual ideation of solutions
which were then developed through design sketching, experimentation,
model-making, prototyping and assessment of prototypes. Since the products were
developed for intended users, the requirements of these users had to be
explored and identified. For this reason, a UCD approach was utilised, which
includes intended users in as much of the design process as possible, thus
maximising the probability of product acceptance and success. Designing
meaningful and innovative solutions that serves the intended users begins with
understanding their needs, hopes and aspirations for the future, and following
qualitative research methods that allow the designer to develop empathy for
people for whom they are designing (IDEO, 2011:41).
Retained-Heat Cooker
Project Overview
This study investigated the
user's perspective with reference to the regular use of a commercial, fabric
retained heat cooker in low-income communities in a South African context. The
research started with a focus group session, which enabled both the researcher
and members of the identified community to participate in the improvement of an
existing retained heat cooker. The commercially available retained heat cooker
was sold in underserved low-income communities without the participation of the
end-user.
Participants were able to
selectively customise their prototypes, which brought about a sense of
ownership and pride that was not evident in their use of existing retained heat
cookers. Participants indicated personal interest in creating their own
retained heat cookers from the experience that they acquired during the
research process. As a result of this experience, the participants believed
that they could manufacture their own retained heat cookers to sell within
their community, which could provide them with an income. A further and more
important result was the ability to save energy (and money) in terms of the
fuel required to complete the cooking process. By encouraging the use of
energy-efficient retained heat cookers, low-income communities could directly
benefit from spending less on fuel costs and more on other essentials.
Methodology
Participatory action research
and user centred design were chosen as the methodologies for this study. The
history of retained heat cookers was reflected upon when considering the use of
insulation materials and alternative fabric improvements. Methods of
manufacture, material costs, and usage were considered as critical elements of
the design process, as well as the skill level of the intended users. Participants
indicated their personal interest in the design and development of the
prototype. As such, they were involved in the design process; from the focus
group discussion, where their perceptions were elicited, right through to the
testing of the final prototype. A final workshop allowed participants to
provide feedback of their experiences of using the prototype retained heat
cooker, which identified both their responsiveness as well as the last stage of
reflexivity to the end result.
Multifunctional Hoe-Tool
Project Overview
“We don't need a tractor if
we have hoes…” Christina Gogo (small-scale farmer, Johannesburg)
Food insecurity manifests
itself in many forms and has a dramatic impact on the wellbeing of people.
Local food systems are crucial in reducing vulnerability and improving food
security. However, often the tools used by local small-scale farmers are not
appropriate or have overlapping functions. The intention of the multifunctional
hoe-tool was to reduce the number of tools that would typically be given to a
small-scale farmer by combining the most essential functions into a single
multifunctional tool. The farming hoe was chosen as a base tool since it is one
of the most extensively used farming tools in Africa and is already used to perform
many functions. The aim was not only to reintroduce the farming hoe into urban
farming contexts (where it had declined in use mostly due to limited
availability), but also improve its design and add functions. The
multifunctional hoe-tool improved on the standard hoe-tool by having a
detachable blade, which could easily be replaced, and allowing the blade's
orientation to be changed so it could function as a spade. The development of
the multifunctional hoe-tool formed part of a Master's study which looked at
the design intervention of a Household Farming Kit (HFK). A number of prototype
iterations, tested by farmers, were made in order to refine the design in real
life conditions. Further refinement and development (additional attachments etc.)
for larger scale testing is currently in progress.
Fixperts
Project Overview
“Fixperts is about promoting
creative and social values through design. Communicators and designers work
together to create projects that demonstrate the use of imagination and skills through
fixing. Fixing projects are captured in mini documentaries introducing the
people and the story of the process.” (www.fixperts.org)
For the Product Design 3
module, the 3rd Year Industrial Design students were required to complete a
Fixperts group project. This project aimed to develop the students' ability to
find a problem and problem solve by designing a specific solution for an
individual living with a disability. The project was intended to be a very
practical introduction to user / human centred design. The students were
divided into groups of two or three and the outcome was to supply the
Fixpartner with a resolved product for their everyday use. While identifying a
problem, the students were asked to be mindful not to aim for the simplest problem,
but to discuss the various problems experienced by the Fixpartner, and to make
a real and lasting improvement in this person's life. The students were
required to document the process followed in this project by making a three
minute documentary to be uploaded on the Fixpert website. This exhibition of
work shows the product results and documentaries made by the eight groups over
the duration of the four-week project.
