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Local ecological action group

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Action for the River Kennet is the Rivers Trust for the Kennet Catchment.

In response to the current COVID-19 situation we have suspended practical volunteering activities and our staff are working from home.

The River Kennet is one of England's most important chalk streams. Some 45 miles long, it is the largest tributary of the Thames and in summer months contributes up to half its flow.

It runs through the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Beauty and passes by some of Britain's most important prehistoric sites, including the World Heritage Site of stone circles and avenue at Avebury and Silbury Hill, before flowing through Marlborough, Hungerford, Newbury and Reading, where it joins the River Thames. The Kennet has numerous tributaries including the rivers Lambourn, Enborne, Og and Foudry Brook.

You can support us by making a donation here.

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Action for the River Kennet is the Rivers Trust for the Kennet Catchment. In response to the current COVID-19 situation we have suspended practical volunteering activities and our staff are working from home. The River Kennet is one of England's most important chalk streams. Some 45 miles long, it is the largest tributary of the Thames and in summer months contributes up to half its flow.

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A large-scale design intervention named Staircase of Dreams has animated the steps of Waltham Forest College in Walthamstow, east London. It is the result of a collaboration between artist and designer The Fandangoe Kid and students of the further education school, and aims to highlight the youth response to current politics.

Together, a series of activist slogans and bright colour blocks was chosen to cover the entrance staircase leading to the portico of the neoclassical college building, built in 1938 as South West Essex Technical College. Developed through Zoom workshops over lockdown, the work aims to promote a spirit of solidarity, unity and hope.

'I can't remember a time when engaging in politics felt more important,' says The Fandangoe Kid. 'The piece is about gathering young people's voices, speaking out and pushing change forward. Every young person I have worked with to develop the narrative for this piece has said that there is no longer a place for apathy when it comes to politics, we have to push change forward together now and 2020 has been exemplary of this - things are urgent; we can't afford to stay silent, any of us.'

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'Staircase of Dreams' unveiled in east London by The Fandangoe Kid and local students | ICON Magazine

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A large-scale design intervention named Staircase of Dreams has animated the steps of Waltham Forest College in Walthamstow, east London. It is the result of a collaboration between artist and designer The Fandangoe Kid and students of the further education school, and aims to highlight the youth response to current politics.

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A bus station as bus stations ought to be

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A bus station as bus stations ought to be

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The Vilkaviškis Bus Station by Balčytis Studija blends transport infrastructure with playful public space

Words by Francesca Perry

Lithuanian practice Balčytis Studija has completed a new bus station in Vilkaviškis, a small city in the south-west of the country.

Situated across from the Vilkaviškis Cultural Centre, the new 11,300 sq m station project was designed to function both as an efficient piece of transport infrastructure and as a welcoming social hub. The triangular site hosts an aluminium-clad 3,300 sq m building with cafes, shops and services as well as sheltered public realm and open-air landscaped green space.

Such extensive, accessible open space enables a variety of public activities to take place on the site, including markets and concerts, as well as everyday recreational use.

Having a close relationship to nature was an important principle underlying Balčytis' approach. Instead of removing the trees that were on the plot before development, the design incorporated them, where they punctuate the sheltered public space.

The trees rise through large holes cut into the concrete roof to accommodate them, creating a playful design language echoed by circular soil beds below. These openings also create shifting patterns of sunlight throughout the day. The concrete roof is held up by slender white-painted metal pillars, maintaining an open flow of space.

Minimal and low-lying, the project resembles more a modernist pavilion than a busy station. Slender red letters on the roofline elegantly announce its presence. For all these thoughtful and public-focused design touches, the bus station has been nominated for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award 2022.
Photography by Norbert Tukaj
Tagged as Infrastructure, Lithuania, Mies van der Rohe Award, Public Space, Transport

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Lithuanian bus station designed as tree-filled social hub | ICON Magazine

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Words by Francesca Perry Lithuanian practice Balčytis Studija has completed a new bus station in Vilkaviškis, a small city in the south-west of the country. Situated across from the Vilkaviškis Cultural Centre, the new 11,300 sq m station project was designed to function both as an efficient piece of transport infrastructure and as a welcoming social hub.

