Research Questions

The self-defined brief of this project were:

• How do the current residents of Gowanus support each other?

• What kind of help do Gowanus residents need?

After a week of scoping, the chosen research strategy for the upcoming Block Party was to collect stories from the past and questions concerning the future.

• Stories of mutual help in the past

• Envision the future community support

Gowanus Block Party Photos (2023).

The problem statement

Gowanus residents often don’t know where to ask for help when they’re in trouble and don’t have the opportunity to talk about it with their neighbors.

There is an existing website for Mutual Aid, but there were three main problems with the efficiency of the website.

    1. Unclear website hierarchy
    2. Complex resource information
    3. Lack of suitable Platforms

Research Analysis from the Block Party (2023).

Problems we found from GMA website (2023).

How might we...

How might we improve GMA (Gowanus Mutual Aid) system to help residents in need have a voice and be heard by those who can help.

Zoom meeting with Gowanus Mutual Aid 

We had the opportunity to present these findings and intial prototypes to the Gowanus Mutual Aid Group on the 28th of November, 2023. Through that meeting, we got helpful feedback such as adding an open collective for the resources map and further developing on the app and hierarchy of the website.

Improved website hierarchy, Visualized resources information, Mutual aid app (2023).

Final Design Outcome