Final assignment   Visualization

Challenge

Manchay is a poor place, located in Lima, Peru. The first time I arrived there I, immediately,  realized how many children were there and also how their parents let them spend almost all  the day on the street, without any worry (because they need to work hard to earn enough  money to maintain the family).

That was not only a risk for children, but also a waste of time, because they were full of  energy, ideas and skills that were not being developed or capitalized to do something in  favour of theirselfs, their families or, even, their community.

That is why some friends and I decided to start a project to generate a change, but we did  not want a project designed by us, we wanted to motivate people to design and manage their  own one.

Selection

Visualization is, I regard, the essential tool of Design Thinking, because is the one who let  us to realize the complexity of the situation we are facing and also the one who let us to  identify that details which can make the difference in our proposal. Visualization tools take  us to apprehending the challenge, transforming it we perceive into something that can be  seen, can be “touched” and, finally, improved.

I chose this for my challenge, because, as the designer Janine Ma says, visualization  also helps to make sure that all people has understood the same. And it is particularly  important on my challenge, because what I finally wanted is that people of Manchay assumed  the leadership of the solution we created together, so I needed that everybody can realized  the whole situation and its wealth, improvement opportunities and complexity.

Application

To start, I spent a week taking pictures of the place, of the kids, adults and also of the physical  space. Then, I also asked everybody to write or draw on a paper wall what they want for  theirselfs and for their community. And, finally, I asked them to say why they thought they  could not achieve their goals.

Some days after, I asked people to come and order all the material I have collected before,  making groups based on similiarity. Pictures showed how lonely children were and how they  spent many hours getting bored on the street. Other pictures showed how dirty the place was  and how it had a lot of spaces full of garbage. Also we, surprisingly, discovered that kids and

adults wanted exactly the same: a healthy place with happy people, working and having fun  together. And also they both did not know what to do to achieve their goals and felt they do  not have enough money to do anything.

At the end of the journal, the material was divided in three groups: Reality – Dreams –  Obstacles to overcome. On one side, the original situation and things to improve (public

cleaning, children loneliness, etc.). In the middle, all they want for their lifes. And on the last  side, a list of things to be changed.

I am totally sure it works, because this overview of the situation allowed everybody to know  what their peers want and, therefore, to realized that, as a community, exist a common goal.  And, specially, helped us to make connections and understand, deeply, the situation and be  able to propose solutions (that all the time was in front of us).

Insight

During the process, I have learnt that visualization contributes to share our ideas and  knowledge and to articulate it with others’. That is the reason why I think this process is not  only to “see” or understand something, it is also about creation, it is about creating a richer  common vision.

I also appreciate how useful this tool could be. Given that it is based on graphics and  schemes, it is suitable for everybody –kids, teenagers, adults, adults who cannot read or  write and others-.

Approach

The next time, for similar purposes, I am quite sure that I will select the same tool, because

it made people to touch their problems and also its solution, to take their problems, fears,

dreams and, over all, their opportunities for change down to the earth. But what I would

change is the way I used it. I would not ask people to write or draw their thinkings, I would

ask also to talk about them, so they can organize and recognize some topics better.

Victoria Horton

Lima, Peru