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Buy a coffee for the homeless

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how do I suspend a coffee?

Just follow these 3 simple steps to suspend a coffee for someone who needs it.

walk into a supporting coffee shop

instead of buying just one cup of coffee, you buy two or more

barista then logs the second coffee as 'suspended', and it can be redeemed at any time by someone who needs it

other questions

This one is a win-win! Your money is going straight into your community; not only are you supporting someone in need, you're also supporting a local business.

Yes! Most supporting cafés are happy for you to suspend anything that's on the menu. Alternatively, you can donate the money for the business owner to share at their discretion.

Anyone in need. It can be for the homeless person you pass every day on the street, a stressed student in the middle of exams, a single mother of four children who can't afford coffee in this month's grocery shopping. It may be a well-dressed businessman; you may not think from appearances that he's in need but he may be in his third month of job hunting. It's not up to us to judge - if someone asks, then they're in need - no résumé required.

it's about more than the coffee

The way the Suspended Coffees fund is used is up to the local business owner; our only stipulation is that it must be used to share and promote kindness within the community.

join us

Please fill in the form to join the Suspended Coffees movement, and we will process your application within a few days.
Only owners or authorized employees may fill out this form to enroll a business.

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Just follow these 3 simple steps to suspend a coffee for someone who needs it. walk into a supporting coffee shop instead of buying just one cup of coffee, you buy two or more barista then logs the second coffee as 'suspended', and it can be redeemed at any time by someone who needs it This one is a win-win!

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2d and 3d work

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Have you ever faced an annoying everyday problem and thought to yourself: "Why doesn't anyone come up with a solution for this?" Well, someone might already have! This list of unique and interesting designs and inventions solve problems you might not even know you had.

From fancy traffic lights to in-taxi video games, this list compiled by Bored Panda shows just what a brilliant mind can come up with to make life easier for all of us. Check out the pictures below - you never know, maybe a solution to your everyday problem already exists? And if you're interested in more interesting design ideas, check out our other post about genius elevator designs.

#1 Wash Your Hands And Reuse The Water For Your Next Flush

Image source: amazon.com

#2 Free Coffee In Exchange For Some Rubbish

Image source: awkwardlondoner

#3 These Traffic Lights In Ukraine

Image source: kfinny99

#4 The Design Of This Water Fountain Lets The Water Flow Down So Dogs Can Drink Too

Image source: rubenmleon

#5 This Sign Is 100% Necessary

Image source: reddit.com

#6 My New Desk's Parts Came Separated By Steps Instead Of By Item

Image source: SandyDFS

#7 Mountain Finder Device In Switzerland

Image source: reddit.com

#8 Accessibility Matt On The Beach For Wheelchairs And Strollers

Image source: canadianvintage

#9 This Toothpaste Describes Both Its Ingredients And Their Purpose

Image source: TheLonelyCaricature

#10 This Elevator Has A Call Button 30 Feet Away So The Doors Will Be Open By The Time You Get To Them

Image source: lukeallen1

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25+ Genius Ideas That Solve The Most Annoying Everyday Problems | DeMilked

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Have you ever faced an annoying everyday problem and thought to yourself: "Why doesn't anyone come up with a solution for this?" Well, someone might already have! This list of unique and interesting designs and inventions solve problems you might not even know you had.

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small-scale design

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For 150 years, a space three times the size of Disneyland has sat, seemingly desolate, in the heart of London. Generally considered as 'off-limits' by locals, the Walthamstow reservoirs instilled a 'keep out' culture through their defensive exterior of high fencing and cautionary signage.

That was until Walthamstow Wetlands opened to the public in October 2017. Located in north-east London between Blackhorse Road and Tottenham Hale, its design is the product of a £10.6 million project and is formed of 10 operational reservoirs and spans an area of over 200 hectares.

