Bortenfor Kysten
Strategic Design course — Fall 2023 / 3 Months
With Tianyi Shi
Supervisors: Joakim Formo, Einar Sneve Martinussen
For: Sør-Varanger Utvikling, Kystutviklingssentret
Supervisors: Joakim Formo, Einar Sneve Martinussen
For: Sør-Varanger Utvikling, Kystutviklingssentret
Recognition: Awarded AHO Work prize, Interaction design
How can strategic design be used and leverage digital resources to unlock new opportunities for coastal development in the North?
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In this semester my partner Tianyi and I explored an opportunity-based platform, called "Bortenfor Kysten", that could connect alumni, students, local businesses and the municipality in Kirkenes — to bring human resources back.
Kirkenes geo-political location brings along various challenges such as decay in businesses, shifting age demographic, young people leaving for studies, and many employers struggle to attract applicants with the right competence.
Kirkenes is also a city with rich resources, encompasses both cultural, historical and natural assets. However, the greatest treasure, human resources, remains untapped. Even though Norwegians in general don’t find Kirkenes worth considering, for the once already familiar to the place the emotional connection remains.
Me and Tinayi aim to leverage the human resources that coastal communities has lost over the years, reaching both youth and workers who has left or are planning to leave, and channel them back to the home region in different life phases and periods.
We re-imagined the coast by ideation and developing alternativ scenarios, called "What if" concepts. Through interviews, social engagement and presentations in both Kirkenes and DOGA, we gained insight and built up momentum.
Our proposal consisted of three intervention points:
Firstly, the step seen as the "off-boarding process" is re-designed to become the onboarding for people i various life-stages planning to leave town. For this, people would be introduced to join the network, where they can filter relevant job opportunities and personal interests, local updates, and learn about the benefits of staying connected.
The platform itself “Bortenfor Kysten”, is the region network between people, businesses and the municipality. Based on interests and needs the platform will generate relevant opportunities for all alumni and give overview of needs and proposals for all parties.
The third intervention, is a customised newsletter with work and local updates for the alumni.
The concept is developed for all costal communities, but explored in the context of Kirkenes, therefore the value and structure of the platform is designed to work at scale within multiple municipalities.
The network platform
Students can fetch the master thesis partners, part-time jobs, and workers can receive more about the region’s work and investment opportunities. In this way they contribute to the home region with new knowledge, collaborations and frequent visits. In return they are given privileges offered from the region, for example plus one opportunity to bring along their partner to show the hometown, loan a local cabin for exams period, cheaper flights.
Organisation and the municipality meet un-seen proposals, bridge competence gap, get data insight to improve services and in long-term even bring new industries and income to the coast.
This may enhance people's sense of belonging to their hometown, and the hometown becomes a “new” option when facing different phases in life. These connections increase talent return and foster cross-disciplinary projects within the unresiliant regions. Instead of aiming for permanent staying, we would like to start from building connections and facilitate those into long term relationships.
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