SERVICE DESIGN
COLOGNE / TOHOKU AREA, JAPAN, 2014
Community
Restructuring
Community restructuring process plays a big role after the Great Earthquake in Tohoku area (Japan) in 2011. Through table research, field research, interview sessions with local citizens we analyzed current problems in three types of housing. Lack of community participation raises no safety in neighborhood‘s, isolation and psychological problems.
My Role
table research, field research, interviews, group work on the concept.
Interviews
The 3-month project consisted of two big workshop sessions (Chiba, Japan, and Cologne, Germany) and group presentations. In collaboration with Chiba University Design department and Hitachi head office Design department, Tokyo, Japan.
Research Phase
Community restructuring is a long transformation process. In the field research we had the possibility to observe the situation just before the mark of the 3rd anniversary and visit different types of temporary settlements.
Behaviour analysis and Concept
In the next phase we mapped motivation and behavioural analysis of three main groups of citizens.
Concept development
During the ideation process and testing with group members several concepts were developed:
“Small roles" – idea, how community members might provide small services for the members e.g. daily routine as babysitting, newsboy, delivery, small repair shop.
Second Idea we called “Object for communication” – (art) an object, people could talk about and express, share their feelings, fears. An art object plays here a role of communication point.
“Library” –objects to share. In the situation after disaster, you might borrow and share objects, which you need during you Temporary house life (book, repairing tools). In this situation, neighbors don’t need to buy the same things and waste money on it, when you know, that you can borrow it without any problems. This activity build “informal” neighborhood links and grow up ideas of trust and help.
Project Outcome
After testing the ideas and getting feedback the service proposition was developed. In the system several types of stakeholders are involved: Local TV Station, Sponsoring company (e.g. Hitachi), Event organizer from the community and residents. The core of the service is communication platform utilizing TV program, where local users are involved in the content creation process that connects passive and active residents and provokes contacts.
