Sweet Auburn: A Birthplace of Ideas

During my junior year, I took a graduate level Interaction Design & Social Justice course titled “Sweet Auburn: A Birthplace of Ideas”.

My team worked to create a more interactive experience for the Elementary and Middle School students who were visiting The King Center and the Visitor Center on Auburn Avenue.

Problem: Lack of engagement from students visiting the historical sites.

Users: Elementary and Middle School students visiting Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, GA.

Our solution: Create and provide an interactive puzzle booklet for students to have

Phase one:

                                                                    During Phase One , we had only observed Auburn Avenue once. From our visit, we thought about the specific spots of interest and                                                                   thought creating a momento for these visits would become commonly used.

We had only observed Auburn Avenue once. From our visit, we thought about the specific spots of interest and thought creating a memento for these visits would become commonly used.

Phase two:

During Phase Two , we came up with the idea to create receipts that would clue visitors to sights of interest. We liked the feasibility of this idea and thought it would become widely used.

We came up with the idea to create receipts that would clue visitors to sights of interest. We liked the feasibility of this idea and thought it would become widely used.

Phase three:

During Phase Three , we understood a key piece that we were missing for our idea... a goal.  We realized that for the participants to stay interested, they needed a goal. With this in mind, we designed a mural that would be completed through active participation of several visitors.

We understood a key piece that we were missing for our idea… a goal. We realized that for the participants to stay interested, they needed a goal. With this in mind, we designed a mural that would be completed through active participation of several visitors.

During Phase Four,  we found our project. We were visiting at a time in which ten school buses lined up around Auburn Avenue. With the King Center and being a historical district, Auburn Avenue was one of the most common visits for elementary and middle schools. We took note of the lack of engagement of the students, and decided to design something that would create a more interactive visit for the students and teachers.

Phase four:

We found our project. We were visiting at a time in which ten school buses lined up around Auburn Avenue. With the King Center and being a historical district, Auburn Avenue was one of the most common visits for elementary and middle schools. We took note of the lack of engagement of the students, and decided to design something that would create a more interactive visit for the students and teachers. As a group, we designed a scavenger hunt for students to complete during their visit. We kept in mind the interest and abilities of students, as well as the layout of the museums they would be visiting. We were lucky to have our professor's son to user test our prototype, which allowed us to improve on specific aspects, such as difficulty of questions and timing.

As a group, we designed a scavenger hunt for students to complete during their visit. We kept in mind the interest and abilities of students, as well as the layout of the museums they would be visiting. We were lucky to have our professor’s son to user test our prototype, which allowed us to improve on specific aspects, such as the difficulty of questions and timing.