In collaboration with the Green Space, Dark Skies event series, we were tasked with exploring the barriers that a defined user group face in feeling connected to nature. In response to our research, we, a group of four Graphic Design students (Josie Field, Miles Whelan, Alex Quintal and myself), designed an event named ‘Water Blooms’ to tackle these issues, creating a memorable experience that would increase the likelihood for adolescents to become ambassadors for the environment.

We went on to work alongside Interior Architecture students to design an interactive exhibition space for Green Space, Dark Skies’ festival and a poster exploring our ‘Water Blooms’ design concept that was displayed within this exhibition.

I began by exploring a 'user-centered' design approach, testing a series of empathy tools to experience some physical barriers user groups may face.

To ensure our idea would be user centred, we conducted primary and secondary research, defining a clear user profile and their specific barriers to accessing and connecting with nature, with insights from a professional within the outdoor education industry.

In response to our findings, we generated a range of intervention ideas, researching specifics, testing and refining the concept in response to presentation critique.

In collaboration with an Interior Architecture team, I conceptualised and bin raided, supporting the development of an exhibition structure that displayed over 100 students’ projects at Green Space, Dark Skies’ festival. One of these projects was our ‘Water Blooms’ concept, for which we designed an interactive poster using AR (augmented reality).

If you’re not interested in the process, jump straight into the juicy deliverables and project debrief.