What's now often hailed as 'Europe's largest urban nature reserve' was a collaboration between the London Wildlife Trust, Thames Water and Waltham Forest Council, who partnered with Kinnear Landscape Architects (KLA) and Witherford Watson Mann Architects.

Today, the Wetlands run hundreds of programmes throughout the year and remains a fully operational Thames Water reservoir site, supplying 3.5 million people with clean drinking water every day. The space is also a haven for wildlife with particular ecological importance. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as well as a RAMSAR site, it is home to both regular and rare wildlife.

The ultimate focus of the project was a place that would truly work for the people - and wildlife - using it. For Lynn Kinnear, lead architect at KLA, the aim was simple: "How do you make people feel that they can use the space in the way that they want to use it? We didn't want to put up barriers to anyone. We wanted it to feel like it was for them."

Having brought together experts as well as local community stakeholders in the planning process, Walthamstow Wetlands is a place that fosters a special sense of community and is improving the health and wellbeing of those that have discovered its treasures.

"Coming here is about growth for him and self-nurture for me."

Every Monday, Natalie brings her four-and-a-half year old son Ragnar to Under 5s Forest School at Walthamstow Wetlands. As part of the informal family learning programme, Ragnar spends two hours with other children exploring the outdoors, which can involve anything from building dens to arts and crafts with wood. And while Ragnar is occupied, Natalie finds time to practise her mindfulness.

"It's such a nice little oasis. I have my own time, just something that's for me. I've had depression in the past, and it always makes me feel better to be immersed in nature. It's a really good antidote to the daily life of London, I just feel calmer."

This is an environment that allows people to connect to it in a way that works for them. For Ragnar, it's about being surrounded by rich and intriguing wildlife. He can identify robins and kingfishers, and is beginning to understand nature in terms of his own humanity.

"When he plays I can hear the influences of the natural environment" says Natalie. "Ragnar has a gentle approach. If he sees insects he won't squash them, he'll think about them having a family and their own lifecycle."

Thanks to regular visits to the wetlands, Ragnar is learning the value of respecting and protecting the natural world from a young age. Natalie feels as though it's incredibly "important [for him] to have a space to understand nature," especially growing up in a city, and contemplates the long-lasting impact of this experience.

"I hope he'll always have the memory of this space, and keep that wherever he goes. Hopefully it'll encourage him to keep telling his friends why nature is important."

Ragnar's freedom of exploration in the Wetlands is actually incredibly carefully planned and designed. The process, led by KLA, combined surveys of the site with studies of the wider Lea Valley and its protected habitats, providing crucial information about how to protect, improve and strengthen wildlife habitats. The need to balance a surge in visitor numbers with the surrounding habitat resulted in the architects' creation of the 'green core'. The Forest School and all programmes run by the centre are based in this 'core', absorbing the 415,000 visitors per year, and minimising disturbance on the outlying reservoirs with more sensitive wildlife.

Like Ragnar, Dan can spot robins and kingfishers. He can also identify a reed warbler from its birdsong, accurately guess the number of moulting tufted ducks there are in the Wetlands, and expertly tag a goose on first attempt.

"Birdwatching has always been a passion. As a child I was really into nature. For birthday presents I would ask for trees to be planted in the garden instead of toys to play with."

He is also one of the lucky few who knew about permitted access to the Wetlands before they opened to the public. Prior to 2017, the Wetlands was a collection of 10 Victorian reservoirs in the Lea Valley, built towards the end of the 19th century to meet London's growing demand for clean water. Understandably, it was always viewed as an operational site, and to many locals was considered a wasteland. Only a handful of avid birdwatchers and keen anglers knew that you could buy a permit to enter the site for £1.

Dan lives on the borders of the Wetlands, having grown up in Walthamstow. He's been coming to the space for over six years, and now works part time for the London Wildlife Trust having just finished a degree in ecology and wildlife conservation.

