A ROADMAP

LEADINGIDEAS TO ACTSPost-graduate Fellowship Project Documentation By Min Wen Yeh

Copyright © 2014

Copyright © 2014 by Min Wen YehIllustrations copyright © 2014 by Min Wen YehDesign by Min Wen Yeh

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320 South Broad StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19102dsi.uarts.edu

The Beginning

From Ideas to Acts Roadmap

Design in ESLI Program

The Roadmap in Scale

Outcome & Reflection

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08

12

18

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TABLE OFCONTENTS

Concept

Concept

Cases

THE BEGINNING

It started with my previous thesis work, THE BRIDGE, which

includes a toolkit for students bridging highly motivated

mindsets to positive cultural adaptation behaviors. During my

time as a post-graduate fellow in the Design for Social Impact

program, I further developed the thesis work through design/

educational tools in the ESLI program at UArts, and built a

“From an Idea to an Act Roadmap” model.

A Post-Graguate Project

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THE BRIDGING Toolkit works as a boundary object to connect different groups.In this picture, one student is mapping out her current situation while having a conversation with her instructor.

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“Mindset to Behavior Learning Path” was developed in THE BRIDGE thesis project to explore how design tools can lead learners to activate their ex/in-ternal learning process.

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Mindset and behavior change does not happen through knowl-

edge gained from either the head or hands separately. Design

methods/tools serve this capability of connecting the internal to

external world and accelerating our learning process. This paper

will illustrate the steps I took from developing the model in details

to engaging users in the cases with design methods/tools.

The “From Ideas to Acts Roadmap” presents the process of

navigating from an idea (internal) to an act (external), with

touch points along the route where a thoughtful design would

potentially play a role in moving a project forward.

A Concept Model and the Practice

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FROM IDEAS

TO ACTS ROADMAP

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We’ve all had the experience of getting lost in the city. Some people find their way by intuition or physical memory, others rather asking people for directions. To navigate our way internally or externally have been bridged by a map. Advancing from that, we’ve built dig-ital devices to locate ourselves, which seem to perfectly synchronize our thoughts with our movements.

Whether they are the routes recorded on paper, a device or in our mind, we recreate our own maps by experiencing the real world.

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The loop of learning usually starts from a map (a boundary

object) that connects the ex/in-ternal sides. It is considered an

efficient way to accumulate information over time and find

opportunities in a systematic view of reality. However, every idea/

opportunity needs to be built and put into the world to count. That

is the second cross section on the roadmap of ex/in-ternal ---

Build (prototyping). This learning journey would be completed by

tracking the new information upon the map and learn from those

data for the next move. For each touchpoints: Map, Compass, Idea,

Imaging, Build, Wayfinding, Adventure, and Tracking shows key

questions should be asked in the idea-to-acts journey.

How might we turn a great idea into a meaningful act?

A

B

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Chart: From Ideas to Acts Roadmap11

Co-Design with ESLI Educators DESIGN IN ESLI

PROGRAM

MY JOURNEY MAPSCREATE YOUR MOTTO AS A FUTURE REMINDER

This is a case of co-design a class engagement & self-reflection

tool with faculty of the ESLI program at UArts. The three sessions

of mapping activities help students who are starting their journey

in a new environment to discuss and reflect on their learning

experience. Students show and talk about their maps after com-

pleting each mapping activity. The process leads students through

a visual exercise of synthesizing their experience by reflecting,

mapping, discussion and sharing.

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The Past Map: Students will reflect on their past experiences, motivation, and inspiration that contributed to their development as artists, musicians, or designers. They will add keywords to a timeline of their past.

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This collection of tools and the accompanying workshops were

used to facilitate the writing process and meet the learning

objectives of the My Multimedia Autobiography Project (My

MAP). For this project each student writes a three-part essay

about their lives as artists--one for their past, present, and

future. These tools offer the opportunity for students to express

their stories and identify their goals. ESL students leave the

workshops with ideas and a plan--not only for their essays--but

for their future as art and design students.

How it was used

The Present Map: Students will identify places or people on a map of the city that (1) inspire them, (2) help their growth, and (3) encourage them.

