Green Hub is an organization located in Gassperdam, Amsterdam, that helps the neighborhood live in a sustainable way. Their main goal is to support the community's growth while also benefiting the environment, promoting a Donut Economy. They encourage people to make Donut Deals, which are agreements between two or more partners to carry out activities that address the needs of the community and contribute to the well-being of the environment. In this project, we designed a tool for neighbors with a possible Donut Deal idea to go to the Green Hub.
To understand the needs of the Green Hub and the Gaasperdam community, we visited the Green Hub and had conversations with its staff and active neighbors. This helped us grasp the challenges they faced. Our goal was to create a tool that would spark conversations and motivate individuals to visit the Green Hub. Our solution aimed to foster a sense of belonging, capture attention, and provide information about the Green Hub and the Donut Deals.
We collaborated with another team to tackle our challenge. Our focus was divided: our group worked on informing and motivating people to visit the Green Hub, while the other focused on facilitating the process of making a donut deal once people were inside. By dividing our efforts this way, we aimed to maximize community engagement and create a seamless experience for everyone involved.
The "donut board", is an interactive board that allowes people to get to know Green Hub, the Donut Deals and a personal story of a neighbour that is already involved in the organization. It is flexible, interactive and portable.
We provided a high-fidelity prototype done with a laser cutting matchine, and additional materials such as a documentation document with all the information, posters and a brochure that explained how to use and change the information in the donut board. In addition, we did an illustrated step by step guide showing how to make a donut board, which includes information about the materials and their costs, and shared the technical files with the client.
Working with this group was an incredibly enriching experience. The workflow and communication among team members was excellent, and we also developed strong personal relationships. We regularly did group dynamics to check in on everyone's well-being and how we were handling the project. This created a space where it was okay not to always be at our best, relieving a lot of pressure and making work feel like a choice rather than an obligation.
Furthermore, I realized the importance of clear and open communication with the client. Being transparent about the working process and schedules helpes set expectations and allowes the client to have a clear understanding of what they can expect.
Additionally, I learned the significance of following our own process and focusing on what we found relevant, while still considering the client's feedback. It was gratifying to see that by staying true to our approach, we achieved excellent results that made both the client and our team happy.
