This blog includes the additional catchup work I undertook during the mid-semester break. For Week 6, I finished my 'Card Sort' and 'Interview' research methods derived from IDEO.org's design methodology (IDEO.org, 2015). The 'Card Sort' method delved into showcasing a deck of abstract ideas I created in Week 4 to each research participant and prompting them to order the cards to gather insights on what my stakeholders prioritise in my topic space (IDEO.org, 2024a). I conducted this research on five participants and concluded that my stakeholders value the freedom to express one's opinions, personal growth, and understanding each other. 'Language' was undervalued due to the belief that translation apps can remove communication barriers. However, it is essential to note that my whole sample consisted of fluent English speakers. Furthermore, I conducted ten semi-structured interviews, prompting feedback after one another, and finally summarised all my exchanges by identifying key points and themes. The feedback allowed me to iterate on this research process three times by suggesting more open-ended and less leading questions and implementing voice recording of my interviews. 

I also attended my stream lecturer Diana's workshop, which explored DEI concepts by Diversity Works and uncovered the values that we prioritise or experience in our lifetime through activities, videos, and discussion. My most notable activities were using the' Awareness and Change Spectrum' to mark my level of support for each DEI card and a string exercise that allowed each student to use their creativity and experiences with each DEI card to create an abstract piece of art.

Over the mid-semester break, I caught up with my peers in design, and one of them suggested I use a 'Flip the Script' exercise for my project. This activity consisted of asking myself and my peers questions that would lead to ways to encourage East Asian Racial discrimination, allowing me to work backwards in hopes of finding a solution. I also began further iterating on my logo by finding references and experimenting with typography and symbols for equity. Lastly, I caught up with the final parts of the inspiration phase of my design methodology by finishing my secondary research on the anti-racism workshop run by WorldWise Global Schools and completing the 'Define Your Audience' framework where after identifying my user, I delved into the shifts needed for them to achieve their goal and analysed the ecosystem of influence that they reside in (IDEO.org, 2024b; WorldWise Global Schools, 2021). the following functions: a hiring method that primarily focuses on removing ethnic bias and amplifying qualifications, a social function where members can add each other and share resources from the resource webpage that showcases relevant articles and job postings, and lastly a workshop tab where the organizations can hire facilitators to run workshops. Furthermore, I consolidated my preliminary research from my DES300 report and created possible brand names and logos for my project.