Final Problem/Purpose Statements with Supporting Assets

·      Introduction/Background Statement

Since 1994, Students for a Free Tibet has been working to help the Tibetan people regain their freedom. Students and youth have played in social justice movement throughout history. Students for a Free Tibet is committed to making the same happen for Tibet and hoping it can inspire the young generation with the spirit.

·      Problem Statement

Students for A Free Tibet lacks in the effective informational strategy to promote the organization to student groups in the Bay Area.

·      Purpose Statement
To create an informational strategy that will better promote the mission and relevance of Students for A Free Tibet to student group in Bay Area.

·      Sub-Problems (4 – 6)

1.     The visibility of Tibetan communities is not as strong as other ethnicity in Bay Area.

2.     Student group lacks for the knowledge of Tibet and the issue between Tibet and China.

3.     Student group lacks the interests of the issue.

4.     The serious political issue between Tibet and China decreases the aspiration of students to learn more about Students for a Free Tibet.

5.      

·      Research Questions/Hypothesis (4-6)

1.     Redesign the current Students for a Free Tibet website so that it will be more interactive and reach out to the students.

2.     Create posters and brochures that will strongly promote Students for A Free Tibet.

3.     Form a series of cultural speech tour of Tibet at the local schools in Bay Area that will inspire them to learn more about Tibet and Students for a Free Tibet.

4.     Organize a cultural program that includes clear and short introduction of Students for A Free Tibet, easy interactive cultural activities and promotional products that will inspire students to get involved with Students for a Free Tibet.

·      Users/Stakeholders/Beneficiaries (names; descriptions; roles – be as specific as possible)

High school students and college students in the Bay Area.

·      Panel of Experts (name; profession/background; significance to your research)

Staff of Students for a Free Tibet http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/

Bay Area Friends of Tibet (BAFoT) http://www.friends-of-tibet.org/

The Tibetan Association Of Northern California (TANC) http://www.tanc.org/

·      Environment/Location/Conditions/Logistics

The strategy will be presented to local high schools, colleges and community centers in Bay area.

Revised final problem and purpose statement

•      Problem Statement
  Students for A Free Tibet lacks in the effective informational strategy to promote the organization to student groups in the Bay Area.
  
•      Purpose Statement
  
  To create an informational strategy that will better promote the mission andrelevance of Student for A Free Tibet to student group in the Bay Area.

Revised Problem and Purpose Statement_3

San Francisco Arts Commission, Art Education / City of San Francisco 
Art Resource Guide Redesign

Problem Statement:
The Art Education Funders Collaborative (AEFC) is a group of grantmakers who work to strengthen arts education in the San Francisco Unified School district. The Inside Out Art Program for the youth art education is lack of visibility among the target students group.

Purpose Statement:
The purpose of this research is to construct and redesign the website that inspires and communicates with the artists in the City to develop the art education program and also inspires others to get involved with the organization and the program. The tools should be also relevant to the businesses/ organizations, who support art education, within the communities in order to gain more sponsors.

Stakeholders: Local artists and art teachers in pubic schools/ San Francisco School Community


Reference:

• AFAC Inside Out Program http://www.sfartscommission.org/insideout/
• Community Initiatives http://www.communityin.org/about.html
• Revitalizing arts education through community-wide coordination by Susan J. Bodilly, Catherine H. Augustine, Laura Zakaras
• Marketing Illustration: New Venues, New Styles, New Methods by Steven Heller, Marshall Arisman [Allworth Communications, Inc., 2009]
• Contemporary Marketing by David L. Kurtz, H. F. MacKenzie, Kim Snow [Cengage Learning, 2009]

Revised Problem and Purpose Statement_2

Chinatown Beacon Center 
Marketing for Community Educational Services through the Design for the Community Program 

Problem Statement:
The Beacon Centers transform public schools into youth and family centers that become a beacon of activity for the surrounding neighborhood. The Chinatown Beacon Center is in need of a promotional "branding system" .

Purpose Statement:
The purpose of this research is to develop a series of brochure, signage and ID badges that can promote and represent the organization. The tools should be relevant to not only the youth group, which is the main users of the program, but also should reach out to the parents. 


Stakeholders: Families in the Chinatown community


Reference: 

• Beacon Center Chinatown Branch
• San Francisco Public Library Chinatown Branch
• Afterschool Alliance
• Harvard Family Research Projects
• Afterschool matters: creative programs that connect youth development and student achievement by Sara Hill [Corwin Press, 2007]
• After-school programs to promote child and adolescent development: summary of a workshop by Jennifer Appleton Gootman [National Academies Press, 2000]

Revised Problem and Purpose Statement_1

1. Students for A Free Tibet

Problem Statement: The nonprofit organization, Students for A Free Tibet, is in need of a awareness campaign in the Bay Area.
Purpose Statement: To create a series of tools/ equipments to promot the Students for A Free Tibet that is relevant to the youth/ student group with the promotional graphic identity in the Bay Area.

The developed tools will be presented to high schools and Colleges and community centers in the Bay area. The stakeholders are mainly the students in high school and college students, who are aware of social justice.

Resources:

• www.studentsforafreetibet.org/
• blog.studentsforafreetibet.org/
• Contemporary Tibet: politics, development, and society in a disputed region by Sautman  and Dreyer
•  Freeing Tibet: 50 years of struggle, resilience, and hope by John Roberts and Elizabeth Roberts [AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2009]
• Tibet and China in the twenty-first century: non-violence versus state power by John Heath [Saqi, 2005]
•  Community and student survey 

Potential Problems

Students for A Free Tibet
Problem Statement: The nonprofit organization, Students for A Free Tibet, is lack of adequate visibility in the Bay Area.
Purpose Statement: To create a series of tools/ equipments to promot the Students for A Free Tibet.


Chinatown Beacon Center Marketing for Community Educational Services through the Design for the Comm unity Program
Problem Statement: There is no strong “branding system” for The Beacon Centers Chinatown branch. 
Purpose Statement: The purpose of this research is to develop a series of tools that can promote and represent the organization.


San Francisco Arts Commission, Art Education / City of San Francisco Art Resource Guide Redesign
Problem Statement: The Inside Out of The Art Education Funders Collaborative (AEFC) for the youth art education does not reach out to the young user group.
Purpose Statement: The purpose of this research is to construct and redesign an tool with young-user-friendly interaction-platform and also can inspire others to get involved with the organization and the program.

In class problem statement exercise - wallet prototype

Problem statement:
Fanglie's wallet is often got filled up with unnecessary cards, which increase the thickness of the wallet. And the current style of the wallet is "standard" and cannot fulfill the "free" characteristic purpose that Fanglie expresses.

Problem Solution:
To avoid the possibility that unnecessary cards got stocked up in the wallet, reducing the spaces for card holder is presented in this prototype. The spinal of this metal card/ cash holder has three component that holds three plastics and one stainless steel clipper (loops) that holds the cash. The components are with linear curves and geometric shapes that can express the free mind the user has. Also according to the user habit, this holder is fit-to-pocket size with a hook that can attach to the jeans/pants.