M1.1 bewoonder
U&S | C&A | MD&C
What does Eindhoven think of data? In this project my team-mates Aster van Kaam and Sebastiaan Moeradi and I worked together for the municipality of Eindhoven and their project ‘Inzicht Verlicht’ to discover just that. This complex project where we tried to find the balance between talking about data and privacy, empowering citizens and supporting the municipality proved a real challenge – resulting in a retake.
Project
For this project we were approached by Eindhoven municipality to support them in their project ‘Inzicht Verlicht’, where the municipality tries to explore the possibilities of urban data in Eindhoven. We got acces to several datasets around air quality, traffic and sound levels and were asked to enrich this dataset with citizen input. We decided to use the data to help the municipality with forming their vision on urban data.
The end result was a data dashboard for the municipality. Through an introductory workshop civil servants were introduced to the data collected in an intervention in Eindhoven, where citizens were able to give their input on the topic of urban data. In the dashboard the data was presented from several perspectives to guide conversation and inspiration that could be gathered from the data in a rich way to lose as little data and context as possible. The dashboard then helped civil servants with the planning of future urban data projects and the involvement of citizens in them.
Process
In our process we focussed on two things, one being able to communicate properly with the citizens of Eindhoven around the complex topic of data and privacy, the other being able to provide the municipality with useful and inspirational insights to enable vision forming. Important were ethics as data is a sensitive topic which should be communicated and used responsibly.
We used cultural probes, a technique used by designers to gather inspirational data through lighthearted exercises which get you as close to the user as possible. This enabled us to collect data on the topic during an intervention we did on a prominent square in Eindhoven. The probes went though several iterations and user tests and contained topics chosen based on trend analyses.
Retake
After evaluation our work was deemed insufficient by our assessors. It was during our retake where we developed the data dashboard, deepened our literature background and reflected on our process throughout the project.
Doing the retake taught me much about myself as designer and the design process. This was the first time I properly reviewed literature for example, and I found out how the use of simple design tools like a value proposition canvas can support a design process. But I mostly realised my strength to do what I believe in can be a downfall when I stop to really listen to what a client has to say. Finding the right balance in this trait is something that has been in my learning goals ever since.
M 1.1 - Bewoonder
A participatory perspective on data in Eindhoven
Introduction
What does Eindhoven think of data? In this project my team-mates Aster van Kaam and Sebastiaan Moeradi and I worked together for the municipality of Eindhoven and their project ‘Inzicht Verlicht’ to discover just that. This complex project where we tried to find the balance between talking about data and privacy, empowering citizens and supporting the municipality proved a real challenge – resulting in a retake.
Skill development
- Social design: work with a municipality and citizens around a complex topic and develop an intervention for them
- Creativity: adjust design method to fit the project and the development of all visuals
- Data & Computing: working with real data-sets instead of datasets developed for courses
Project
For this project we were approached by Eindhoven municipality to support them in their project ‘Inzicht Verlicht’, where the municipality tries to explore the possibilities for urban data in Eindhoven. We got acces to several datasets around air quality, traffic and sound levels and were asked to enrich this dataset with citizen input. We decided to use the data to help the municipality with forming their vision on urban data.
The end result was a data dashboard for the municipality. Through an introductory workshop civil servants were introduced to the data collected in an intervention in Eindhoven, where citizens were able to give their input on the topic of urban data. In the dashboard the data was presented from several perspectives to guide conversation and inspiration that could be gathered from the data in a rich way to lose as little data and context as possible. The dashboard then helped civil servants with the planning of future urban data projects and the involvement of citizens in them.
Process
In our process we focussed on two things, one being able to communicate properly with the citizens of Eindhoven around the complex topic of data and privacy, the other being able to provide the municipality with useful and inspirational insights to enable vision forming. Important were ethics as data is a sensitive topic which should be communicated and used responsibly.
By using cultural probes, a technique used by designers to gather inspirational data through lighthearted exercises which get you as close to the user as possible, we were able to collect data on the topic during an intervention we did on a prominent square in Eindhoven. The probes went though several iterations and user tests and contained topics chosen based on trend analyses.
Retake
After evaluation our work was deemed insufficient by our assessors. It was during our retake where we developed the data dashboard, deepened our literature background and reflected on our process throughout the project.
Doing the retake taught me much about myself as designer and the design process. This was the first time I properly reviewed literature for example, and I found out how the use of simple design tools like a value proposition canvas can support a design process. But I mostly realised my strength to do what I believe in can be a downfall when I stop to really listen to what a client has to say. Finding the right balance in this trait is something that has been in my learning goals ever since.
