I created this series of posters in a User Research class I have taken at Bradley University. For this class, me and my peers worked with a client named Kate Green, who is the director of the Home For All Continuum care program located in Peoria Illinois. Her program focuses on caring for those in need of housing, jobs, healthcare, and various other needs. She approached us looking for creative ways to bring awareness to the homelessness issue currently facing Central Illinois.
The project started with a long period of research, client meetings, and design iteration, after a few months I had my finalized idea. My plan was to create a series of typography based posters that could be adhered to the ground in what would usually be considered odd places.
My hopes for these posters is that they will be able to draw attention from citizens in the Peoria area, and aid in bringing awareness to the issue of homelessness in Central Illinois. Each poster presents a different quote somehow pertaining to the issue, with each one meaning to evoke thought and conversation from the viewers, and even hopefully encourage those who can to volunteer.
During this class we delved into the process of user research, and learned how to create something that would be the most beneficial to our client. We began this process by sending out a survey for those in need to speak about their personal experience with being Homeless in central Illinois. After weeks of getting responses I complied the answers and created an infographic of the results.
Another part of our research process consisted of making an empathy map as well as a user persona. We did this for our client to show her the type of people we hope to impact with our projects, as well as how it will affect the general user who interacts with said project.
This research was essential to creating projects that benefitted the clients cause, as well as finding ways to cater to users while also drawing their attention. By doing this research the client was also able to have a deeper understanding of those she’s trying to bring awareness too.
