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00
Process
01
Challenge
Initial Challenge
“How can we get a planning survey that matches the needs and problems of local residents in a short period of time?”
In the process of graduation design, we were asked to investigate an 82-square-kilometers ring area of 1 million people in 10 days. We were encouraged to explore the area and chat with more residents to get enough memories and opinions of residents.
Pivot
“In a limited time, we can only choose 6 important factories and 12 residential areas for interviews. Only by manpower planning and research, I realized that the quantity and quality of the results data are difficult to achieve perfection. I had to think differently.”
Through research, even after the renewal of the living area, there is still a huge gap between residents' needs and the environment. The forgetting of historical and cultural buildings, the existence of living problems, and the homogeneity of the factory industry have further confirmed the “communication gap” between residents and planners. This discovery made me shift my focus to addressing the communication gap to more effectively guide the interaction process between residents and planners.
It needs a more humanized and technological approach to solve this problem in Chinese urban planning.
02
Reconstruction
Rethink Urban Planning Process
After discovering the communication gap in Chinese urban planning, I began to read the papers and hoped to find the reasons for this gap. In the paper "Introduction group wisdom into historical planning", the author mentioned that the current urban planning is the result of linear vertical planning dominated by "elite planners", so the irreversible process will certainly cause the public opinion to be hardly unacceptable.Therefore, only by changing the essential structure of urban planning will it be possible for planners to better absorb public opinions.
In order to make such a planning structure possible, I reviewed more papers to update the urban planning workflow and the greatest possible guarantee of the implementation of the flat planning process.
03
Research
After confirming the implementation of the planning process, I need to further confirm the relevant stakeholders in the process, the activities and design goals that can be planned to ensure that the subsequent design process does not deviate from the theme.
Research Methods
Stakeholder Interview
Field Study
Paper analysis / Journal research
In order to fully understand the policies of China's urban planning and updating status, I have reviewed hundreds of related papers and articles which were published in the magazine of City Planning Review and Urban Planning International in the past ten years and deeply analyzed 5 articles and papers
Field Study
Paper analysis / Journal research
In order to fully understand the policies of China's urban planning and updating status, I have reviewed hundreds of related papers and articles which were published in the magazine of City Planning Review and Urban Planning International in the past ten years and deeply analyzed 5 articles and papers
Research Synthesis
After brainstorming, 4 aims and 20 themes stood out in particular.
The project eventually need to form a multi-person participation, multi-form participation and multi-stage participation system in the public participation mechanism.
Determined Direction
I realized that mobile application is the easiest and most effective way to make communication between planners, residents and related people possible.
04
Concept
Development
My concept, which is named Co-city(whose chinese name is 众智成城), is an online urban-issue-centric platform that allows people to discover local items by searching buildings or blocks, help to build the community's planning survey result by posting personal problems and memories, checking the planning project by going through the details and add comments, and connect with designers by the needs of designing new area.When the information released by the residents is collected and shared by the co-urban-planner to the professional urban planner, the most objective and complete urban planning opinions can be formed to solve the “gap” problem.
User Journey
Three major user experience paths of Co-city are sketched out based on user groups, usage incentives, and usage environments.
User Experience
Journey Map for the Co-Urban-Planner
Journey Map for Users(Residents)
05
Prototyping
Based on the journey map, I began to design the mobile app system. I started with creating the app's information architecture and the wireframes to ensure its usability.
Information Architecture
Wireframes
06
User Testing
Our biggest risk for developing this service was adoption from the residents. To further verify our concept, I created and have been testing the low-fi prototype with students and teachers on campus. I made the following design changes to the mobile app:
- Moving the "add" feature into the Explore page so that users can add the right type of content.
- Combining the "urban planning project disclosure" feature with the "knowledge contribution" feature so that users can accurately feedback relevant content for the target project
- Increasing the ability of users to chat with designers to encourage residents and designers to communicate more and make the design results more satisfactory.
- Moving personal pages to "tab bar" make it easier for users to view and manage their own projects and design progress.
From user testing, I also found the need for creating the web version of Cheng Cheng.
- For residents, they want to be able to access the Cheng Cheng platform from the computer side for more comprehensive information.
- For basic urban planners, they hope that they can use a larger screen for information entry, release and collection, which can greatly improve efficiency when they work.
Thus, we prototyped the web application experience as part of the Cheng Cheng system.
Web Wriframes
07
Hi-Fidelity Design
Mobile App
Web App
08
Presentation & Feedback
In the graduation project organized by the China Association of City Planning, I reported my results twice and received the appreciation of the experts. After the report, the experts and I further discussed the implementation of the project, whether it is too idealistic, and who should be responsible for co-urban-planner and other related issues.
Pictures of Presentations & Published Book
09
Future
Consideration
Now, because of urban development and economic development, we may have a hard time giving a perfect solution for the "gap". In the process of scrutiny, I realized that the source and investment of funds, whether a co-urban-planner could be served by professional students, is the next question I need to think about.
Rendering of Using Co-city
I really like this project because my design goal is always to put the residents first.In the future, I hope that there will be a simpler and more attractive way for residents to participate in urban planning, such as setting up 3D models and virtual display interfaces in museums and planning halls to make participation more enjoyable. These are all I need to learn further.
