The theme of Scouts Design Conference Interventions 2024 was Collide. A creative collision like no other. Where ideas collide with unprecedented force, where boundaries break, and where creativity knows no bounds. Along with this theme, we had three tracks guided our activities, speakers, and conversations.
Each track had a title and a question that we were answering throughout our event.
Collide with Impact: How might we embrace the collision of differences to enact a shift in mindset?
Collide between disciplines: How might we design to shape our collective resilience?
Collide unexpectedly: How might we leverage unconventional and emergent technologies to transcend our limitations?
My job as a UX designer was to enforce the Interventions mission and create an experience that emulated Collide.
We began in the brainstorming stage, using Figma to create mood boards for the projects we would take on moving forward.
We were in charge of designing the registration setup, swag bags, tabletoppers, decorations for the whole area, the stage set-up, wayfinding, and events/installations. For some of the projects, we made decisions together, and for others, we split up to work more efficiently.
Once we moved out of the brainstorming stage, each of the UX team members was tasked with separate projects. I began working with the Swag Bags. Originally I created an ideal Swag bag, not keeping a budget in mind as much. Instead I focused on the average persona who would be visiting our conference and what they would be texted to see in their Swag Bag. I then translated the "ideal" swag bag into something more reasonable within our budget constraints.
I got pretty creative with our Swag Bags as we need to DIY some of our projects. Using my previous knowledge about laser cutting, I pitched the idea of using laser cut sheets of acrylic to make unique keychains. This idea made it out of the brainstorming stage and into the swag bag. Pictured are they final keychains and a glimpse into the assembly process.
Other members of the UX team focused on an Installation and a VR filter workshop.
My most impactful contribution to the conference was a gameshow workshop. The gameshow was a way to instill our Collide mission while creating an engaging event.
We practiced design ideation skills in a gameshow format, but with a twist. To infuse Collide we used the ideation game to think interdisciplinary and outside of the box. The game show was called Spinnovations. Three volunteers spun a wheel to receive a random profession and then had 1.5 minutes to come up with any new idea for that profession. Then the participants spun a wheel to receive a product that did not relate to the previous profession. They came up with a combination of the two and then were tasked with pitching their ideas to the room. Participants practiced working interdisciplinary, ideating, and pitching their ideas to an audience - all essential skills for designers.
The Interventions team was in charge of setting up and taking down the layout and decorations. The most exciting part was watching all of the pieces we had dreamed up come to life!
As UX designers we ensured that the 2024 Inverventions Conference: Collide enabled exploration, built community, inspired impact, and facilitated growth.
Enabling exploration - unlocking creative potential, reconnecting with our passion and strengthening our voices as designers.
Creating community building and strengthening connections among designers, and communities beyond.
Inspiring impact - creating a space to identify individual values and how to utilize them to design with impact.
Facilitating growth - encouraging conversations about personal growth in design.
