Civic Design Workshop

Learn a repeatable, community-centered design process to make a real impact! Join our hands-on workshop to prototype ideas for Amesbury.
About this Event

A Hands-On Civic Design Workshop

Have you ever wanted to play an active role in shaping your community, but didn’t know where to start?

Join fellow residents for an interactive 2.5-hour workshop where you’ll learn the foundations of community-centered design. Together, we’ll tackle a topic rarely designed: What does it truly mean to welcome and integrate new residents into Amesbury?

Whether you’ve lived here for three generations or three days, your perspective matters. If you’re reading this, you can help.

What to Expect

• Learn the Process: Get a hands-on introduction to empathy building, ideation, and rapid prototyping.
• Develop Real Innovations: Flex your creative problem-solving skills to co-create novel community solutions.
• Connect & Collaborate: Enjoy engaging conversation, make new connections, and learn alongside fellow neighbors.
• Drinks & Snacks to fuel the process

Host: Resurge Coworking

Resurge Coworking is the North Shore's premier coworking venue, with flexible, affordable space for remote, hybrid, and self-employed professionals in the heart of downtown Amesbury and Newburyport.

About Eric

Eric has spent 15 years designing software and services, most recently as Principal Designer in healthcare experience. He studied at the Austin Center for Design (AC4D), where the focus is turning design on society's hardest problems, and later taught design methods and ran bootcamps there himself. He's excited to bring that same energy to Amesbury.

Agenda

🕑: 05:30 PM
Welcome and Introduction to the Design Process
🕑: 06:00 PM
Research: Small Group Conversations

Info: In a guided format, discuss with fellow residents questions such as - what did you wish you knew that you know now about Amesbury? What did it feel like to move here - and how should it feel? Align on common needs and perspectives. Build empathy for the needs and interests of new residents.

🕑: 07:00 PM
Synthesis and Ideation: Using What We've Learned to Generate Ideas

Info: Based on the core themes and insights we generated from the group conversations, complete a structured ideation session to generate lots of ideas of how we may support new Amesbury residents in the future.

🕑: 08:00 PM
Prototyping: Get Feedback on Top Ideas

Info: Test your top ideas by socializing them! Get feedback from current residents on how any idea selected could be improved. Improve, rinse, repeat for 3 rounds, landing on an improved concept worth creating at larger scale.