CONTEXT

Along with design thinking, the course of Project Facilitation Studio focused on the role of psychological safety in effective team collaboration to understand and give form to new team dynamics and workflows. I worked in a team of 2; we developed community agreements and did some fun team-building activities before starting this passion project. We began the project with the question:

What if access to the James Webb telescope was universal?

HYPOTHESIS

Access to the James Webb Telescope is limited. After some initial research, we see that most contributors to the effort are concentrated in Northern America and Europe. This lack of inclusive access limits the concept of open scientific collaboration that drives humanity forward. Visual storytelling can enhance access to the information and experiences provided by the James Webb Space Telescope. It would then spur scientific education along with discovery.

What would some of the positive outcomes be?

More scientific discovery and collaboration
Increase in interest in astronomy and STEM
Clarity and information for aspiring astronomers worldwide

How could we progress towards this reality?

Utilize various forms of visual storytelling to increase access worldwide
AR/VR open source experiences
Immersive experiences that travel

VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS

The value that we intend to provide and possible delivery methods.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY

We believe that stories are powerful. Stories help us understand, connect with others, and remember things. We conducted a community engagement activity to learn about science classroom stories. Here are the three prompts we gave to our peers:
• What was your favorite school science project?
• What were the least/most challenging science concepts to understand?
• What made it so easy, and what made it so hard?

OPPORTUNITY

Designing interactive and innovative educational experiences and activities around the James Webb Telescope (JWST) that are equitable and accessible to children in underserved regions of the world and help spark children's curiosity in STEM and space exploration topics.

SIGNIFICANCE

• Increase interest and participation in STEM from underserved regions to help bring diverse voices together to solve the challenging voices of the future.
• Increase the 4Cs of 21st-century skills in children - critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration essential for their holistic development.

GOALS

The primary goal of this project is to develop a low-cost educational toolkit around the James Webb Telescope that is accessible to educators, schools, and organizations worldwide, and they can quickly adapt it to help foster scientific inquiry around space exploration and cultivate children's interest in STEM.

KEY QUESTIONS

• How might we create the wonder of seeing the universe as we have never seen it before without access to the "real" JWST?
• How might we design a low-cost, immersive solution that simulates the experience of looking through the JWST?

VISUALISATION

Possible means of facilitating outcomes

DESIGN

• An open-source platform to provide access to space exploration for all
• Community-driven engagement to create collaborative experiences
• Access to data and resources to drive open scientific experimentation and collaboration

LEARNINGS

Through synthesis, I discovered the power of seeing beyond individual data points to identify recurring themes and pain points. It's like solving a puzzle where each piece, when connected, reveals a clearer picture of user needs.

This process has taught me to not just collect information but to extract meaningful insights. It's about turning scattered data into actionable strategies that drive user-centric design decisions. Synthesis has become my lens to craft more impactful and intuitive experiences.