Social Work Student Leads Launch of Design for America Studio at FSU
As a macro-minded undergraduate social work student, Cassidy Lewis was on a lookout for opportunities to hone her skills at Florida State in 2018. With the guidance of BSW Program Director Pam MacDill, Cassidy connected with Ken Baldauf at the FSU Innovation Hub and learned about the opportunity with Design for America.
A program developed at Northwestern University School of Engineering, Design for America (DFA) uses human-centered design to create sustainable social impact. DFA encourages multidisciplinary student groups to address complex social challenges within their communities; with over 40 campus studios across the U.S., DFA has an expansive capacity for change.
The first, pilot DFA project out of Northwestern, “Jerry, the Bear,” exemplifies DFA’s innovative design process. Designed by students, the stuffed bear educates pediatric patients about the causes and treatment of their chronic illnesses with a patient-oriented education and care project is now utilized in hospitals across the United States and served as a model for the mission of Design for America
FSU Innovation Hub was looking to bring DFA to FSU’s campus. Ken Baldauf lead the charge to engage with multiple campus partners to send five students to Northwestern University to learn about the program, mission, and the principles of design in the Fall of 2018. Within a few weeks, Cassidy found herself heading to Chicago to network with more than 100 student leaders from DFA campus studios across the country.
Leadership summit participants learned about the six steps of the DFA design process – identify, immerse, reframe, ideate, test, build. The first phase of the process identifies a challenge, or problem space within a community develops further understanding of the challenge and those experiencing it through immersive research involving community stakeholders and users, leading to the reframing of the original problem space utilizing new insights. The second phase involves rapid brainstorming and collaborative idea sharing among community partners and stakeholders, a prototype build of a proposed solution, and testing of the prototype with the user. Like the reframing process, students integrate user feedback to refine their initial ideas or build new ones. While this process may appear linear, the process is exceptionally iterative and involves users and stakeholders at every stage.
After learning about the concept, which was very student-centered, the five FSU students were tasked with bringing the innovative program to FSU. As the studio lead, Cassidy has maintained the communication and connection between DFA national and the FSU studio to launch the studio this year fully.
“What is great about the DFA model is that there is very low fidelity. There’s nothing to lose in the process. Very few resources are needed, and it is more about a process of constant ideation, reframe, and user experience; we can create innovative solutions because we encourage new, out of the box ideas,” Cassidy stressed about the DFA studio concept and approach. “When you involve community members throughout the design process, you receive ongoing feedback on whatever idea or concept is tested to ensure the solutions are based on human experience rather than our own assumptions. The DFA design process gives all individuals a voice in solution building; we design alongside individuals experiencing challenges, rather than for them. We strongly emphasize that while low-fidelity and these are not pet projects, these solutions address real challenges and include real people.
Since the decision to establish the DFA studio at FSU, participating students quickly established a network of support with their advisors, a crucial step in founding the studio. Advisors include Ken Baldolf, founder and director of FSU Innovation Hub; Dave Montez, associate director of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Engagement, Shane Whittington, program coordinator at the Center for Leadership and Social Change; and, Bruce Manciagli, Social Entrepreneur in Residence at the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy.
With these benchmarks in place, DFA – FSU planned and implemented a design sprint in January, introducing FSU campus and students to the program and design process. Through the design sprint, the FSU studio could identify a strong campus partner and focus of its project, Peace Jam Southeast.
Cassidy and the DFA team collaborated with Peace Jam Southeast to identify problem spaces in the FSU community and brainstorm solutions to narrow down the focus of the studio during the spring semester. The sprint ran through all six steps of the design process within three hours, ending with one idea to build, test, and present as the pilot project to DFA National.
To become a verified Design for America studio, the team at FSU will present their video on this project to Design for America for approval by leadership summit this August.
“Design for America provides students an opportunity to expand outside of their discipline to pursue a passion for social change and impact,” stated Cassidy. “I believe being involved in DFA offers a unique chance to enhance critical thinking, leadership, and professional development. The skills I have gained through DFA are widely applicable within every field, but especially in social work.”
Once fully launched, the team plans to engage with a variety of partners across campus. For the Fall, DFA is planning a design event alongside the Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families, and Children, the Innovation Hub, and IBM focused on innovative solution-building within child welfare. “With our next event, I hope we can maintain a social work focus while engaging a diverse group of the student body. I am extremely excited about this upcoming partnership.”
Cassidy plans to continue her involvement in Design for America at FSU in a consolatory role as she wraps up her undergraduate degree this year before moving on to pursue her Master’s in social work at Florida State. She plans to pursue the MSW Social Leadership pathway, carrying with her the skills and ideas learned from DFA. She recognized how the design-focused principles in DFA changed her way of approaching social work and client-focused social work practice, with an understanding that innovation is possible in a range of fields in ways that are responsible, respectful and build up communities.
To learn more about Design for America at FSU, visit their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DFAatFSU/) or contact Ken Baldauf at kbaldauf@fsu.edu.
