Community-Based Succession in the Wildland Urban Interface
Product: Resilient Futures is an innovative physical and digital tool designed for collaborative land and community wildfire disaster planning.
Role: 'Resilient Futures' was designed as part of two-person Masters's thesis project where roles were split evenly.
Skills: User experience research, trauma-informed digital and in-person interviewing, insights synthesis
Tools: Figma for content design, Spline Design for digital product design, Miro for collaboration, Laser-cutter for physical product design, Google Sheets for organization and project management
User Research
Our design process involved extensive needfinding, centering engagement with stories of subject matter experts, secondhand experiences, and firsthand experiences of wildfire risk planning and/or wildfire events.
We conducted over 30 interviews across varying demographics.
We identified leading tension between expressions of independence and individuality, and the desire for community cohesion, alignment, and support in these Wildland-Urban interface communities.
Prototype
Product Package
Our end-product enables community members to gather and reconstruct a tabletop or digital representation of their town, fostering a comprehensive understanding of wildfire risks and identifying opportunities for improvement through interactive board remodeling.
The tool provides scenario cards to introduce planning constraints and role cards to facilitate an understanding of diverse community perspectives. Utilizing the accompanying instruction and facilitation manual, participants can navigate planning meetings effectively and develop actionable steps for implementation.
Resilient Futures empowers communities to create resilient towns capable of withstanding wildfires, promoting productive discussions, informed decision-making, and a strengthened sense of unity.