"Every day is in some ways new. A new person who hasn't heard of or seen something before, or a new species that turns up. That's the great thing about working in nature, everything is new - although it's a cycle there are always slight changes to that cycle."

Dan has witnessed the space through the change over the past few years. "The ground layer of habitat was here" he says, the designers have "just added to it and improved it".

"I don't think there was any intention to come here and redesign the place, because its beauty and wonder was always here, it just needed a bit of sprucing up." And that certainly echoes the design team's specific intention to 'respond to' rather than 'impose' character on the site.

One way the design has enhanced the landscape is through the planting of new reed beds to encourage breeding birds and alleviate any impact that public access might have on bird numbers. And it seems to be working:

"In the first four months of opening there were five new species of birds." says Dan. "The reed beds within the first year were full of reed warblers, water rails, reed buntings. So many new birds that haven't been seen here before."

Things may have changed for the wildlife at the Wetlands, but Dan's feelings about the space haven't.

"Even though it's open to the public, there are still spaces where you can go and feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. It makes me feel relaxed coming here. If it's pouring down with rain or a beautiful day like today."

"The wetlands are a real haven for me. Coming here just makes me feel more positive again, even if it's pouring with rain it feels peaceful."

Like Dan, for Mary the charm of the Wetlands outshines the weather. She feels an affinity with nature and outdoor space having grown up in South Africa. And reconnecting with this part of her childhood has allowed her to begin to overcome some of the physical and mental health conditions that she's been battling over the past 10 years.

"I just saw a dragonfly and thought about how much time they spend underwater, around seven years, before they emerge and fly. That kind of thing reminds me how things take time. It makes me realise that eventually I'll emerge."

After being diagnosed with thyroid cancer towards the end of 2017, Macmillan referred Mary through social prescription to the Waltham Forest Adult Learning Service. This service uses the Wetlands as a space for a host of workshops and activities which take a holistic approach to health and wellbeing.

Mary took part in an arts and crafts programme where they worked with ink, paint, clay and collage. "It was really therapeutic to sit alongside people concentrating. The collaboration [between Walthamstow Wetlands and the adult learning service] that allowed us to do art here was so different from a stuffy classroom. It was liberating. The team were amazing, they helped me through a dark time."

A large number of workshops and programmes run at the Wetlands take place in the main visitor centre, the old disused Engine House. This historic building was painstakingly renovated by architects Witherford Watson Mann, preserving the industrial aesthetic by using simple materials like timber, concrete and steel. And this continuity of detail is present within both the buildings and the landscape, creating 'one cohesive experience' throughout the site.

"I feel like I'm not just visiting, I'm part of it. They've managed to create a nice feeling with the pathways - making it feel natural. It's designed to take you on a journey without you noticing how carefully it's been curated... it's beautiful." Indeed, one single ribbon of concrete connects the whole site, linking the 'green core' to the entrances and creating a truly integrated landscape and architecture.

"I think this space is absolutely fundamental to the health of the people around here. You can see the flats coming closer all around but to have this space in the midst of it will, I think, be lifesaving."

"It's so special being in the middle of a metropolis and yet you've got all this around you. It refreshes you, it's rewarding."

Michael's family is Ghanain, but he grew up in Hull and has lived in Walthamstow for 16 years. He has been watching the development of the area rapidly unfold around him.

The major regeneration of Walthamstow, specifically around St James Street, Blackhorse Lane and Lea Bridge, has been taking place over the past four years. Thousands of new homes have been built with more in the planning stage, Blackhorse Lane has become a 'creative industries zone', and there's a possibility of a new £200 million five-year redevelopment project in the pipeline.

These communities surrounding the Wetlands are amongst London's most densely populated, with many previously deprived of access to nature. When redesigning the site, the locations of the entrances were specifically chosen to connect areas which would directly address this deprivation. So as more people move in close proximity, the more crucial connecting these urban communities to green space becomes.

