
Having a group with different expertise has been invaluable to give shape to my proposed intervention. The idea of decentralising the print studio and making it more flexible can have a big impact on student experience. They identified that the intervention is heavily hinting at the co-authorship between Academic / Technical / Student in relation to print. what would a project shaped by 3 areas look like?
The first thing my group picked up on was “how will technical staff react to such a proposal?” and this is absolutely correct. This proposal impacts staff directly and it would be unreasonable to expect technicians to be on board with it if there is no benefit to them. This would be a key area to research.
After a tutorial with Tim he picked up on the central aspect of the intervention that I had not considered and had to be the centre of it: the social justice aspect. He pointed out that the main thing to target is the accessibility of the space and then every other issue will follow. Could a wheelchair user be able to access the space? if not, this is a barrier to learning and falls under the most immediate issue to tackle.
Tim brought to my attention Edward De Bono’s theory of the six thinking hats: 6 perspectives to be considered when looking at a challenge. This helped me to visualise this intervention from the different perspectives needed and not stay with the emotional aspect of the proposal. I might feel very passionately about this subject, but not everyone will. I realised that there where 2 “hats” that I had to focus on if this intervention was going to be successful:
White hat (objective): how possible is this intervention? who do I need to contact in order to realise it? what information do i need to source / bring? (materials needed, lesson plan for technicians, space available, line manager support and clarity of division of roles, briefing materials)
Black hat (Negative): what are the obstacles to enact the intervention? how do I counter them? anything that could possibly go wrong (too large group sizes, not enough space in studios to accommodate printing, water source in studio for cleanup, who delivers the instruction – technician or tutor? )
This feedback from peers and tutor have helped clarify the avenue of my intervention and ground it in reality with the key aim being centred in social justice.
Sources:
UAL (2020). Disability and dyslexia. [online] UAL. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/student-services/disability-and-dyslexia. (accessed 19 Jun. 2025
Bourke, J. (2018) ‘The Diversity and inclusion revolution. Eight powerful truths’, Deloitte review, pp. 1 – 19
The De Bono Group (1985) Six thinking hats – Edward De Bono [online] (Available at: https://www.debonogroup.com/services/core-programs/six-thinking-hats/) (accessed 7 July 2025)