Fifteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

This paper follows a collaboration between a small group of Auburn University (USA) graphic design students and a small group of students within an Alabama correctional facility named Staton. The reason for the collaboration was to solve a communication challenge with the Staton students as the target audience and idea generators, and the Auburn students to interpret the ideas and produce visual assets. The project’s aim was to engage students of very limited resources with students possessing abundant resources in solving a design challenge. Both student groups had the same design thinking instructor who facilitated the process as a case study. Working back and forth in an iterative process, solutions where developed with results that would not be considered innovative. The study reveals how innovative problem solving can be hampered by limited communication, resources, and flexibility.