For our Reboot project, funded by Grant for the Web, we worked on creating best-in-class design education, expanding our global reach and experimenting with Web Monetisation — Project Update Our Design Club: Reboot project came to an end in December, after 14 months. Starting in October 2020, the $15,000 funding we received from Grant for the Web has proved invaluable — it’s been crucial in helping us develop a hybrid model for inspiring the next generation of design thinkers.

Uma and Ken from Multiverse ran an online design thinking course for apprentices, built with Design Club resources. — Tell us a bit about you Uma Odedra: I’m a user experience researcher at Multiverse. I’m also really interested in design thinking — which is why we align really well with Design Club. I often end up running workshops in design thinking, crazy 8s, that sort of thing. Ken Day: I’m a product designer at Multiverse…

It’s been a frustrating year, but we’ve made progress. Here’s what we’ve been working on — and plans for the rest of 2021. — Ongoing projects Grant for the web We won funding from Grant for the Web back in September 2020. This money has been fantastic, enabling us to create new materials, explore remote delivery and reconnect with our mentor community. In the next few weeks we’ll be further exploring Web Monetisation — through Coil — and sharing our…

The children have been prototyping social apps. We tested out a new activity — reflecting on how these apps make money and the implications for users. — I’m back in the classroom, running a Design Club for 11–13 year olds in west London. Here’s what happened when we tested out a new worksheet: Explore how apps make money. New term We started the term with an app design mini project (A3), so kids can get an idea of how…

We’re nearing the end of “Design Club: Reboot”, our project funded by Grant for the Web. Here’s a progress report. — Last September we were thrilled to win $15,000 funding from Grant for the Web after the pandemic had forced us to pause clubs in early 2020. Of course, we were keen to reboot Design Club and this new funding has been crucial in helping us explore hybrid delivery. What we’ve done Rebuilt the…

We had our first Show and Tells this week. From Facebook Groups to Slack to Coda, it’s been great to see what our 6 charity partners have created so far. — We had our first Show and Tells this week. It was good for everyone to hear what others have been up to. And nice for people to share their progress, experience and any anxieties in a safe community of practice (at least, we hope it’s starting to feel that way)!

This week was about working out the devil in the detail as our 6 charities prepare for their first Show and Tells next Thursday. — The needs of the 6 charities working on the Communities — Definition programme are different but the common thread running through all is the need to focus on developing and nurturing communities. At the start of the programme we sent all 6 charities a copy of Get Together, an awesome…

This week we asked charities to work up their skateboard ideas. Needs are very different but everyone is supporting each other. — Last week we asked our 6 charities to start thinking about their skateboard — a small but working prototype they can build to test their assumptions. A skateboard isn’t complicated — it’s something simple that gets users from A to B. Although a skateboard sounds easy, it can take a…

Weeknotes from SIDE Labs after our working session last Friday — I think all of us felt a massive shift this week because: (1) The weather — suddenly it’s actual Spring. It was nice to see my dog gambolling through the crocuses in the sunshine at lunchtime. (2) The Government finally announced a roadmap out of lockdown on Monday. …