Reflecting On Project Idea Exemplars




Stories that come from experience: The most powerful stories are told by the people who live them
https://www.hatchforgood.org/explore/178/can-stories-really-create-impact


Four Themes: Represent, Expose, Empathize and Participate


The last wee while I have been focusing on finding design/project exemplars that will help inspire me, focus me, and provide me with examples of how others have approached similar problems or used similar techniques.

Most of the examples of how people have approached similar problems are campaigns through social media or transport agency public safety campaigns, which are not really the angle that I want to take with my work. I purposely want to try and be completely different from these approaches as I feel that I need to come up with a fresh idea to actually gain attention and produce results.

Lots of the best and most inspiring exemplars that I have found have been storytelling projects, and these are some of the key points I have taken away from examining them:

  • When you take time to listen to stories you might see things in new ways, creating a movement of outrospection and empathy. 
  • Illuminating the stories of the community that is, and the community that was, through the words of the people who live there.
  • Whichever medium I end up choosing will be a tool to bring a community closer together; amplifying the voices of the effected party and therefore humanising them.
  • Story sharing helps us learn about each other and each other's experiences.
  • People are moved by effort, openness, honesty, and connection.


After all this research I feel even more passionate about the story collecting and telling aspect of my project, I just have to think more on how this idea of gathering and sharing stories can create an experience the encourages empathy - what is the best medium to use and how??