exchange
exchange is a social network for art and design students in Izmir that aims to keep them actively use their co-working space, attend events and share ideas.
The problem
There is a demand by local pottery artists in Izmir for a platform in which they an display their art and reach more audience.
My role
UX and Service Designer
Supervised by: Francesco Zurlo, Ph.D., is Dean of the School of Design of Politecnico di Milano.
Collaborated with: A.Can Ozcan, Dept. Head at Izmir University of Economics.
The outcome
Service Design idea and Mobile App.
Tools
Sketch, Illustrator, Photoshop
Origin of the project
This project was my graduation thesis of Masters in PSSD at Politecnico di Milano. The scope is to improve place branding involving local stakeholders in Izmir region of Turkey. After the project has finished, to brush up my UX/UI Design skills, I created this Mobile App idea to support the Service Design idea.
The local stakeholders weren't efficiently engaged, everyone on their own business and not interacting with each others. As they don't have the benefits of public collaboration, the local people aren't able to share and communicate their talents and the problem isn't visible to them since they can't see the situation from outside.
The methods
I collaborated with Izmir University of Economics where I previously studied in Turkey. We did visits to Menemen area and used co-design templates to understand project scope and restrictions. Through co-designing with users, I’ve understood that main need is having more interaction with the outer world in this area.
Co-design template
Introducing the service idea
We decided to involve design students as stakeholders in this scenario. As the municipality was already willing to build a space for displaying products, why not bring the design students there and make it alive - instead of thinking of a traditional shop where visitors are passive and no ideas are shared. This is how the idea of co-working space emerged.
The service has 2 components: co-working house and social network. Co-working house is a physical space which offers workshop materials that can be used for making 3D Models and the assistance of local craftsmen. This space is dedicated also for organising conferences and gatherings where design issues are discussed, brainstormings on current developments or school projects can be done and students can have a chance to get in touch with other academicians and their colleagues. The social network is where these events are communicated and students exchange ideas.
The App idea
To make users download the app and engage with the platform, we opted to make it interesting. Discounts and gifts are perfect tools to make a service attractive, especially if the users are students. So we decided to give discounts and vouchers to users who attend all events every month and complete 50 credits. It's a challange fairly difficult enough considering that students would need good time management skills to attend all events as they have university work load.
But it's also rewarding because the prizes would be a free meal at the cafe of co-working house, a discount percentage at a local jewellery store, or a free bus ticket around Izmir. All the promotions have one thing in common, they are on the favour of local stakeholders. So it's a win win for both parties.
