I have planned an initial, informal design thinking workshop on Tuesday 13 July at 1200hrs in room BS54 in ADAM SMITH COLLEGE at ST  BRYCEDALE  AVENUE  which intends to involve some 5-6 individual participants who will act as potential stakeholders for the design research project activity.

Ideally, I had hoped to have participants from Fife Council and Kirkcaldy Civic Society as well as Greener Kirkcaldy.

As it is an initial opinion gathering and  discussion forum workshop, the participants will be involved in looking at some mapping of Kirkcaldy using Google Earth prints as well as  the two ‘Lang drawings of the High street facades. These artefacts represent an linear drawing approach to try to understand hoe the high street appears at present and will enable participants to see the high street environment in a new perceptive format.

METHODS

I will use the drawings and the maps to act as a discussion catalyst around the following question:

‘DO HIGH STREETS HAVE TO BE JUST ABOUT SHOPS ?’

The aim of the workshop is to let the participant stakeholders to work as a whole during the introduction, but then to split participants into 2-3 small groups to ask the following questions :

list 5 good things ( + )  about living and working in Kirkcaldy

list 5 bad things ( – )    which detract from living and working in Kirkcaldy

By using a combination of  post-it and postcards, on a range of specific questions or considerations, participants can  place their comments onto the maps and or the LANG DRAWINGS.

Overall the target is to produce around 50 positive ( + )comments and 50  negative or improvements required ( – ) comments, which will enable the MDES student ( me ) to carry out some analysis of the findings, which can be edited and developed into my own design thinking for the Research element of the project.

I hope to record the feedback using video clips and / or photographs to include in this blog etc.

The room will be laid out with the mapping image on the table to enable participants to see, perhaps for the first time, the physical satellite view of the town.

WATCH THIS SPACE