The benefits of the Wetlands are not only connecting these communities to green space, but also to each other.

"We live in an integrated society so it's important for us all to get on," says Michael. "In the time we're living in, we have to bring together people from all different communities. A space like this is great to do that - whether humanist, religious, not religious."

Michael is part of the local Jewish community in Stoke Newington, and recently brought a group of volunteers to help build planters at the Wetlands. "'Tikkun olam' [a concept in Judaism] is about repairing the world. A lot of Jews see it as an obligation to try to help the world in a beneficial way - including the natural environment."

The Wetlands actively reaches out to faith groups to encourage inclusive volunteering groups. Michael sees the Wetlands as a space to connect with the wider community, religious or not. He is the self-proclaimed 'resident astronomer', coming solo to the Wetlands with just his telescope, as well as helping to organise events for avid stargazers.

"It refreshes you and it's also rewarding. It's always positive. Although I'm often reluctant to leave!"

"The future is a 'whole-place' approach to design. This is where our infrastructure, homes, services and communities are connected, to ensure we're creating the best and healthiest possible places for people to live." - Design Council

Walthamstow Wetlands exemplifies this approach in an incredibly understated way, and is a space that will connect communities, individuals and the environment for generations to come.

Credits

Commissioned by Design Council

Production & editorial
Sasha Gallick

Image & film credits
Asa Westerlund
Walthamstow Wetlands
Kinnear Landscape Architects
Witherford Watson Mann Architects (Heini Schneebeli)
John McDavid
OMG media

With thanks to Walthamstow Wetlands centre, and Natalie & Ragnar Clee, Daniel Whitelegg, Mary Rose Thomson and Michael Lometey

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The architecture of reconnection: Walthamstow Wetlands

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In the second of Design Council's Places That Make Life Better By Design series, we look at Walthamstow Wetlands - Europe's largest nature reserve which, having recently been opened to the public, has given thousands of people access to nature and outdoor space.

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We grow vegetables...
and our vegetables grow students, schools, and communities!

Green Bronx Machine is an impact driven, for-purpose organization with 501(c)(3) status rooted in the belief that we are all Amer-I-Cans! Green Bronx Machine was born via collaboration between life-long educator Stephen Ritz and his students who observed that as waistlines expanded, engagement and opportunities in school decreased, school performance suffered, and hope and ambition became minimized. Originally an after-school, alternative program for high school students, Green Bronx Machine has evolved into K-12+ model fully integrated into core curriculum. Our students grow, eat and love their vegetables en route to spectacular academic performance.

We run on your philanthropic support. Make an impact today and donate!

The Feature Length Documentary is here!

Health and educational outcomes in low-income areas across America are staggering low. Stephen Ritz, a Bronx educator, is on a mission to change all that. He developed an incredibly successful indoor gardening curriculum that allows children to grow vegetables in the classroom, helping them eat better, be more engaged with school and give them pathways for jobs.

The Green Bronx Machine® Classroom Curriculum

turns any school or community gardening program into an academic and standards-based learning experience. With technology-enabled lesson plans which use food and plant life cycles to teach multiple subjects, students also learn critical thinking and problem solving as they explore, discover and create their own ecosystem.

Each purchase comes with a lifetime site license, online professional development, access to dedicated website and communities, and direct communication with Stephen Ritz.

Impact

pounds of vegetables
grown in the Bronx

schools using the
Green Bronx Machine
Classroom Curriculum

USED IN 500+ CLASSROOMS WORLDWIDE

National Health, Wellness and Learning Center

Green Bronx Machine maintains The National Health, Wellness & Learning Center at CS 55, an innovative and engaging wonderland where students and teachers grow their way towards a brighter future. This classroom laboratory functions as a testbed for agricultural technology and as scalable model, currently being replicated in over 6,000 schools across North America.

Twitter

When it comes to toppings, we give two thumbs up for a veggie variety 🥦 🍅 🍄 Are you celebrating #NationalPizzaDay today?

