Anseo
This project, titled "Anseo," was undertaken as a key component of my Master of Science degree. It aims to redesign and reinvigorate traditional community spaces to better meet the needs of today's society, focusing specifically on enhancing public engagement and accessibility through innovative digital solutions.
To kick of the project and better analyse the users needs, I created two empathy maps, the first focused on the public service users (general public), and the second was the public sector decision makers. These two empathy maps certainly helped lay the foundation for the rest of the exploration completed.
Once the empathy mapping was complete, I started to break down some possible ideas for solutions while also exploring additional problems that would need to be accounted for such as infrastructure and technology blocks.
The exploration phase led me to delve deeper than anticipated, fuelling enthusiasm for the emerging solutions. Motivated by this energy and the flow of ideas, I proceeded to create a mind map to further investigate these connections and refine the concepts.
I took these ideas forward and decided to utilise the six thinking hats ideation methodology to better explore my ideas. This was my first experience with this technique and I was eager to try it out. Overall it was helpful in cementing my ideas and validating the potential solutions I will continue to explore in future phases of the module.
I decided to start with a poster design that reimagines libraries as community hubs to serve the goals outlined in the project brief. The concept is to transform libraries into vibrant community centres. I wanted the poster to look modern yet approachable, so I opted for bright colours. Initially, I tried finding suitable images on platforms like Unsplash and Pexels but couldn't find what I needed. So, I experimented with MidJourney for the first time and was amazed with the images it generated, I chose an image (shown in green frame) and used it as the backdrop for the service advertisement poster.
I imported this image into Figma and adjusted the image overlay to enhance the visibility of white text. From here I started to build the composition. Below are some example of the process, from the very first rough draft and then onwards, to when I started to choose colours, input copy and create examples of workshops and events to be used as part of the prototype.
Shown here, is the final Service Advertisement prototype, which is presented in poster format. It has basic branding with a typographic logo, two font choices, a vibrant colour scheme and considered background image treatment. Additionally, it has details of the three core pillars, current workshops and upcoming events featuring tags and entry details. There is no specific CTA, this advertisement is intended to be informational and spark curiosity, building rapport.
The second prototype is a storyboard detailing the experience of Mark, a 29-year-old professional visiting the Anseo centre for the first time. I envisioned this storyboard to show how the library's new purpose is perceived through Mark's eyes, what changes he notices in the space and how he thinks it may be relevant to the community. His goal is to sign up as a member and explore Anseo and it’s offerings.
The brief states that these prototypes are intended to be low-medium fidelity, but if I was to bring this forward to high fidelity. I would enhance the image size to allow for more detail, and make sure to craft additional layers, shadow and perspective. Below are some images I documented to showcase the process I went through.
Below here is the final prototype, showing Mark as he experiences Anseo for the first time and aims to become a member and explore the new facilities.
For the third prototype, I developed a customer journey map for Mary, a fictional user persona representing older community members with limited digital literacy living in rural Ireland. This map was crafted to demonstrate how Mary interacts with the Anseo app’s AI assistant, reflecting her needs and challenges in engaging with digital services. The journey starts with her learning about the service and spans through her ongoing use and loyalty. This prototype includes a details of her interactions with the app, her emotional response and potential touch points for improvement.
The map is not only a tool for visualising Mary's experience but also serves as a strategic guide to enhance service design for users like her, ensuring the app is accessible and beneficial.
This prototype is not meant to be perfect, but rather an exercise in creating a unique and innovative solution to answering the project brief, creating a bridge for marginalised groups as Ireland moves forward with digitising their services.
Ultimately, designing and prototyping for an innovative solution you believe in makes all the difference. Seeing the Irish government move forward with an initiative lilke Ansea would surely be received well by the public and grand many opportunies for growth and development for current and future generations.
