Get full access to the Discovery Report.
#WodenExperiment is a six-month furniture installation to activate Woden Town Square in Canberra. The aim is to bring more life and joy to this public space for its community.
The project is lead by Street Furniture Australia in partnership with the ACT Government. It began in early 2018 with a 6-week long Discovery phase, to dive deep into the Woden community’s thoughts, feelings and needs.
Following the Discovery phase, which sets up the project brief, Context Landscape Design is working on the design concept for the activation. Research partners will help quantify the effect of the transformation.
The Discovery journey was essential for establishing a user-centred design for this project. The Woden community generously engaged with our surveys in the square and online via StreetChat and the #WodenExperiment Facebook Page, and contributed to a workshop held at Woden Library.
The project was spoken about on ABC Radio Canberra’s Drive program with Jolene Laverty, and presented in the ACT Legislative Assembly by Chris Steel MLA.
During the six weeks we observed journeys to and across the square, researched the history of the place, and engaged with key local stakeholders.
All of these activities and research were distilled into six user personas to represent the majority of people who currently visit or pass through Woden square: the Time Out-er, Office Worker, Mum, Retiree, Wanderer and Student.
Issues and opportunities were extrapolated from the survey and workshop participants’ experiences and wishlist. The grand challenge for the activation will be to address:
- The microclimate, by homifying the place.
- ‘Grey’-ness, by adding wow factor.
- Limited activities with a design that provides many reasons to stay.
- Safety by fostering community ownership and activation across the day and week.
- Disconnection, by adding wayfinding and technology.
The full journey and findings so far are available in our 67-page Discovery report, ready to view or download now via this form:
Keep up with #WodenExperiment news by joining StreetChat, our monthly e-newsletter. New and existing subscribers can enter our Win A Smart Watch competition until August 30, 2018.
You can also follow the #WodenExperiment Facebook Page.
