P002 → Social Craft
Social Craft is a framework and toolkit for ethical, community-led design, developed through my work co-designing a sensory room with autistic adults using Jean Stokes Community Centre in collaboration with Autism Hub. The project responds to the limitations of traditional co-design by offering reflective tools-cards, boards, and worksheets-that help groups navigate power, build shared understanding, and make decisions together. Tested through hands-on sessions, the toolkit supported participants to shape the sensory room based on their own needs and lived experience, positioning the designer as a facilitator and maker rather than a the sole creator.‘The Cuddle Rocking Chair’ Developed through workshops with people who have autism, designed to use recycled materials and remain affordable for organisations with limited funding. The flat-pack rocking chair was made by me and now lives in Jean Stokes Community centre
The Social Craft Recource pack contains a number of recources devloped through practice and designed to support facillitators, designers, community members and anyone interested in community based design.
Design workshops and research
Early sketches and prototype devlopment
In the workshops (no faces shown to respect privacy of participants)
A key interest of participants was using recycled materials, all of the fabric used (including stuffing the beanbag) were donated recycled textiles, rescued from landfill.
Rocking Chair prototypes
The sensory room from outside the centre.
‘The Den’ -Timber frames with swapable recycled fabric insetrts. The fold away, 3 sided room was also co-designed in workshops at the community centre. The dynamic nature of it allows for all types of people and uses depending on what level of privacy you need.
Social Craft Graphics and function development
Reflective cards deck-for gathering feedback and reflecting on your own process when working collaborativley with communities