{mesh} Community

Old Town School of Folk Music (Fall 2006)

Abstract

The Old Town School of Folk Music is an educational institution at its core, dedicated to helping students explore personal creativity and self-expression. How does the School ensure a sense of community built on the values of broad access, cooperative learning, and artistic excellence under continued organizational growth? This project hypothesized that OTS can foster a better sense of community internally and externally at its Lincoln Square, Chicago facility through addressing unmet users needs.

Overview

The team used a variety of observation methods to discover unmet needs: touring the school, the POEMS framework, ethnographic interviews with teachers, students and care-givers, day-in-the-life studies, personal inventories, and photo documentation. Their discoveries included:

-The school’s history is hidden in the basement
-No place to put your stuff
-Seating looks like where you wait to see the principal
-No welcome area when you enter the school
-Wayfinding is difficult, directional signs are not obvious
-School thrives on word of mouth
-Strong internal sense of community
-Attending class can be difficult
-Outdoor classes may draw the public in
-Exterior: maintains the original facade of the Chicago Public; no direct entrance to the store; unadorned north wall of building faces Lincoln Avenue
-Neighborhood: in the heart of local consumer district; social neighborhood, easily accessible; eclectic, family oriented community
-Transit: surrounded by public transportation; 7 bus stops, 1 train station

Benefits

Proposed improvements to the user experience centered around three areas: more effective use of space, more public awareness, and additional products and services. Recommendations included:

Campaign for historical significance: create a mural to communicate the historical significance of the Old Town School; extend the mural into an ad campaign using neighborhood transit
Outdoor classes: engage the community through holding classes on or near the street
Stand-alone store: drives patrons to the school instead of the opposite; add separate sign and entrance; merchandise windows to draw people in
Improve entrance: welcome people to the school with a purposeful reception area
Internal communication: provide a directional floor plan; improve current way finding signs
Engaging messaging: develop new systems to organize community postings
Personal storage: add lockers to create storage space for students
The Grind: partner with local coffee shop to encourage internal community
Parents' room: provide a space to relax separate from other school areas; areas for talking, and areas for quiet reading or relaxing
Donation/auction: leverage existing network of artists to offer unique products; signed copies of music book, concert tickets, lessons, workshops