Could the field of architecture benefit from adopting well-established practices commonly seen in the world of Design? While working for ArtefactOne, this is the question that we set out to answer together with MAPP, an architectural studio in Colombia, trying to adopt a more user-centred approach to their practices by including their users early on in the design process.
MAPP was having trouble with a large corporate project as the concept was stagnating amidst diverging viewpoints and a fast-approaching deadline to present a proposal. We facilitated the introduction of a design thinking approach by adapting the first three days of a Design Sprint that would allow the team to go back to basics, reframe the problem, and come up with solutions, quickly. This approach was very successful, allowing the team to find their focus again due to the well-structured methodolody and to align on what was really important for the project to succeed.
During the design process of a new university campus in Bogota, MAPP wanted to involve the eventual end-users in the creative process, however, due to covid-19 restrictions during the time, it was impossible to do so. We helped design, organize, and carry out fully remote co-creation workshops including the team of architects, university staff, and faculty members. The workshops were an absolute success and the team was praised for their resourcefulness to include users even during strong social distancing restrictions.