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Communicating Ideas

Course Details

Name: Communicating Ideas

Dates: Multiple Times

Faculty: Pablo Zuloaga Betancourt

Tandem Interview - Carlos

Before starting to interview Carlos about his projects, I had an idea of his project but was interested in learning more about the scale and scope of impact he is trying to make. I know he is interested in health care and soft robotics and likely eventually will want to start a company. Therefore, the questions I asked were about the scale of impact he wants to have and the specific goals he has for himself.

Question

  • What is the area of impact that you are interested in?
  • Do you have a particular alternative present you are going to try to move towards with your interventions?
  • What is your end goal for the projects? Long term and at the end of this course.
  • Is there any important information we have not yet covered?


After the interview, I think a question I would have liked to ask is about which skills he is interested in developing further in this course. He touched on it a bit, but I think that I could have dug deeper on the specific things he needs to learn to reach his goals. I think this would have been a valuable line of questioning.

Tandem Interview - Reflection

After Carlos interviewed me, I felt I had a bit more clear idea of my narrative because he asked a challenging question that I have been struggling with. The question was essentially "how do all your different interests and interventions connect?"

The answer I was able to provide was that I am thinking about repair from many different perspectives and trying to open up black boxes to allow people to understand their objects and the systems they are subject to.

In Class - Describe your project

Describe your project in a paragraph

My investigations in the MDEF course have centered around the idea of repair and opening black boxes to increase my understanding (and that of others) about how products and systems that we rarely question actually function. I have done the very hands-on work of repairing clothes, as well as working to repair my habits for using my 5 year old phone to try to make it last one more year. I have started making connections with repair communities in Barcelona, through conversation with people involved in Restart Barcelona and have begun getting my hands dirty by helping in community gardens. I am interested now in looking into how I can repair my own relationship with the algorithms that feed me information and entertainment so that I can take back control over what I am shown by introducing random noise. All of this can be tied together under the umbrella of increasing understanding and interaction with things that are so often designed to be separated from tangibility.

Describe your project in 16 words

Uncovering black boxes of products and systems to increase understanding and ability to repair.

Describe your project in 8 words

Break open black boxes to empower system repair

Project Definition - A Chat with ChatGPT

My Reflections on using Chat

I really did not want to use ChatGPT in general. I struggle with

https://deteapot.com/chatgpts-carbon-footprint-how-much-energy-does-your-ai-prompt-really-use

The Chat

Great! Let's dive in. Here's my first question for you:

1. What is the core idea or concept behind your project, and what specific problem does it aim to solve?

I am hoping to up a conversation about repair and understanding of how systems and products or objects work to allow people to engage more with their owned objects and to learn to repair them without resorting to buying new and increasing mass global consumption. I hope to address the issues of over-consumption and challenge people to act and think more for themselves.

That's a powerful and timely goal! Let’s explore further.

2. Who is your target audience, and how do you envision them engaging with your project?

My target audience is not yet fully defined, this is partly because I have too many projects happening all at once. I am hoping to engage with people who are already interested in repair but maybe do not yet know how to repair. I am hoping there will be active interaction, engaging in physical space with the projects I am presenting. I hope to start conversations but also allow people to gain practical skills in repair and demystifying black boxes

This gives a great sense of who you're aiming to reach. Let's move on.

3. What makes your project unique compared to other initiatives focused on sustainability or repair?

I will engage in conversations that bring together different fields, from engineering and hardware technology to textile and woven repair to understanding global systems of how information and materials are shared around the world.

That multidisciplinary approach sounds intriguing! Let’s go a bit deeper.

4. What specific impact or change would you like to see as a result of your project?

More people repairing their objects and buying less.

That's a clear and impactful goal. Now, let's get into some practical aspects.

5. What are some of the key activities or experiences you plan to offer people as part of your project (workshops, demonstrations, tools, etc.)?

Interactive exhibitions and perhaps workshops to learn how to repair and to engage in conversations about consumption and material goods.

Thanks for sharing those details! Based on your answers, here's a concise project definition for you:

Project Definition:

This project seeks to spark meaningful conversations around repair and sustainable consumption, inviting people to rethink their relationship with material goods. It aims to empower individuals by providing practical repair skills, while also encouraging a deeper understanding of how systems and objects work. By demystifying the "black boxes" of products and materials, the project fosters a sense of agency and self-reliance in repairing everyday items rather than discarding them.

Through interactive exhibitions and hands-on workshops, the project will bridge various fields, from engineering and hardware technology to textile and woven repair. Participants will explore the global systems that shape consumption and production, fostering both knowledge and action. The ultimate goal is to reduce mass global consumption by inspiring individuals to repair their objects and make more thoughtful choices in their consumption habits.

Now, let's refine the purpose of your project using Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle framework.

We’ll start with What:

1. What exactly does your project do, from a practical standpoint?