HEY @GreenBiz @makower @ShanaRappaport @greentechlady @elliebuechner @jimgiles ARE YOU READY FOR #greenbiz21 asks @StephenRitz It's a jungle out there!!!

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We grow vegetables...and our vegetables grow students, schools, and communities! Green Bronx Machine is an impact driven, for-purpose organization with 501(c)(3) status rooted in the belief that we are all Amer-I-Cans! Green Bronx Machine was born via collaboration between life-long educator Stephen Ritz and his students who observed that as waistlines expanded, engagement and opportunities in school decreased, school performance suffered, and hope and ambition became minimized.

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Empathy for innovation

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I recently travelled 2517 miles to try to solve 50 problems in 50 days using design - a journey that would challenge me to fundamentally rethink my understanding of the user-experience design process.

I recently travelled 2517 miles to try to solve 50 problems in 50 days using design - a journey that would challenge me to fundamentally rethink my understanding of the user-experience design process.

I set myself a challenge. I wanted to test the limits of design's ability to solve problems - big and small. To do this, I left the comfort of my computer chair and set out into the unknown. Each day, I had 24 hours to observe a problem, attempt to solve it and then communicate the solution.

Further Reading on SmashingMag:

On my own shoestring budget, from grimy backstreet hostels to bustling cities, I travelled Europe attempting to solve a different social problem that I observed every day. The project itself was an incredible experience. Some days, my solutions were OK, some days I failed, and some days the solutions were great. The point, however, was not to succeed, but to get up every day and try again - even when I had failed the day before.

The adventure taught me an unbelievable amount about design's power to solve problems and about my own capacities as a designer. Importantly, it honed my ability to think through and tackle problems rapidly.

In the first of three articles, I'll share what travelling from the bustling metropolis of London to the cobbled backstreets of Turin taught me about the design process and about the power of empathy to foster innovation.

Tube Congestion

It was day 19 of my 50-day adventure. I found myself dashing to catch an underground train, running until I arrived at the station to find a sea of people crammed onto the platform. There were problems on the line, and trains were delayed. Surveying the scene, I decided to make this my problem for the day.

I took a step back, analyzed the situation in front of me and got to work. Having started my own design consultancy at 15 years old and now consulting as a user-experience lead, I knew how I would start:

Observe. I examined the flow of people, watched them jostle for position and looked at the methods of entry and exit from the platform.

Analyze. I calculated the time between trains, counted the number of people waiting to board and tried to identify patterns in the way people behaved.

Interview. I spoke to people waiting to board, asked them how they felt and what would make this experience better.

I collected as much useful information as I could about the way people were engaging with the service...

... and came up with nothing.

At best, I had some pretty predictable solutions, chief of which was simply to increase the number of trains - a solution that hardly felt adequate.

Frustrated, I sat down. Then as the next train arrived, opened its doors and let on passengers, I heard a voice bellowing in the distance:

"Move! Come on! Move!"

I looked up to find a hefty underground attendant shouting at commuters. I walked over and asked him what the problem was.

"We can fit more people on the train, but they just won't get on!"

I thought for a moment.

The next train rolled in.

Passengers started to board.
And I got on.
Getting on the train (Image: Alexander Montuschi)
Immediately, the train pulled away, and I tried to find a place to stand, still surprised that I had decided to board. As I tried to find a spot among the sweaty mass of people, I suddenly understood the real problem.

There was space further down towards the middle of each carriage, enough to fit at least another 10 people. However, people didn't want to move down the carriages. Instead, they crammed by the doors for fear of not being able to get off at their stop.

Whereas my best design processes had failed, getting on the train revealed the real problem to me as clear as day. I discovered the underlying problem not because I had observed, analyzed or interviewed, but because I had felt it myself.

Real Empathy

Trying to solve 50 problems in 50 days enabled me to realize, among other things, that the constraints of our design process can allow us to neglect a vital tenant of creating truly effective solutions: it can allow us to miss real empathy.