“We want everyone in the
world to feel that they can fix stuff and solve problems. We believe that the
design process applied to small fixing challenges has the potential to give
people the insight and confidence to find solutions for themselves and others.”
(www.fixperts.org)
Methodology
The sequence shown below
depicts the requirements for the Fixfilm documentary and summarises the design
process. Throughout the process there is a particular emphasis on acknowledging
the equally important roles between Fixpartner and Fixperts. The Fixfilms
concentrate on human connection and should reflect and offer insight into the
design process to create everyday solutions.
Green Week
Project Overview
Green Week 2014 was launched
on Friday, 21 February 2014 at 14:00. The topic was “Community Matters”. This
year the project focused on participatory and human centered design, with a
focus on Community Engagement in service learning. It was a Green Week of many
firsts, including the introduction new strategic partners: the Faculty of
Management and UJ Enactus, an international organization for students,
academics and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial
action to enable progress around the world. With the help of Joyce Sibeko, from
UJ Enactus and the Faculty of Management, and her team of assistants, 14
co-operatives and small businesses from areas such as Soweto, Orange Farm and
Alexandra were identified for students to work with during Green Week.
The 30 Green Week Groups
comprised of 10-11 students from the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture
and 2-3 third year students from the Faculty of Management. The groups were
introduced to a member from an entrepreneurial co-operative. Students had to
interview this representative on challenges and issues faced by their small
business. Based on these interviews, site visits and a research folder provided
by Enactus, a needs analysis was made to identify existing issues within the
co-op. Groups had to apply a range of design methods, processes and techniques
competently to create a creative presentation of their design solution, as well
as an executive summary of a business plan from the Business Management
members.
After the deadline the top
projects were identified by judges from both faculties. The top 3 groups had a
variety of innovative projects:
– Group 19, in third place, designed marketing and branding materials
for a clothing manufacturer, Mnkhosezwe Trading cooperative, as well as a bag
design, to apply to material they had purchased but had not been able to use.
They also included a business strategy to help Mnkhosezwe get out of debt, with
the help of their bag design.
–
Group 11, in second place, designed branding and marketing
materials, packaging and a fully functional website, for Home Hatched Poultry
farmers. The group also worked out a new business strategy to get community
members involved by starting their own home based chicken farms. Group 11 also
designed a solid, but foldable, chicken coop as part of this chicken farming
'starter kit'.
–
Group 27, in first place, rebranded Disciples Village Bakery to
Wake 'e Bakee to give the business a more fun, lively feel. They also designed
a start-up kit for new bakers consisting of an apron, tray and trolley for
distribution. On top of this they designed inexpensive packaging that can be
re-used for a different function and is eco-friendly. They also created a
website and a Facebook page.
Whilst these were the top 3
projects there were many more innovative, high-quality and informed ideas,
including a bio-degradable coffin, safety gear for recycling trolleys and a
transportable herb market.
After the handover, UJ
Enactus implemented the majority of the
concepts within the 14 cooperatives that participated, and helped obtain
funding to make these innovative design solutions a reality. Top projects were presented
at the Enactus national competitions, where it got fourth place nationally.
Design Society Development
Project Overview
Design for Social Development
began in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of
Johannesburg as an informal reading group of likeminded researchers and
academics in 2011. Formally accepted as a Design for Social Innovation and
Sustainability (DESIS) Lab in 2014, and renamed Design Society Development
(DSD), it has become a multi-disciplinary community of practice that seeks to
better understand how design can best serve the emerging needs of broader
society, specifically in the face of staggering inequality and rapid change in
Gauteng, South Africa. The DSD DESIS Lab includes participants from design, the
social sciences, economics and art. Activities undertaken within the auspices
of the lab include practice, research activities and information dissemination.
