Our 101 ideation!

Me and Gina having fun :) 

To come up with 101 ideas for our target problem was not easy at first, but given the purpose of Brainstorming is to simply generate a large number of ideas. Mark, Gina and I slowly came up with a chunk of solution to enhance the void decks.

We categorized our 101 ideas into different groups- Food&drinks/ Social corners/ Entertainment/ Services/ Leisure and Education/ Shops/ Others.

Mainly our goal is to bring in what the current void decks are lacking- which is FUN and ENTERTAINMENT. We also aim to bring back void decks' original purpose of gathering all the residents together to socialize. Additionally, using what we have learnt from the Empathizing exercise, the ideas that we have generated are catered to people of all ages, from young to old. For example, one of our idea, the pool/billiard tables are targeted at attracting teenagers to hang out at the void decks. The reading corner on the other hand, is suitable for not only the elderly but also any book lovers to relax and enjoy some quiet time.

Overall, my group members and I feel that we have covered majority of what is possible and practical to be added into the void decks. We will proceed into further research and discussion so as to improve our current pool of solutions.

Brainstorming!

Today we did our 101 ideas in class and also a sharing session with other group members. So as Mark was having a sore throat, I replaced him as group leader to share our ideas with other group members. A large part of our ideas were either 1) Leisure activities or 2) Shops/services to be constructed at the void deck.

Example:

• Pool/billiard tables
• Pet hotel
• ice-skating rink
• small kids pool
• fish spa shop
• locksmith
• H&M 
• Art Friend
• Overjoyed
• Manicure/pedicure shop
• cybercafe
• etc

So as I was sharing our ideas to Bryan's group, I also told them about my thoughts- about how most teenagers would usually head to town during the weekends to hang out with their friends. Teens, including us, would never have entertained the thought of hanging out at the void decks. Simply because it is EMPTY, NOT HAPPENING and LOOKS UNCOOL. 

So Bryan replied saying that he feels the main reason is because the space has already been given the title of 'Void Deck' and therefore we have already JUDGED the usage of the space. Furthermore, it is often observed that the elderly spend their time simply sitting around or even the foreign construction workers lying on the void deck floor taking a rest. Hence, no teenager who wants to be cool, would actually want to even be seen at the void deck, much less spend their time there. 

Which leaves me with a thought to ponder upon- What if we gave void decks a brand new term?/ What if we do not see the void deck as a VOID DECK?

Eco-friendly HDB Flats

Fig. 1 Building eco-friendly flats

Adopting environmentally friendly approaches is key to preserving Mother Earth. Countries all around the world have been actively participating in Global Climate Conferences to do their part in cutting down on the damage to the environment.

Even though Singapore as a small country, is not doing as much harm as bigger nations like Russia, China, Brazil, etc, it is crucial that we are environmentally responsible- which is what the Housing Development Board and National Parks Board are actively campaigning.