The MENA Design Research Center in collaboration with Mideast Creatives will be launching the 2nd edition of Disrupt! /Design!, which encompasses a 3-day ideathon  (26, 27, & 28 May) for the development of start-up  projects with a focus on Sustainable Design.

THE BRIEF

All projects must be focused primarily towards ecological and sustainable living. The project may be preconceived but not older than 6 months. It is preferable that the projects have a digital and network building aspect to them as well. Applicants will be asked to write a brief summary of their project idea. Those who already come in teams (2- 4 team members) may remain in the same team; those who are looking for team members may be paired up before the ideathon, based on their proposals.

THE IDEATHON PROGRAM

The program of the ideathon is divided into a series of sessions throughout three consecutive days. The sessions are designed in such a way where the mentor introduces the subject to the teams for 15- 25 minutes, and then the teams are given tasks to implement before the next session starts. Learning by doing is key, and speed is a must. During the tasks phase, the mentors will pass by the teams and give feedback. At the end of the day, each team will share their outcomes according to the lessons learnt of the day. By the end of the third day, the teams will present their projects to a jury and compete for the winning prizes. A photographer, social media community manager, and blogger will document the event on the MENA DRC online channels.

DAY 1: DESIGNING A CLEAR CONCEPT
Session 1:  Process Design (from ideation to implementation)
Shaping the clear process of the project with defined tasks, identifying all missing links, and mapping the overall experience of all the stakeholders through the lenses of Design Thinking.
Session 2: Prototyping and Testing
Creating a visual, digital or tactile prototype to test on potential users or customers, design tools such as visual maps, experiential journeys, and storyboard are developed.

DAY 2: DESIGNING A BUSINESS PLAN
Session 1: Design & Innovation in Business
Borrowing from Business Model Generation and Business Model Canvas, participants will look into developing creative business strategies to ensure sustainability and growth.
Session 2: Social Entrepreneurship & Community Building
Learning how to shape a community through social entrepreneurship around the project and communicating clearly the vision and mission to people’s hearts.
Session 3: Measuring Social Impact
Learning about the direct and indirect impact of projects on a social level and selecting the appropriate metrics in order to evaluate the strategies that were undertaken and tested throughout the project.

DAY 3: COMMUNICATING THE ECO-DESIGN BUSINESS
Session 1: Branding, Marketing & PR
Learning about the basics of brand positioning in the market and developing a tone of voice that speaks to the audience using various channels of communication in traditional, new, and social media.
Session 2: The Key to Storytelling
Teams will identify the main elements of their story, uncover their authentic voice and develop user scenarios through storyboards to present their sustainable business.

JURY PRESENTATIONS & AWARDS:

At the end of the 3-day ideathon, teams will pitch their project concepts  to a panel of jury members and the audience, who will select 3 winning projects and reward them with prizes.

To view the process and outcomes of the first edition of Disrupt!/ Design, check the report on Issuu.

HOW TO APPLY: 

Please fill out the following application form.