THE CHALLENGE
Making the process of renewing the English legistation around the Food System as participative as possible.
THE SOLUTION
Three tools for public engagement.
ACKOWLEDGEMENTS
The group presented the work at the WIP show gathering curiousity and positive comments. The group also presented back to Policy Lab and, after the success, to the National Food Strategy team. Our work inspired both of them and we have been asked to take forward the board game.
DETAILS
Project partner: Policy Lab
When: 2019 - 3 months
Team: 4 people
Main tasks: design research (various), stakeholder management,
design and prototyping of design of social objects and food quiz,
idea pitching.
Context
NATIONAL FOOD STRATEGY
Methods:
- Literature review
- Expert interviews
- Brief analysis and breakdown
- Journey mapping
Due to Brexit, social and environemental concerns, the Government is revising the legislation related to the English food system, after 75 years!! The National Food Strategy will originate a whitepaper that will shape every process from field to fork. Since it was intention of the government to make the overall process as participative as possible, we designed three tools to engage the English population as effectively as possible in a national debate on priorities and solutions to existing food system problems.
Our attempt to map relations among the food system. Zoom in for details!
From left to right the different colors refer to: 1.Who si involved 2.Root causes 3.Causes 4.Consequences 5.Counter reaction
Research
WHAT IS A GOOD CONVERSATION?
Methods:
- Guerilla interviews
- On-site interviews
- Card-based interviews
- Principles definition
- Expert interviews
At the base of a healthy public debate there are good conversations. So, we went out there with different conversation starters, we tried to conversate with people about themes around food. We observed that people were more interested in issues that were closer to their daily lives. They seemed anyway confused by the amount of concepts that there are out there and needed information to orientate in that.
We learned that our solution needed to be pro-active and engaging to loop people into an informed critical dialogue.
We came up with these principles and these key insights.
Some of the provocational tools we showed people.
Given the overall journey of a critical conversation, the bubbles represent painpoints we found throughtout it.
Solution
THREE TOOLS FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Methods:
- Physical user testing
- Role playing
- Storytelling
- Video editing
Based on the insights of the research, we created, prototyped and tested three tools to foster critical conversation: a travelling exhibiton, a pub quiz and a board game. Each of them has a peak of effectiveness in different part of the journey.
We see these tools at the core of public engagement for the National Food Strategy.
The Exhibition is great at attracting attention and creating people’s awareness
about food issues. The Pub Quiz creates a comfortable environment to question citizens and test their knowledge. The Game is designed to get participants into each stakeholder’s shoes and discuss solutions for food system’s problems.
about food issues. The Pub Quiz creates a comfortable environment to question citizens and test their knowledge. The Game is designed to get participants into each stakeholder’s shoes and discuss solutions for food system’s problems.
1 - Becoming aware
Food exhibition
We propose a circuit of pop-up exhibitions in the main cities of the country. They are mounted in the main squares as a sit-in.
The exhibition is based on social objects: objects that represent systemic issues but that become social because they come from the everyday life. The tangibility of the objects helped us to engage people better because of the link that they managed to figure between their daily lives and the material object in front of them and express their deep thoughts. It is a matter talking about food miles as a concept is another matter talking about the same thing but with an avocado as conversation starter rolling in your hands!
The exhibition is based on social objects: objects that represent systemic issues but that become social because they come from the everyday life. The tangibility of the objects helped us to engage people better because of the link that they managed to figure between their daily lives and the material object in front of them and express their deep thoughts. It is a matter talking about food miles as a concept is another matter talking about the same thing but with an avocado as conversation starter rolling in your hands!
The display of the social objects at the WIP show at the RCA.
2 - Getting informed
Food quiz
Pubs are a very common get-together place in the Uk and quizzes are the most common entertainment tool! Being extremely accessible, we created our own pub quiz with three rounds (British food facts, Food and Environment, Food and Health) alternated with activities that help to gather people’s priorities.
The quiz informs through questioning: each of the questions present a scene that it is uncommon but we made sure that with some gut you could get them all right!
The quiz informs through questioning: each of the questions present a scene that it is uncommon but we made sure that with some gut you could get them all right!
Testing the quiz at a local pub.
3 - Becoming critical
Big Food - From
field to fork
Big Food is a board game we designed to involve teenagers in British high schools. Each student would impersonate a character (either the Government, Farmers, Supermarkets or Tech industry) and address problems from field to fork by using the character-specific action cards. Participants will present their solution and then vote for the one they considered the best among everybody’s. Impersonating a specific stakeholder obliges the participants to be critical as they approach each problem.
Kiyo facilitates the game testing.
Acknowledgements
PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS
Methods:
- Exhibition design
- Idea pitching
- Collaboration scoping
At the end of the project, we can happily say that was a very good one! We presented it at RCA twice: to our tutors during the final presentation as well as during the general Work In Progress Show hold by the whole school.
We had the pleasure to present it back to Policy Lab who commissioned the piece in the first place. The team showed their appreciation and interest for the approach and solution.
Finally we have had the pleasure to be invited to present our solution to the National Food Strategy team itself! The team's Head, Tacsim, liked in particular the game and we are working on the management of the idea ownership!
Our stand at the WIP show.
While presenting to Policy Lab at the Cabinet Office.
We presented to the NFS team in one of their away-day at the Vauxhall City Farm.