Real empathy is not naturally fostered in focus groups. It's not uncovered in analytics. It doesn't start with personas or empathy maps.

Real empathy starts with people.

Sitting with the homeless on day 24 of 50 in Turin, Italy.
Innovation Via Immersion

My adventure fundamentally challenged me on how we understand people as part of our design process. The quality of our problem solving is directly linked to our ability to understand the problem. As I tried to tackle a new problem every day, I learned that analysis of people's behaviours and problems simply wasn't enough - I had to make them my own.

Observing the behavior of bicycle riders on day 28 of 50 in Amsterdam.
From sitting with beggars on the streets of Turin (day 42) to getting lost in the streets of Antwerp (day 23) to having no money or energy in Zurich (day 38), my adventures immersed me in unfamiliar situations and enabled me to learn, analyze and solve more effectively than I ever could in isolation.

Empathic research helps us understand our users' needs beyond the functional, enabling us to develop more appropriate design outcomes. It is one of a raft of valuable processes and tools, on its own seemingly no more important than any other. However, while good designers understand the tools, great designers understand people.

Methods For Anyone And Everyone

Empathic research is not new. Yet, it is too often treated merely as a tool to create new products or as the domain of pin-up design agencies that have the budgets and clients to accommodate this type of critical inquiry. This needn't be, and simply is not, the case. The best-designed solutions, however small, are born from real understanding of the underlying, complex needs.

An impromptu co-creation workshop to solve communication challenges, on day 29 of 50 at my hostel in Amsterdam.
We can't all travel thousands of miles every time we start a new project, and commercial realities constrain the time and resources of our projects. However, gaining a deeper understanding of people doesn't require allocating drastically more time for ethnographic research or sacrificing other areas of the process.

Laptop as a stand for a phone - an unconscious act of design. (Image: Josh Russell)
Below are some of the methods I started to employ on my adventure, with many more picked up along the way. Use them, build on them, and develop your own. Our aim should be to understand people more deeply and, in doing so, to solve their problems more effectively.

In-situ prototyping of a tool to help hostel staff communicate with guests, on day 29 of 50.
Get Into a Cold Sweat

Do everything you can to feel what your audience feels, whether it's ecstasy, powerlessness or relief. Say you are tasked with creating a journey-planning website. It is too often a temptation to unquestioningly rely on the conventions we've accumulated from other designed experiences. Innovation is born out of a natural distrust of convention and a desire to create smarter, more intuitive experiences.

Pick two locations you've never been to and try to travel from one to the other without using any technology. You'll soon have that unnerving feeling of being lost in unfamiliar surroundings. Doing so will surface valuable, first-hand insight into the interventions you've relied on when no technology was at hand. How did you find your way? Which landmarks guided you? What processes did you rely on? How can these tools be translated into your service? The empathic research process is grounded in understanding an experience from the user's perspective. Feeling what your users feel will enable you to understand complex scenarios more intimately and, in doing do, to solve them more effectively.

Leveraging the closing doors of the underground trains.
Interview People Meet People

To gain empathic understanding, rather than distanced analysis, go to meet people where they are - in their environments, not in our labs. Focus groups give us some insight into people's experiences, but they can't enable true understanding. We're aware that experiences are felt: they are predominantly emotional not rational. By asking people to communicate their experiences in our settings, we are asking them to rationalise their thoughts and actions. This can never paint an totally accurate picture.

Rather than interviewing users, we should look to meet people. Take creating an e-commerce website for a bathroom retailer. Go down to a showroom and watch how people interact with the products. Meeting people in their environments allows us not only to ask them what they think of the products in front of them, but to physically see how they form their opinions. What stages of decision-making did they go through? Where were they looking? What did they compare the product to in order to reach their decision? These insights will inevitably inform better decisions and foster more intuitive results.

