Collective Story connects people through stories. It’s a toolkit for creating simple, low-fidelity public space interventions that promote civic engagement, critical thinking and intergenerational storytelling in public spaces, queues or waiting areas. The toolkit includes a how-to guidebook and stencils for easy poster-making. We piloted the project with a series of storytelling prompts distributed across New York City, garnering a strong response through social media channels like Twitter and Instagram.

1. Collective Story
a toolkit for community engagement
Anke, Meg, Pam and Rae . SVA IXD Public Interfaces . December 10 2013

2. Objectives
Promote civic engagement, critical thinking and
intergenerational storytelling in public queues
or waiting areas. Connect people through stories.

3. Insights

4. Insights
Through quick low-fidelity experiments with different
prompts and in different locations, we gained insights
about engaging people and understanding potential barriers
to interaction. We learned how to combine message,
medium and location to most effectively reach people.

5. Stories are universal.

6. People don’t engage as much with digital asks
(QR codes or hashtags only).

7. People do engage with tangible interfaces.

8. The artifact is just as important as the
creation process.

9. People share and take the conversation online
when they feel a personal connection.

11. Concept
Collective Story is a toolkit for community engagement. The toolkit
provides opportunities for anyone — individuals, groups, schools and
other local organizations — to gauge public opinion, provoke
discussion and create collectively.

12. System — Get Toolkit
GOAL
Gauge public opinion
Engage community
TOOLKIT
Download toolkit
Order toolkit
SUGGESTED PARTS

13. System — Create Engagement
DEFINE
Goals, Audience, Location,
Time
DETERMINE FORMAT
Get opinions & debate – Tell a story together –
Draw a picture together

14. System — Implement & Analyze
SHARE
project with the world,
on social media
MONITOR
the project and collect
artifacts
ANALYZE
Synthesize your research – Share on
Collective Story site – Plan other events
around your findings

15. Engagement

16. Use Cases

17. A community center seeking to bring its
community further together.

18. A school providing creative storytelling
as a recess activity.

19. A laundromat making waiting more fun.

20. A non-profit seeking information on
a specific neighborhood.

21. An organization wanting to provoke a discussion
on a controversial topic.

22. Frida & Collective Story

24. Next Steps

25. Next Steps
Collective Story will be working with Border Crossers to help them
create interactive activities for their Spring Gala.

26. Thank you.

27. Appendix

28. Research

29. Existing Behaviors
Some of the existing behaviors we viewed in people waiting for the bus included:
● reading a book or a newspaper
● browsing the ads
● interacting with their phones
● standing with their necks craned, looking out hopefully for the bus
● sitting/resting
● listening to music

30. Candy Chang
Before I Die
Community Chalk Board
Amnesty
International
It’s not happening here. But it’s
happening now.
Interactive
Subway Ads
Pearl Media Spooks Subway Riders at
Columbus Circle Shows off Witches of East
End

31. “Strangers may occasionally chat with each other if
something annoying is happening (why is the bus so
late?), but it’s not often that strangers get a chance
to connect over something fun.”
- Smart Urban Stage, Creating Public Spaces which Encourage Strangers to Interact