Savannah
Solarfest

As a part of my studies in Design Management, I had the opportunity to take an incredible course on Design Innovation: Planning & Implementation. The course focused the design process from ideation to implementation following the British Design Council's Double Diamond Design process. I was placed in a small team and we went through each of the four phases — Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. The course challenged us to seek out a design opportunity for us to meet.

Discover: In this phase, we conducted extensive research into global trends, local community needs, and potential areas for our project direction. We played around with different potential industries to focus on, considering fashion, food & beverage, tourism, and of course the one we decided to go with, sustainable energy. Through our research we found that Georgia ranks second nationally in solar manufacturing and fifth in installations making it a locally significant topic to us which would provide us the access for primary research participants.

Define: After selecting the sustainable energy industry, we needed to conduct primary research to understand the specific needs and challenges faced by the Savannah community regarding solar energy adoption. We conducted interviews, surveys, and observational studies to gather insights that would inform our project direction. Our primary research showed us that while many people were curious about renewable energy, they weren't sure how to become involved or where to get started in learning more. This provided us the perspective that many people are in fact interested, but the current education and engagement methods are not resonating with the community.

Develop: In this phase, we brainstormed and prototyped various solutions to address the community's needs. We wanted to find ways to educate in a way that is engaging for all ages. Based on our primary research, the Savannah community enjoyed activity based events that get them outside interacting with eachother. Inspired by other Savannah festivals like the Sidewalk Art Festival and the Sand Art Festival, we conceptualized Solarfest, a community event centered around solar energy education and engagement. It would include games, food, and local solar businesses educating attendees about the benefits and practicalities of solar energy adoption. We then tested our ideas with focus groups to get feedback on what was resonating, and what could use tweaking.

Deliver: In the final phase, we refined our Solarfest concept based on feedback from our focus groups. We developed a comprehensive event plan, including marketing strategies, partnerships with local businesses, and a detailed schedule of activities. We presented our final project to a panel of industry experts and received positive feedback on the feasibility and potential impact of Solarfest. They also provided valuable insight on how the learnings from this project could translate to our future careers. Overall, this project was an incredible learning experience that allowed me to apply design thinking principles to a real-world challenge. It reinforced the importance of user-centered design and the power of collaboration in creating meaningful solutions.