how might we improve

community participation with

the at&T discovery district?

Design Team: Mary Nunley, Angela Molinero, Darius Harris

We partnered with AT&T and Legends Management to uncover research-based insights that could boost community participation in the AT&T Discovery District. Through in-depth design research, we explored the district’s ecosystem—its demographics, defining spaces, and community dynamics. We conducted fieldwork, including observations, interviews, and direct engagement with community members. These insights informed the development of prototypes and design principles to guide future initiatives and increase participation.

Design Research Methods

To learn more about the people and spaces that define the Discovery District community and to identify areas for improving community participation, we conducted primary research using various design methods.

We explored the area to gain a deeper understanding of the environment, observing people's behaviors and interactions through remote research methods.

Field Research & Obervations

We interviewed the Exchange Hall's management team, staff, and vendors to gain a deeper understanding of the context and identify key insights that informed our approach.

interviews

We conducted a live survey to engage visitors to understand the frequency with which they visit and their perceptions of The Exchange Food Hall.

visitor engagement survey

research findings

A key realization was the important role of vendors at The Exchange Hall, who had been overlooked as community members. Interactions with vendors and managers highlighted their influence on community participation.

By recognizing vendors as key stakeholders, we shifted focus to empowering them in creating and implementing district events, enhancing customer experiences, and driving greater community participation.

AUDIENCE

AREA OF OPPORTUNITY

The research revealed the need for better vendor integration in district events. Interviews with vendors emphasized a desire for co-creative opportunities and identified barriers to collaboration. We re-framed the original design question to align with our findings.

A vendor from Two Wings Coffee shared their enthusiasm for increasing connection and involvement, expressing a desire to be more actively engaged and to have their ideas heard and considered.


Can more strategic collaboration with The Exchange Hall vendors improve community participation?

As we explored designs to support collaboration between vendors and the management team, we realized more insights were needed to avoid assumptions about effective tools or structures. Additional conversations helped us better understand current needs and constraints.

refining understanding

what structures should we consider?

We explored various options for structures, such as meetings or a task force, that we thought might lead to enhanced collaboration and action on vendor ideas.

what are our constraints?

We learned that a flexible and time-independent tool would work best due to constraints like schedules. This tool should also ensure that ideas are recorded and visible to multiple people.

what needs to be true?

The potential solution needed to be simple, leading to vendor participation and a commitment to response and feedback from the Legends and AT&T teams.

prototype design

Exchange at the Exchange

A tool designed to facilitate action on vendor ideas for events and activations in collaboration with AT&T and Legends.

A Google Form was chosen to collect vendors' event ideas, enabling them to submit concepts at any time and from anywhere. This tool helps ideas reach the right people for support and action.

We designed the form to encourage collaboration among vendors, allowing for both individual and group submissions. It accommodates ideas at different stages, with prompts ensuring reviewers have the necessary details to move forward. Vendors receive feedback on their proposals, and successful ideas are developed with the Legends team.

prototype implementation

The Google Form met our goal of being a simple and easily accessible tool for vendor participation, and it also included a commitment to receive a response from the Legends team. With that in place, our next step was to share it with the very folks it was designed for—the vendors.

As designers, we recognized that this sharing and telling step was an opportunity bursting with potential. Earlier in our research, we had asked our clients, the AT&T and Legends Teams, to provide words that describe how they envision the Discovery District to feel.

We used these words as our creative inspiration, realizing that if we want visitors and customers to feel this way, we needed to ensure the vendors did as well, as they are the key link.

WELCOMING

EMPOWERING

VIBRANT

EXCITING

DYNAMIC

EPIC

CONNECTED

AUTHENTIC

ENTERTAINING

not just a google form

Enhancing vendor engagement through the Not-a-Box implementation strategy

‘Not-a-Box’ is a creative way we introduced the Google Form to vendors. It wasn’t just about handing out a box—it was about starting a meaningful conversation and helping vendors see themselves as co-creators of their space and experience.

Each box reflected the visual style of the Discovery District, showcasing our commitment to community and collaboration.

What was inside:

  • Kitchen Towels & Keychains – Useful items for everyday use

  • Sticky Notes & Color Pens – Fun tools to spark creativity

  • Flyers – Clear instructions on how to access and fill out the Google Form, inviting vendors to share their ideas

a comprehensive community engagement strategy

With Not-a-Box, we turned a simple delivery into a meaningful community engagement strategy.

As one AT&T staff member shared, “we created a moment for the vendors.”

This initiative made it easier for vendors to access and use the form, while also strengthening their role in the design process. By treating each vendor as a key contributor, we fostered a sense of collaboration and ownership.

Delivering each box in person let us explain the form’s purpose, show our appreciation, and gather real-time feedback—all reinforcing how much we value their voices.

learning & insights

glows

  • Vendors noted that the Google Form is user-friendly, clear, concise, and easy to navigate, requiring no additional explanation.

    Over the 14 days the prototype was monitored, there were 15 interactions with the form and one form submission.

  • Vendors described the Not a Box delivery as nicely presented and well-put-together. The items were also shared among stall staff, helping the whole team stay informed and engaged.

  • Vendors indicated that the form is their preferred way to launch collaboration, finding it more effective than word of mouth, emails, or meetings for sharing ideas.

grows

  • Since the tool is still new, vendors shared that it’s easy to miss, especially during busy days or weeks when their focus is elsewhere.

  • We found that many of the items and flyers weren’t being used or displayed, often because each stall had its own preferences or rules about what visuals could be shown.

  • Vendors were asked to review the ideas submitted by others so they could gain inspiration, understand the types of events and activations others were interested in, and stay informed about which ideas were progressing to the next phase.

We drew on all of our research and insights to develop four design principles, which we shared with our client as recommendations to support stronger vendor participation and collaboration moving forward.

design principles

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 1:

PRIORITIZE EMPATHETIC ENGAGEMENT

This principle ensures that vendors have the necessary resources readily available to support their activities and to foster more collaboration.

This principle prioritizes access to ideas within the Exchange Hall community to facilitate connections and collaboration among vendors, enabling everyone to engage with and build upon shared ideas.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 2:

ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY OF TOOLS & PROCESSES

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 3:

FOSTER CONNECTIONS & COLLABORATION

This principle prioritizes access to ideas within the Exchange Hall community to facilitate connections and collaboration and among vendors, enabling everyone to engage with and build upon shared ideas.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE 4:

BOOST CREATIVE CONFIDENCE

This principle focuses on boosting creative confidence and empowering vendors to actively contribute their ideas to the Exchange Hall community.