HEY THERE, I'M KIRAN!
Kiran Lakhian ('16) played
basketball as a freshman walk-on at Stanford in 2012-13, left the program for
two years, then returned in 2015-16 her senior year. She was to play basketball
at SMU as a graduate transfer, but had a season ending knee injury prior to
the 1st game.
I recently graduated from SMU with a Master's in Design and
Innovation. I chose to focus on Human-Centered Design (HCD) because it
is a great problem-solving framework for navigating complex social-impact problems. By maintaining a
focus on the human, HCD gets to the heart of underlying
issues, promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration, and
sparks innovative solutions through creative thinking. My goal is to one
day combine my design skills with my passion for health equity and
re-design the healthcare system.
Aside from design, I am an aspiring avid hiker, mediocre yogi,
extreme-weather enthusiast, and enjoy trying new activities!
MY PROCESS
Human-Centered Design
UNDERSTAND
The HCD process I use begins by
defining the question and building context. Initially, I ground
myself in a preliminary phase of secondary research before going into the field
for primary research. With the goal of understanding the user's deepest needs,
empathy is a central component of this stage. Methods I've used include field
immersion, analogous inspiration, in-depth interviews, card sort, artifact
analysis, AEIOU observation, journey mapping, and surveys.
IDEATE
Based on the information
collected, I pull themes and insights (through affinity
diagramming) and identify opportunities for design. From here, I
move to brainstorming possible solutions using a number of creative frameworks.
PROTOTYPE
Following ideation, things
begin to come to life. The goal is to make quick,
low-budget prototypes (ranging from tangible "things" to
experiences) in order to test hypotheses as I narrow
in on design solutions. This is an iterative process. My prototyping
experience has involved power tools, laser cutter, Rhino 3D
printing software, InDesign, Illustrator, and hosting experiences.
SHARE
After all is said and done,
sharing the learnings is just as important as the process of learning
itself. Effective communication involves understanding the
audience, compelling storytelling, visual cues, and clear and
organized sense-making.
PROJECTS
As part of my Master's of
Arts in Design and Innovation (MADI) program, I took two semester-long,
project-based “Studio” classes. Each semester, students were grouped
and assigned a client whom the students work alongside-with the goal
of applying Human-Centered Design to deliver design recommendations.
THE HAROLD SIMMONS PARK
The Fall 2018 MADI Studio client
was the Trinity Park Conservancy — a non-profit with plans to build a large
urban park in Dallas. Our team set out to answer the question: “How might we
create opportunities for connection between West Dallas and the Harold Simmons
Park?”
This problem was particularly
"wicked" because the goal was to promote connection between a
place that does not yet exist and a longstanding,
historically-neglected community facing gentrification.
THE FOREST THEATER
The Spring 2019 MADI Studio
client was CitySquare, a non-profit with plans to rebuild the Forest Theater in
South Dallas. Our team set out to answer the question: “How might we make the
Forest Theater an asset to the community and to the city of Dallas-Fort Worth
Metroplex?”
This project was about more
than just renovating a theater. The Forest Theater was once the heart of a
bumping, thriving African American community. Now deemed a historic landmark,
much sits at stake with hopes that this project serve as a beacon of hope for
the surrounding community.
Forest Theatre 1950s
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