Megan Braley Brief Portfolio

age (2008)4 5 6 7 8 10 9 1112 131415 17 16 1920212223 24

age (1988)

Orlando, FL

Ocean City, MD

Atlantic City, NJ Pittsburgh, PA

Pocono Mts., PA

Cooperstown, NYBoston, MA

Fishtown, PA

Ocean City, NJ

Brandenton, FL

Lakeland, FL

Los Angeles, CA

Seattle, WA

Baltimore, MD Megan Braley, M.I.D.Industrial Designer, Researcher and Communications Strategist

[email protected]

This portfolio includes four design and research projects. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Gray is Green The National Senior Conservation Corps Gray is Green is an environmental education, action, and advocacy organization for senior citizens, currently based out of North Haven, CT. When I started working with the organization in late 2010, they were undergoing a major transformation. They were in the process of merging with the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) in New York City, and were concerned that they would lose their identity. I am helping Gray is Green redesign their outreach materials, so that they can re-engage their audience and recruit new members.

Designing for Senior CitizensThe organization develops tools for senior citizens who are often overlooked by environmental conservation groups. Gray is Green recognizes that seniors have significant political and financial leverage. However, while the organization’s resources are directed toward people over the age of 65, many of the organization’s existing resources lack the design aspects necessary to engage older people.

Applying Human Factors Psychology to Information DesignI met with Robert E. Lane, PhD, the Founder and President of Gray is Green, to discuss aspects of human factors that could be applied to the design of their resources. As people age, it becomes more difficult and frustrating to read small text. I pointed out that this frustration could be leading to a lack of engagement from their members. Together we are increasing the font size used in their documents, while also shortening the overall amount of text. I am also teaching them to use grid systems and powerful, engaging colors in the development of their resources, so that their viewers are drawn in and can easily navigate the presented information.

Re-engaging Members and RecruitingNew Followers

I recently designed a poster series focused on Climate Change and the American Southwest. I designed each poster to tell a cohesive, powerful story, and incorporated all of the design aspects I had previously discussed with Dr. Lane. We then put the posters on exhibit at The Whitney Center, a retirement community located in Hamden, CT, in order to gain feedback from their residents.

Gray is Green has received positive publicity and increased response from their members.

Climate Change and The American Southwest Educational Poster Series from Gray is Green: The National Senior Conservation Corps

Global Warming Changes Snow to Rain and Rain to Episodic Downpours

Data provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Water and Climate Center(www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov)

Downpours pelt crops, overflow storm sewers, and flood culvertsand underpasses. In desert-shrubland, downpours refresh groundwater, but often runoff too quickly to penetrate dry, caked soil.

From Ordinary Rain to Downpours

Trends in April Snowpack In the WesternUnited States (1950-2000)

By reducing the amount of snow falling on mountains, global warming has reduced Western snowpacks by as much as 75%(EPA), changing runoff from a source ofrelief in summer dry spells to spring floods, which are of less value to farming and to dry climates generally.

Data Source: NOAA, 2009

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Extreme One-Day Precipitation Events in theLower 48 States (1910-2008)

Projected Global Water Scarcityfor 2025Data provided by the National Intelligence Council, Global Trends2025: A Transformed World, published by the International Water Management Institute, IWMI, Annual Report 2007-2008, pg.11(www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_maps/water_scarcity_2025)

Water Stress Will Extend Eastward


Physical Water ScarcityWater resources cannot meet population demands. More than 75% of river flows are allocated to agriculture, industries, or domestic purposes.

Approaching Physical Water ScarcityMore than 60% of river flows are allocated. These basins will experience physical water scarcity in the near future.

Little or No Water ScarcityAbundant water resources relative to use.Less than 25% of water from rivers is withdrawn for human purposes.

In this century, water stress will extend east and north into Texas, Oklahoma, and parts of Kansas.

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Great Basin

Mojave

Sonoran

Chihuahuan

The Four North American Deserts

The largest of the deserts is the Great Basin Desert, extending east of the California border to Salt Lake City. The other deserts are the Mojave, the Sonoran, and the Chihuahuan Desert, which is expanding north from Mexico, deeper into New Mexico and Texas.

This diagram shows the extent of the United States’ Desert-Shrub Ecosystem, reaching from close to the Canadian border to Mexico,where it merges with the Mexican Desert-Shrub Ecosystem.

