The Athabasca Design Lab
The Athabasca Design Lab (ADL), an initiative under The Social Impact Lab Alberta, was launched in 2024 to apply human-centred co-design principles to local challenges.
The project ultimately narrowed its focus to a central insight: "Athabascans often learn about critical information from others in the community. Those who are less connected miss out on important opportunities, worsening isolation." This key insight drove the final push for a solution that could close this information gap.
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From October 2023 to June 2024, the ADL engaged 31 Community Champions and broader community members in a nine session design process that included in-depth interviews, data theming, and ideation. The process generated over 40 unique concepts that were then narrowed down to four top ideas for prototyping and community testing.
Four Top Ideas
- A Community Connector Role to index information and provide referrals.
- A Community Hub for a physical location of resources and community building.
- A Digital Information Kiosk in an accessible, central place.
- Community Connection Events (which included community campfires).
At the end of the co-design phase in June 2024, the community initially prioritized a Community Connector Role for implementation. However, the subsequent phase demonstrated that real-world innovation requires strategic pivoting and a commitment to long-term sustainability.
The Anchor Project: The Digital Information Kiosk
The ADL ultimately accelerated the development of a Digital Information Kiosk, prioritizing it as the main project. While the official launch is slated for early December due to necessary software challenges, the commitment to a robust, functional tool remains strong.
The Kiosk would be strategically located for maximum impact: at the library and the multiplex, with a mobile unit planned for use at community events, the Native Friendship Centre, or high-traffic locations like the grocery store. This ensures the information meets residents where they already are. Crucially, the Town of Athabasca has passed a funding proposal to take ownership and ensure the long-term maintenance and content updates of the Kiosk, guaranteeing its sustainability beyond the ADL’s initial investment.
The value of this solution was proven immediately in low-fidelity testing where an individual evacuated to Athabasca who needed an AA meeting was able to find that crucial, locally sourced information via the prototype, despite it being unavailable through public online search. The Town plans to track usage metrics by the type of information accessed, allowing for continuous refinement of content based on demonstrated community needs while preserving user confidentiality.
The Strategic Pivot: The Community Connector Role
The initial priority, the Community Connector Role, was deliberately paused. This strategic decision was based on two factors: avoiding duplication with a very similar community coordinator role proposed by another town committee, and adhering to the "do no harm" principle. The ADL recognized that hiring and then potentially pulling a Connector out of the community due to unsustainable funding could worsen community disappointment.
The ADL now views the Digital Information Kiosk and the Community Connector Role as a continuum of solutions, not separate projects. Data gathered from the Kiosk (what information is missing, what is most often searched for) will provide the evidence base needed to accurately define and advocate for a human-centric Community Connector Role in the future, ensuring it is accurately targeted and sustainably funded.
The Legacy: Community Campfires
Despite the ADL having to cancel its planned summer pilot of Community Campfire events due to province-wide fire bans, the idea had already taken root.
The town later installed several permanent community campfire fixtures, acknowledging that the idea originated with the ADL's design process. This outcome highlights a key learning: the influence of a co-design lab extends beyond the direct implementation of its projects. By identifying and championing a valuable community desire, the ADL successfully contributed to the town’s long-term social and physical infrastructure.
Key Takeaways
The Athabasca Design Lab case study offers compelling insights into the complexities of community innovation:
- Prioritize Sustainability over Speed: The willingness to delay launch and secure long-term town funding (Digital Information Kiosk) and to halt a popular idea to avoid potential community harm (Community Connector Role) demonstrated a maturity in implementation.
- Innovation is a System, Not an Event: The Digital Information Kiosk is not an end-point, but a data-gathering tool designed to inform the next phase of human-centred intervention (i.e., the Community Connector Role), ensuring future efforts are evidence-based.
- Community Members are Catalysts: The ADL's success is not just measured by the implementation of the Kiosk project, but also by the influence the ADL had on the implementation of Community Campfires in Athabasca.
Explore epsiode transcripts
Land Acknowledgement
In the spirit of our journey to promote reconciliation, we would like to honour the truth of our shared history and acknowledge Treaty 7 territory and the traditional lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy, that includes the Kainai, Siksika, and Piikani First Nations.
We acknowledge the traditional lands of the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda, including the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Wesley First Nations. We would also like to recognize the Métis people, and the Inuit people who have made their home here in Mohk’insstsis, also known as Calgary.
