Goal

Ideate the possibilities within the space you investigated and collect your thoughts, insights and remaining questions.

Outcome

Imaginative sketches
Collage(s)
Answers to questions

Before moving on to the final step, there is one more thing to do, making use all the input you have gathered and producing some output. Think back to what you have noticed, are there any lingering images in your mind? This is where you let everything out of your mind onto paper through sketching. Sketch what you remember, what you would wish the space to look like, any random images that connect to the feeling of the space, almost like making a mood board. Challenge yourself with imagining what the space would look like from the perspective of the species you observed, how would they experience it? What becomes possible when seeing this space from another point of view? You can even sketch design ideas that considers and bounces off these creative perspectives, be abstract and push yourself creatively here. At a later stage you can start thinking more realistically, but give yourself the space here to imagine in a more open way, there are no rules.

The final step of the process begins with organising all data into one place. Upload the data onto a computer and analyse it through a data processor such as Google Colab, it could even be just MS Excel. Scan your sketches and organise any photos you may have taken. Collect your notes from iNaturalist and your desk research.

Have everything? Let’s get started with making acollage, not just to make something crafty and creative, but as a way of analysing what you have done and make sense of it. Making a collage will help with collecting your thoughts and summarising whether your questions will have been answered. The remaining questions you have are the reason to repeat the process, but this time with newfound knowledge about the local ecosystem and some of the possibilities within it. For a more directed investigation, please consult the questions listed below (also included in the template). While learning to think in terms of the ecosystem is a lifelong journey, this method is best done within the boundaries of the first design phase.

Use these questions to guide your investigation after reviewing the sketches and data (if you need help).

Guiding Questions

Final Tips

This project evaluated this method in separate parts through workshops and user studies. The results of this research were shared with an ecologist who shared their thoughts that can be very useful for people starting with this method.
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- You don’t need to understand everything about an ecosystem, there is a bottomless rabbit hole you can dive into, but eventually you need to move on to the next step of the design process.
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- Sometimes it may help to think in terms of feasibility, this helps to determine what you should focus on by acknowledging what you can actually do.

Good luck!