The Great Basin Desert The Mojave Desert The Sonoran Desert The Chihuahuan Desert

Source: http://clminternship.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/DSCN0441.JPG Source: http://www.sheltoweehikes.com/IMG_0922.jpg Source: http://www.edupic.net/Images/Biomes/tonto_desert138.JPG Source: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ynz-PpOfY1Y/SB4HOfsoyEI/AAAAAAAAAdo/LUwJOIz6U9Q/P3210395.JPG


The U.S. Desert-Shrub Ecosystemis Changing

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Southwest Temperatures Are Rising Rapidly

Rate of Temperature Change by State and Region, 1901-2008Data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climate Data Center (www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html)

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F] 1901-2009 trend: +1.28°F per century1979-2009 trend: Surface: +2.93°F per century UAH: +2.30°F per century

Earth’s Surface Lower Troposphere (measured by satellite)UAH

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

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F] 1901-2009 trend: +1.25°F per century1979-2009 trend: Surface: +5.05°F per century UAH: +4.00°F per century

Earth’s Surface Lower Troposphere (measured by satellite)UAH

The United States Has Warmed at Nearly Twice the Global Rate

Rising U.S. Temperatures Rising World Temperature

Data Source: NOAA, 2010 Data Source: NOAA, 2010


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Philadelphia is well known as the city of brotherly love, the home of Rocky, and the foundation of this nation. What is less well known, is that Philadelphia is home to hundreds of urban gardens, and an urban agriculture movement that has been gaining momentum for the past 40 years. Throughout this period, new organizations have been developing rapidly, and an increasing number of individuals have become interested in growing in the city. However, a lack of collaboration has prevented the movement from developing successful citywide urban agriculture initiatives.

Growlots Philadelphia

Exposing the Underlying ProblemsTo better understand the issues blocking collaboration, my design team and I collected exploratory data through fieldwork, interviews, literature reviews, and contextual research. We visited nonprofit organizations, and volunteered at community gardens. We then outlined our key findings and presented them to Philadelphia’s Department of Parks and Recreation. In 2009, we began working with the city to develop a strategy for improving communication and collaboration within the urban agriculture movement, while also raising public awareness of the city’s urban agricultural development.

Key Findings

Observing Group Dynamics and Encouraging Participatory DesignThrough a series of interviews and focus group meetings, my team and I developed a number of tools to help our stakeholders prioritize the problems facing the city’s urban agriculture development, while simultaneously working together to propose solutions. During each meeting we used dialogue mapping and brainstorm activities to keep the conversation on track. We also observed each of our participants to gain a better understanding of the emotions and attitudes present in each meeting.

Equalizing the Movement’s Resources to Reduce Competition and Increase Communication and Collaboration

The existing fragmentation had made it nearly impossible for our stakeholders to visualize their contributions as a collective effort. My team and I worked to eliminate the names of organizations by emphasizing the work everyone had accomplished. We described this concept as, The Power of Coordinated Efforts, which we defined as “the ability to put WHAT is being accomplished, before WHO is contributing the work.”

With this concept in mind, we organized the movement’s resources based on their functions and roles within a system, not their developers.

Instead of a movement comprised of hundredsof organizations developing similar productsand services, we designed a collaborative systemwith products and services organized into nine categories representing the key components of urban agriculture.

All of the city’s resources are now organized in an online, collaborative, content management system. Growlots Philadelphia is a resource database and a communication networking tool, that has helped our stakeholders work together to develop innovative services.

Growing Gardens and Urban Farms

Urban Agriculture Resource Categories

Planting Fruit Trees Marketing Your Goods

Meeting Your Peers Advancing ChildrenImpacting Teensand Adults

Distributing Your Goods

Keeping BeesCompostingIt soon became clear that the histories andreputations between our stakeholders were getting in the way of collaboration.

Also, a lack of communication between our stakeholders led to redundant efforts and overwhelming frustration.

• Current urban agriculture efforts are fragmented, redundant, and inefficient.

• Fragmentation prevents people from finding and using the numerous resources available to them.

• A centralized hub is necessary to organize all of the available resources.

• Progress is slow because the future plans of the stakeholder groups do not align.

http://growlotsphiladelphia.com

Postgreen HomesPostgreen is a real estate and development firm specializing in modern, green, and affordable homes in Philadelphia’s urban neighborhoods. The company was interested in updating the kitchen design used in their energy-efficient homes. A partner and I were hired to research and design a concept for an Extreme Green Kitchen. We had just completed a four-month project at the University of the Arts focused on green kitchen design, so we were able to offer Postgreen a holistic strategy for developing their Extreme Green Kitchen.

