Project Type
User Experience Research and Design, Design Strategy, Product Design
Tools
Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Hand Sketching, Rapid Prototyping
Role
Design Strategy, Prototype Testing, Project Management, Visual Design
Team
Bhumika Keswani
Laura Martinez
Sejal Amrutkar
Saina Udayagiri
Tanmayi Deshmukh
Result
Voted in top 3 of all projects
Showcased at the Parsons Benefit 2023
Client Partners
Brief
In the spring of 2023, Parsons School of Design and Common Era, the R&D engine of the Jim Joseph Foundation, invited students from across the college to participate in a design sprint titled: How Do You Belong?
Our goal as designers was to create belonging through objects, experiences and interventions.
We chose to develop a strategy to create a sense of community and reason to feel a sense of safety and belonging in a public space.
Research
Space for intervention: Public Parks
Audience: Individuals New to the City:
Students (domestic and international)
Expats
Temporary residents
Tourists
Solo travelers
Individuals often face feelings of loneliness or disconnection, even when surrounded by others.
Our research helped us narrow down on specific ways to connect with audiences.
From a plethora of brainstormed ideas and concepts we picked few to test in some parks accessible to us around the Parsons Campus.
Prototyping
Tying wishes to a tree carries symbolic meaning, as trees communicate with each other and represent a community grounded in the park. This intervention transforms the tree into a collective art installation, allowing individuals to leave their mark and connect with the community.
Design:
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Using recycled paper notes or scrap waste fabric pieces as the "ribbons" for tying on the branches
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Tying your wish to someone else’s wish
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Installable at multiple places in the same vicinity
Potential Impact:
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Create a sense of belonging within a community, fostering the creation of a new sub-culture
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Re-imagine the relationship people share with nature
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Develop a sense of satisfaction and a reminder to reflect on one's wishes when revisiting them
Zine at the Parson's Benefit
The Project was published in a complied zine which was handed out to all the attendees of the Parsons Benefit '23 to get interested individuals to sponsor some of the projects.
The benefit was attended by guests like model Cara Delevingne, actress Jodie Turner-Smith, Kim Kardashian, designers Dapper Dan, Diane Von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, April Walker, and the Parsons Dean of Fashion
Ben Barry.
It was also an exciting co-incidence to see a similar conceptualized installation at the Marketplace of the Future 2023 Event. The installation was ideated by Parson's students.
The Marketplace of the Future is a showcase of products and services that are bringing that future into the present, Inspired by the 1939 New York World's Fair.
The complete Zine with all projects from the sprint can be accessed here.
