Connecting the Dots in Boston

The Activities @ South Station, Boston on 11.12.2009

The Food Challenge

Designing for change in our food culture starts with analysis of how people choose their foods. What are the challenges today in trying to eat healthy while sustaining our local farms and the economy of our local food system?

• What’s in a label: We'll discover how usable our food labels really are and how much people depend on it when choosing what they buy.
• Slicing an Apple: We'll dissect what information people really need to make decisions by slicing the apple into categories of information around sourcing an apple in New England.

Mobility in Boston - Alternative Transportation

Being at South Station, we’ll look to gather the usability of those Charlie Card machines by conducting micro-ethnographic research and find out how usable alternate means of transportation really is in Boston and what needs drive people’s behavior 

• Collapse this bike: Try out assembling and disassembling a collapsible bike
• Alternative Routes: Find a safe bike route and walk-able neighborhoods

Recycling – Waste or Art?

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – we’ve heard the 3R’s and this year we’ll invite the public to tell us what they consider waste and why. Which tactics work change behavior – scare or fun? 

• The Trash Sort Challenge: How accurately do you sort faux trash when you’re rushing against the clock?
• Design My Recycle Bin: We’ll run a comparative survey of recycle bin designs then invite the public to participate in designing better recycling bins.
• Recycling as Art: We’ll look at artists around the world for inspiration on what we can do to give products a second life.

DIY - Design It Yourself

• Have you ever fixed a broken appliance yourself? Or, have you ever taken apart something that was beyond repair to reuse the components? If so, you can consider yourself a DIY-er. Consumer items can be designed for easier servicing and repurposing - just as they can be designed for for improved usability... or, they can be designed for a limited lifespan. Which one would you rather buy?
• Take it apart: suggest novel uses for components of a familiar home appliance. Design it better: identify ways to create a similar appliance that is more usable, durable, and built in a more sustainable manner.

Healthcare

“Green” products are more than just trend; they create real benefits for users and manufacturers. Learn about using life-cycle assessment to understand the environmental impacts of medical products over the course of their lifetime.

• How Research Informs Usable and Sustainable Designs: We’ll share examples of how we’ve applied sustainable strategies in medical product development 
• What Do You Think?: Here is your chance to weigh in, stop by to help us create a wall of opinions and ideas about the usability and sustainability of products in your life. 

Stay tuned for more activies on Accessibility...