Partners: University of the Arts (UArts), English as a Second Language Institute (ESLI), Writing Studio

Participants: Mara Flamm, Nicole Dupree, instructor; High-

Intermediate/Advanced ESLI Writing Studio students

Timeline: 80 minutes

Location: UArts, Philadelphia

The Past, The Present and The Future Maps

The Outcome

The Future Map: Students imagine “heaven” and “hell” states for their academic, social, and personal life in their near future (next semester as matriculated students). Students will write down keywords as a small group. Later, each student comes up with the academic/social/personal goals for the next semester and write actionable steps they are going to take to fulfill their goals.

From my perspective as the instructor, the results of using these

tools were overwhelmingly positive. Students were able to leave

each session with material to construct the content of their

writing. Additionally, the tools asked the students to share their

stories with the class; thus, providing an opportunity to further

build and develop their ideas while meeting learning objectives

of practicing their verbal language skills and presentation strat-

egies. --- By Nicole Dupree, instructor.

“

“

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Partners: University of the Arts (UArts), English as a Second Language Institute (ESLI), Writing Studio

Participants: Nicole Dupree, instructor; High-Intermediate/ Advanced ESLI Writing Studio students

Timeline: 80 minutes

Location: UArts, Philadelphia

Create Your Motto as a Future Reminder

A design tool for creating a future reminder: How can students recognize their strengths and motivate themselves to their challenges? How can we help them see themselves with a different mindset?

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The tool was used as described above with four male

international students. When students talked about the super

powers they saw in other students, they picked up the LEGO

character representing their classmate’s future self and

talked directly to it. This brief conversation helped them to

articulate the special quality they saw in their friend, or the

thing they thought they would benefit most from. Students

were very supportive of one another. They concluded with a

super power.

How it was used

This tool was used in the last class of the semester just before

final presentations. It was a great activity to bring closure to the

semester. Here is some of the feedback from the students:

1. This project helped me with my future to think more honest to

myself and not to be regretted. 2. I think that this project makes

me more confident and independent to face the challenges in the

future. I will keep on trying. 3. It is great and inspirational. Seeing

my challenges through other people’s eyes was interesting.

--- By Nicole Dupree, instructor.

The Outcome“

“

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THE ROADMAP

IN SCALE

What raises the scale from act vs. idea to action vs. plan will depend on our learning in the

loop to iterate a prototype for its sustainability. A sustainable learning process can serve

user’s needs over time and gradually form a habit/goal. Eventually, it would achieve the scale

of behavior and mindset changes in an individual or organization. What would be the key

forces for a learning process to be continued and scalable? That could be suggested by the

result of the next iteration on prototype testing in the next step.

There is always a question being asked in the design research process: how much time is enough time for discovery and ideation till launching a product? The development of a robust structure of navigating in both micro and macro scales, like this model, might create a way for balancing both ex/in-ternal sides of work. Furthermore, evaluation of whether the knowledge gained in the process informs the next-step actions.

Moving Forward: a Sustainable System

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DESIRABILITYFEASIBILITY VIABILITY...

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OUTCOME&REFLECTION

This model has been built along with the education, commercial

strategy, and community engagement cases I worked on. Learning

and inspiration from how crucial a rapid prototype could be in

the design process helped me re-shape my understanding of

design. It is a parallel learning process for me when the outcome

of implementation has been synthesized with my reflection on the

design process. Putting an idea into action is never an automatic

process. There are methods and tools that would potentially

guide users through learning and collaboration more easily.

Learning by Doing

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Creating a user journey map with a startup in a workshop. 21

Testing THE BRIDGING Toolkit with DSI first-year students in the end of semester: Students map out their challenge timeline over the semester and gain trouble-shooting-suggestions from the others.

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The measurable outcome from this project will be represented

in “My Journey Maps,” a tool that has been fully documented

and implemented in the ESLI program at UArts. This is the result

from co-design with educators when they saw the value of how

a boundary object is able to bridge students’ ideas and actions

together.

Later the “From Ideas to Acts Roadmap” model had been

visualized and tested with a Philadelphia local startup --- a

commercial video firm: Spirit Animal Collective. The model is

currently guiding their business to the development of a first

actionable prototype. We started with the customer journey map

and landed in co-designing a rapid prototype. They found the

opportunity of reframing storytelling in their current business to

a potential brand design service.

Some measurable outcomes

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As a designer focuses on making social impact, I am looking forward to introducing and implementing this learning model with a change-making function at both individual to organizational levels in future projects.

Min Wen Yeh minwenyeh@gmail.comminyeh.com