Everyone Is a Designer

If empathic research teaches us anything, it's to be humble and realize that everyone on the planet is a designer - and is usually better at solving problems than we are. We all commit deliberate acts of organization to overcome problems, from the way we arrange our desks to the way we use a window to catch our reflection. Empathic investigation helps us to observe the ways in which people are already overcoming obstacles, and it often uncovers solutions that are more elegant than we'd expect.

Trying to design a daily news-feed mobile app? Walk into any library and spend some time looking at how people physically interact with information. From bending page corners into bookmarks, to underlining in pencil to make scanning faster, to positioning journals side by side for easier cross-referencing, once you start to really look, you'll gain insights that enable you to combine people's half-solutions into even more useful experiences.

Prototype In Situ

When we try to consolidate what we've learnt into design decisions, we do so in our studios, often on our high quality screens. Try picking up your pen, getting out of the office and finding a location in which someone might typically use the service you're creating. Now try to design. You'll soon have to deal with the same distractions, complications and restrictions that some of your users face. How does that affect your design decisions?

There are many more techniques for getting under people's skin, but these are just a few to start. Ultimately, empathic research is not about asking users what they want, but about understanding their needs for ourselves.

The Solution... Not Quite

So, what was the result of getting on that underground train, being squashed among busy commuters and feeling people's anxiety for myself?

Initially, the result was another pretty predictable solution.

I leveraged the closing of the train doors to suggest that people move closer together. This didn't feel good enough - more like a public-service announcement than an effective solution.

The Solution: Play

So, I thought harder, drawing on my experiences and instinctive responses, and I ended up asking myself the question, "How can I turn a logistical problem into an enjoyable experience that people actually want to engage with?"

The solution? To introduce "play". I transformed the floors of the underground carriage into a game of Monopoly. Rather than standing in jail, people are encouraged to move down the carriage, towards Mayfair - an engaging and participatory solution to a complex problem.

Computer Arts Magazine called it, "A playful way to encourage people to move away from Tube train doors. Top hat and flat iron optional."

Since being published, 50 Problems in 50 Days has received some super press and some unexpected awards. This particular solution was one of the most discussed and has been one of the most widely shared.

Conclusion

Empathetic understanding is a vital tool in fostering innovation. If we can better understand the people we are designing for, the better our decisions, designs and results will be. Travelling 2517 miles taught me that if we wish to innovate, we must go beyond analyzing people's experiences and try and make them our own.

Understanding people better often requires us to get outside and get our hands dirty but, in doing so, allows us to better analyze and solve. In the words of Diego Rodriguez, partner at IDEO:

"In doing, there is knowing. Doing is the resolution of knowing."

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more problems, solutions and learning from my 2517-mile adventure. In part two, I'll describe how trying to solve 50 problems in 50 days taught me it's OK to be an utter fool... and how it's OK for you to be one, too.

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50 Design Problems In 50 Days: Real Empathy For Innovation (Part 1) - Smashing Magazine

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I recently travelled 2517 miles to try to solve 50 problems in 50 days using design - a journey that would challenge me to fundamentally rethink my understanding of the user-experience design process. I recently travelled 2517 miles to try to solve 50 problems in 50 days using design - a journey that would challenge me to fundamentally rethink my understanding of the user-experience design process.

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There's basically a life hack for every possible everyday problem, but there are some things in life that we're so used to, we never even thought they could be updated. Until someone showed us! Like, who could ever have thought that we need a vending machine equipped with fresh farm eggs, color-chart sticker on avocado ripeness, or an exit ramp for frogs getting out of the pool? Below, we have put together a list of creative life solutions to problems you never knew needed solving and some absolutely needful things, after seeing which you just couldn't live without them anymore. This whole list is full of genius ideas that'll make your life easier in no time! Keep on scrolling to take a look and don't forget to vote for your favorite smart solutions. ( h/t)

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100 Genius Solutions To Everyday Problems You Didn't Know Existed

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There's basically a life hack for every possible everyday problem, but there are some things in life that we're so used to, we never even thought they could be updated. Until someone showed us!