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Signe Williams

6 June 2022 - 12 June 2022
MA 2022
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About

I am a service designer with a background in Anthropology. Growing up in-between Denmark and Italy, I got my bachelor’s degree at UCL in London, where I am currently based. During my MA at the RCA, I have worked on projects focusing on sustainability, education, the charity sector, humanitarian aid and public policy. My project partners have included the Ministry of Justice, Catch22, Replenish Earth and Techfugees.

In my practice, I integrate Anthropology and Service Design by informing my design research with an ethnographic approach. I am interested in human behaviour and how socio-cultural experience differs across realities. In particular, I have aspiration for driving change at the local community level, through the transformation of anthropologically informed insights into tangible, human centred and creative solutions.

Final Project

Designing for Volunteer Wellbeing within the Aid Sector is a framework which helps organisations better support their volunteers by ensuring and protecting their mental health and wellbeing while acknowledging systemic barriers within the aid sector. This case study is based upon our close work with a non-profit organisation called Techfugees, who we collaborated with in designing a series of interventions aimed at helping to create a more positive experience for their volunteers throughout their journey. Furthermore, based upon our research, we also created a tool that helps volunteers beyond just Techfugees ensure that their expectations and motivations for volunteering align with the activities and mission of an organisation they want to work with.

WIP project 2022

Conversation as a Practice is a framework that has been implemented into a pilot programme created by Catch22 that aims to reduce the number of individuals being recalled back to custody due to non-compliance with their license conditions. It enables probation staff to build positive perceptions around probation services among prison leavers as they are beginning their probation period, as well as equipping them with the skills to create more meaningful relationships with People on Probation. Based upon 10 weeks of research and working closely with prison leavers and probation staff, we have designed this framework to help facilitate meaningful dialogues through active listening and care.

FINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL

I am currently kicking off my final year MA project for which I will be partnering with Techfugees, a global NGO that works towards supporting and empowering displaced people through inclusive design-driven projects.