Collaborating With Postgreen’s Core Buyers Nic Darling, the Chief Marketing Officer, and Chad Ludeman, the Company President, began Postgreen with a blog entitled the 100K House. They quickly gained a large community of followers interested in their mission and their 100K homes. Postgreen’s numerous subscribers were an incredible resource. As we researched and developed our design, we posted various entries on the company’s blog in order to gain valuable insight from their followers. We used Postgreen’s blog as a tool to co-design with the community.

Helping Homeowners Cook Greenand CleanMy team and I not only focused on the design of the kitchen, we also focused on the kitchen’s place within the continuous cycle of growth. We developed a three-pronged system that made it fast and easy to dispose of waste sustainably, reduced indoor toxins, and saved clients money. We also incorporated modularity and adaptability in our kitchen design, to fit the small and compact nature of Postgreen’s homes.

“Waste Equals Food” Our three-part system connected efficient storage, a backyard garden, and a composting unit located under the kitchen sink. Food scraps that are usually thrown away and wasted, are placed in the composting unit to be transformed into nutrient rich soil, which is then added back to the garden to “feed” the existing soil and produce. This system creates a closed-loop cycle, which draws inspiration from the concept of “Waste Equals Food,” developed by William McDonough.

Our Final Kitchen Design Included:• Only green materials

• All energy-efficient materials

• A recycling drawer consisting of three removable bins, next to the sink for quicker, cleaner disposal

• A Footfaucet for water-use efficiency (foot pedals turn water on and off)

• A NatureMill Automatic Composter for odor-free composting (even dairy, meat, and fish)

• A Sun Frost Refrigerator located under the island counter (cuts energy consumption by 80%)

• Two Rolling, Mobile Units that either fit under the counter for more open space or lock in place next to the island for extended counter space

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Spirit of Creativity 1210 South St.

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Murals Against CrimeToday, Philadelphia is the world capital of murals. Upon entering the city, murals can be seen at every corner. Initially, the murals appear to be a form of city beautification. However, after researching The Mural Arts Program (MAP ), the organization responsible for creating many of the city’s murals, it is clear that the murals have a deeper meaning. For the past 25 years, MAP has used murals as a method for combating Philadelphia’s high crime rate. When beginning a new mural, the program encourages the involvement of inmates at local correctional facilities, troubled youths, and community members, in order to create a collective ownership of the mural that ensures it will not be destroyed by graffiti in the future.

Mapping the System A partner and I became interested in studying the relationship between murals and crime more closely. We felt that if we were able to prove the effectiveness of MAP’s initiative by visually mapping the connection between murals and lowered crime, other cities battling crime could benefit from MAP’s work by utilizing the model they offer.

To examine the entire system, we mapped our collected data on three scales:

1. Citywide, 2. By Zip Code, and 3. A Two-Block Radius

Our first step was to map the general location of murals(represented by squares) and crime (represented by circles)throughout Center City, in order to visualize the areas where murals and crime overlapped.

2. Investigating Zip Code Zones Our citywide research showed that the mural’s content is often determined by the amount of crime in the area it is created. For example, murals discussing issues of social concern are often located in the areas of highest crime, whereas murals depicting landscapes are often used more for their ability to add beauty to a space.

Next, we studied individual zip code zones to further examine the relationship between the amount of crime in an area, and the number of murals created to combat that crime.

For each zip code in Center City, we mapped the number of crimes occurring each year from 1999 through 2006, and compared that to the number of murals created each year from 1999 through 2006. We chose to look at these eight years because they offered the most accurate crime rate documentation.

3. Analyzing Crime/Mural Relation In a Two-Block Radius Our zip code research showed that in most cases, more murals were developed in the zip code zones with the highest crime. We also found that in all of the zip code zones we studied, the crime rate steadily decreased over the eight year period we had examined.

To better understand the relationship between crime levels and nearby murals, we chose one mural from each zip code to examine more closely. We mapped the crime in the specific location over a 6-month period before and after the mural was created.

12th

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Spirit of Creativity 1210 South St.

6 mo. period in 1999 2001 6 mo. period in 2008

12th

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south st.

0123456789

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20062005200420032002200120001999

# of

mur

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From 1999 to 2006 13 murals & 18,874 crimes occured in 19147

We found that in each of the cases, the addition of a mural significantly lowered crime in the surrounding area.

1. Citywide Examination

Megan Braley Brief Portfolio

Design

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