Our partners in the Deaf Community of Cape Town (DCCT) (www.dcct.org.za) produce a number of craft objects for sale (www.dcct.org.za/?q=craftware-catalog). The purpose of this project is to assist DCCT in marketing the products. The craftware business is run from the DCCT centre in Heathfield. The business also has a store of pre-made stock.

They produce a wide range of products listed in the catalogue. All products are hand-made and customisable — that is, you can have your name and a motif of your choosing printed on your chosen product. Your system needs to cater for this customization.
In general you cannot use preconceived ideas and you will need to design to suit the business process of the Craftware ladies. You will therefore adopt a method we have called community-based co-design.

“Community-Based” conveys the fact that we deal with groups of people rather than individuals. We have develop ways of entering into design conversations with people who do not have technical skills but who are knowledgeable on their own needs and especially how their own communities operate.  “Co-design” derives from the application of the action research paradigm in a design setting: both the computer experts and the community members are designers on an equal footing and work cooperatively.

In doing this project you will acquire knowledge of Community-Based Co-Design, the equivalent of the honours module that was not given this year. It won’t be hard but it will require a flexible mindset. This project will require regular visits to DCCT in Heathfield.

An essential aspect of this project is that the intellectual property of DCCT (such as the photographs and designs) be protected.

Any system also has to be secure and well documented.