SOLAR BUDDY TEAM 15: SUNDOWN
Throughout the intensive, our team implemented many design theories, processes, and techniques in order to come up with our final solution Sundown. Learning about Solar poverty and the work that Solar Buddy does was incredibly eye-opening for all of us, and our newfound connection to the cause really helped drive us to create a solution which aligned with the brief and that we were overall really proud of.
At the beginning of the project, we were all quite overwhelmed with the task ahead. To help narrow down the problem we spent the first half-day researching, brainstorming and mind mapping. Taking the time to really understand the problem and the brief whilst scoping out a variety of potential solutions really helped us to get a hold of what we were doing and what directions we could go in. On the second day we had a light-bulb moment which led us to our final concept; stadiums. We spent the day exploring different ideas, pitching to other groups, and then settling and continuing to refine our final solution. Receiving feedback and pitching to other groups and tutors really helped us to think of all the pros and cons of our idea and helped us to make our solution even stronger. On the final day we tied everything up, refining a tiny bit more, writing our script and making the PowerPoint imagery for our presentation. We were all quite nervous to present our idea to Simon and the solar buddy team but overall were really happy with what we presented, and we hope they loved our idea as much as we did!
Solar Buddy Challenged us to answer the following question:
HOW MIGHT WE tackle the issues of energy poverty globally by raising awareness through interactive, immersive public experiences for people of all ages, across a range of demographics?
How can our solution be an agent of change? When starting this project, non of our team had ever heard of energy poverty, and we know that we aren't the only ones. Upon researching energy poverty and the work you do at Solar Buddy, your dream of alleviating energy poverty, quickly became ours. We wanted to develop a solution which not only created an impact but would be guaranteed to reach thousands and if not millions of people, so that understanding energy poverty simply becomes general knowledge.
Every week, stadiums and other large venues are packed with people. People who likely don't have a clue what energy poverty is. These are the perfect spaces to raise awareness of such a critical issue. This is where we asked ourselves; "In a stadium or large event environment, how might we help people empathise with those effected by energy poverty, inspiring them to become aware of the issue and donate to Solar Buddy?" As a consequence, our final idea can take place in stadiums, at sporting events, concerts; big or small.
At its core our idea, Sundown, aims to surprise, educate and inspire the people who are attending these events. The example we will be using today is how our solution would be implemented into a stadium sporting event.
Imagine. It is half time at the AFL grand final. You are sitting there with your friends and suddenly all the main lights shut off. Food and drinks stop being served and your intrigue and confusion sets in. As 60 of seconds pass, small solar buddy lights pop up over the stadium and on the field, a voice comes on explaining "this is how millions of people live every day due to energy poverty". A short video follows on the stadium screens, showing the effects of energy poverty effecting children's sporting opportunities and their education along with the positive impact solar buddy has on these children lives, allowing them to have the time to fit in all those extracurricular activities that we take for granted. As the stadium lights slowly come back on, you are left to think about the whats happened, what you have learnt and as you are leaving the event you have the opportunity to donate via physical donations, eftpos or even simply take a pamphlet with a QR code.
This short but impactful disruption will demand everyones attention. Depending on the event with TV viewers and stadium crowd combined, the number of people experiencing the disruption could exceed millions and at the very least, people will be left with a sense of surprise along with the words 'energy poverty' or 'solar buddy' in the backs of their minds. At sporting events particularly, there is such a wide range of demographics that will be impacted.
