8 PLATES
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Design
Strategy
8 PLATES WAS CREATED WITH THE INTENTION OF HELPING multi-cultural young PEOPLE in nyc BECOME MORE IN TOUCH WITH THEIR OWN CULTURE SO THAT THEY COULD BETTER TRANSMIT THEIR CULTURAL HERITAGE & TRADITIONS.
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PROCESS/
I had to experiment with multiple prototypes and adjust my implementation method based on user feedback and overseeing the entire process. The implementation method that I landed on was creating a dinner event and call it 8 plates, because there will be 8 dinner guests and every guest brings a different plate. The dinner guests are told to bring a dish that reminds them of their heritage and identity to share with each other. They’re also told ahead of time to ask relatives questions about any family history they may not already know about. Then, they use the prompt cards that I made to get the conversation flowing and in the right direction. The way that I made these cards has the dinner prerequisites starting off as the drinks. From there, the easier questions will be under the appetizer cards, aka the starters. The dinner cards hold the questions that start to become deeper, with the dessert cards having the deepest and most personal questions being asked on them. In doing this, the flow of the conversation lines up with the actual dinner itself, making sure the guests can get to know each other and share their stories but at a pace that is comfortable and natural for everyone.
My stakeholders responded very well to the dinner party concept once they had the cards to guide the direction of the conversation more. this one achieved my goal of getting people to ask questions about their own culture to older generation family members to then go on and share these cultural scars to other people so they can build connections. In doing this, my stakeholders also shared that they learned a lot about themselves.
IMPACT/
The measure of success for this project was based on how the users felt after the implementation method. I wanted to know how they felt in regards to their identity and communication with their community and others. I came into this project with the expectation that it would overall create more empathy in the world. I wanted people to be able to connect with older generations, understand themselves and their culture, and successfully create a community with others where they could express who they are, share their culture and values, and bond with people from all different backgrounds.
The research included gathering feedback from users after the dinner party process. I asked if they had felt more connected with their community and personal identity, almost all of the users reporting that they did.
This project was successful in terms of making people feel more comfortable and connecting them with their community. I found that many people generally enjoy sharing about their heritage, as it provides a sense of identity, connection to their ancestors, and a way to proudly showcase their cultural background and unique stories; often finding fulfillment in educating others about where they come from.