The DSD DESIS Lab meets
monthly to interrogate research, projects, methods and products that impact on
the intersection and interplay between design, society and development in our
specific context. We understand design as referring to the conscious choices we
make in creating systems (community, society and productive systems) and
technologies (products, artefacts, communicative technologies, systems
integration); society as the human context that includes the broader social
systems of culture, economy, politics and environment; and development as the
discourse and practice of positive and considered change. We draw on critical
political economy, social sciences, appropriate technology development,
participatory and human-centred design, and other design approaches in our
practice and research. The selection of posters shown in this exhibition
explores projects undertaken by members of the DSD DESIS Lab that reflect these
values and intentions.
10% Design Initiative
The work presented by GDC
students stems from a multi-level and multidisciplinary design initiative that
sees students applying their design skills for the benefit of a community or
cause. The projects cover a wide range of outputs including interior designs
for schools, composters for permaculture gardens, interactive games for
children with Autism, and awareness campaigns for mental health. The initiative
has received significant interest both locally and abroad, and received the
international Design for All Award.
10% Design Overview
The 10 Percent initiative sees
10% of the Greenside Design Center College of Design's (GDC) annual notional
teaching and learning time devoted to community-based design intervention
projects. This translates into the college 'donating' four weeks of formal
curricula to community development projects. During this time, class structures
are disbanded and replaced by inter-level and interdisciplinary design teams
representing a mix of expertise, experience, cultural and linguistic
backgrounds. Each team works collaboratively to explore a given community's
need and the role design can play to respond to that need. The projects vary
enormously, from designing information graphics to educate people in informal
settlements about the proper care of animals, to designing affordable and
easy-to-assemble shops for Spaza Shop owners. The 10Percent initiative speaks to
the imperative on South African Higher Education Institutions to include
community engagement as a core responsibility, and has received international
acclaim including:
- Awarded the Design For All Award from the International Federation of Interior Designers/Architects
- Endorsed by the Philadelphia University and the Royall Melbourne Institute of Technology
- Selected as the focus of the 2014 international Cumulus Conference to be hosted by Greenside Design Center (Cumulus is an international association of universities and colleges of Art, Design and Media)
GDC Overview
Greenside Design Center
College of Design (GDC) is a private higher education institution in South
Africa offering BA and BA Honours Degrees in Interior, Graphic and Multimedia
Design. With Community Engagement and Socially Responsibility at the core of
their identity, the intention of 10Percent initiative is to see societies
benefit while students learn about applying their design skills in the real
world.
Playground Equipment
Project Overview
All authors writing on
childhood development concur on the benefits of play for healthy development,
with specific importance placed on outdoor play. However, research has shown
that the traditional forms of playground and play equipment design, which prevail
in the majority of public parks surveyed for this study, do not adequately meet
the developmental needs of children. Equally these traditional playgrounds are
proving to be unsustainable due to high levels of theft and vandalism.
Research was conducted over a
period of five years, on a sampling of playgrounds situated in public open
spaces, ranging from small pocket 'parks' to large destination parks in order
to establish: space utilisation and layout, the type of play equipment and
subsequent play opportunities provided for children, the general condition of
the playground equipment in relation to vandalism and maintenance, and other
facilities available on the sites.
These playgrounds, which are
owned and maintained by the City of Johannesburg, are located in some of the
rapidly densifying older suburbs of Johannesburg immediately bordering on the
inner city. As the process of
urbanisation results in increased population densities and extended land usage,
the need to maintain and provide sustainable public open spaces within future
and existing urban developments will become more critical.
Therefore the aim of the
research was to establish strategies for alternative design solutions for
public playgrounds that holistically meet the developmental needs of children,
and which would in turn contribute towards the sustainability of public open
spaces.
Methodolgy
Step 1.
Data collection: Documentation of sites from personal
observation and digital recordings.
Step 2.
Theoretical positioning: Literature
review of childhood development theory, urbanization, densification and spatial
development studies.
Step 3.
Contextualising: Defining the
current social, economic and environmental context.
Step 4.
Interpretation of the
research findings.
Step 5.
Establishing the design
constraints.
Step 6.
Design development as a
problem-solution.
Step 7.
Prototyping and testing
(still to be completed)
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