Design for Social Change
Loughborough University in London post-graduate students have been working with CitizensUK to develop innovative designs to address the issues of fuel poverty and youth un-employment in Hackney.
Working with CitizensUK four teams of Loughborough students. Two teams, WIT and Prometheus, designed solutions that can enable energy consumers to have more power in the energy market. The other two teams of students, HOW and INNOVASIA, aimed to provide solutions to bridge the opportunity gap for Hackney youth (students) into Hackney businesses.
This innovative research undertaken by the students at Loughborough’s Institute of Design Innovation (London) can have a substantial impact on the development of national and international policy regarding employment opportunities for the youth and as well as creating sustainable energy practices by engaging communities to impact behaviours for developmental progress and capacity building.
WIT App is a mobile, user-friendly fuel management tool aimed to enable energy consumers to have more power in the energy market.
Loughborough University in London post-graduate students have been working with CitizensUK to develop innovative designs to address the issues of fuel poverty in the borough of Hackney.
Background
The project in collaboration with Citizen UK responded to the issue of the energy market being confusing and complicated for ordinary citizens as they have no power to constructively engage with the process as a whole. As many struggle to pay for their fuel bills financially, bills themselves are too complicated to read, and pre-pay meters charge higher rates for energy for the poorest in society.
Aims
WIT App as a user-friendly fuel management tool aimed to enable energy consumers to have more power in the energy market. They aimed to educate communities, connect communities and facilitate bill management and payment.
Key Features
Educate
Included in the app is the option to find out more regarding energy and fuel to enable the growth of awareness and encouraging greater informed choices.
Manage
App users will be shown helpful tips and advice on how to save energy. An additionally available tool would show the users the percentage of total energy household items use and how to minimise this usage.
Pay
Users will be able to pay their bills through the app and be able to store their card details for a quicker and simpler payment process.
The Prometheus design team designed a Bulk Buying Strategy to encourage sustainable energy practice which benefits local communities efficiency and become cost effective.
Loughborough University in London post-graduate students have been working with CitizensUK to develop innovative designs to address the issues of fuel poverty in the borough of Hackney.
Background
Research consultations with Citizen UK and Hackney community disclosed that apparently ordinary citizens have no power to constructively engage with the process and concept of energy market. The existing process of energy usage in the borough of Hackney does not presuppose energy buying within the borough. Many people struggle to pay gas and electricity bills and therefore they have switched to pre-pay meters.
Target Users
The prospective users for this service are families who live in social housing in the borough of Hackney. Couples at the age of 30 to 55 along with children aged 2 to 12 are loosely focused.
Key Features
Bulk energy buying scheme is one of the most prevalent methods for efficient energy consumption and distribution. Based on user centred insights, and efficiency of this scheme, the project designed a bulk buying scheme to allow the user more control over energy consumption and energy bills in a more sustainable way. In addition the bulk buying service, the scheme will be facilitated by short-term bandage solutions like insulation toolkits and skill swap service with quickest results. Setting up a cooperative to bulk buy, sort and sell energy to other local suppliers other than the big six is designed as a way of cutting costs and dependency on the big suppliers.
Team HOW created an mobile app called GRO; a game inspired a digital platform to sustain local youth engagement, and create an effective links between the local youth in the Borough of Hackney and employers/job opportunities.
Loughborough University in London post-graduate students have been working with CitizensUK to develop innovative designs to address the issues of youth un-employment in the borough of Hackney.
Background
An interview of young people at Hackney Community College revealed that despite youths wanting to find jobs, they don’t engage with the practice. They suggested they would be more motivated if they were more connected with their peers and job offers. The Mobile app was designed to help youths not only connect with employers but with peers in the community also.
Aims
The project aims to create a digital platform that provides guidance and opportunities for employability training skills, career guidance, online networking, confidence building. This shall help provide a space for the youth in Hackney to develop into well-networked individuals and help employers identify talented and qualified youths, which they can employ.
Target Users
The youth in the borough of Hackney.
Inspiration
GRO is inspired by platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook, but in a more informal job oriented application setting.
Key Features
The app allows users to have greater interaction on a personal and professional level. It combines formal and informal aspects of user interaction such as events and games to create a social environment, which young people enjoy. It also connects users with companies’ information like career fair, training videos and job opportunities onto the platform.
INNOVASIA developed a local youth employment service as a bridge between local colleges, Hackney council and prospective employers in Hackney.
Loughborough University in London post-graduate students have been working with CitizensUK to develop innovative designs to address the issues of youth un-employment in the borough of Hackney.
Background
Youth unemployment is considered high in the borough of Hackney despite the increasing levels of wealth and business development in the area. Lack of relational networks or experience is seen as a main reason behind this problem by CitizensUK, which creates an opportunity gap for young people from Hackney.
Aims
The main objective of collaboration between Citizens UK and INNOVASIA was to design a sustainable service design model that bridges this gap and increase employment opportunities in the Borough of Hackney.
Context
There are low-skilled youth people between 18-24 years old in Hackney with disadvantaged backgrounds. Finding a job is one of their main issues. One of the major issues in addition to finding a job is the diversity of population, hence language and cultural barriers.
Aims
To create a new Hackney local organisation that could help youth between 18-24 years old in Hackney to find jobs. The organization can help to facilitate building links between young people and businesses and aid in improving their skills, gain experience for their future jobs and build networks.
Scope
This project designed a service that bridges the gap between the youths in the Borough of Hackney and skills training programmes, plus job opportunities. The focus is on capacity building, assistance for young people such as career counselling, CV design, interview training and intensive skill trainings programmes etc.
Key Features
- Identify the characteristics and potential abilities of youth unemployment people in Hackney and connect to available facilities and specific industries in Hackney where youth can perform well.
- Identify the potential business for young people and define the required skills set /interest.
- Help create an effective working relationship between the businesses and un-employed people in Hackney.