Virtual UCDA Design Conference: Ashley Touchton

Ashley Touchton is a Design and Innovation Strategy Consultant from Spark Corps in Atlanta, Georgia. She is passionate about accelerating both startups and corporations. Her background in Industrial Design from Georgia Tech provides her a multi-faceted approach to solving problems and the ability to rapidly pilot solutions for product fit and refinement.

Ashley is dedicated to moving quickly and efficiently to find the best solution within tight time frames, keeping projects on track and maintaining momentum for new initiatives. As a design strategy consultant, she focuses on startup design and innovation strategy as well as strategic corporate acceleration programs and bridging the gap between the two.

2. STORYTELLING THE GAP

As designers, we are gifted with the opportunity to see the whole picture. Our goal is to communicate something from one group to another whether it be results, a future vision, a product, or even a point of view. At Spark Corps they utilize storytelling to effectively eliminate gaps in understanding and align points of view. In this session you will be shown several examples of the various mediums and methods they use to storytell the gap.

You will also be given time to create your own handwritten story during this session, and have an opportunity to share your story at the Monday afternoon Lunch Break Chat.

Check your Virtual UCDA Design Conference Swag Box when it arrives for materials needed for this session.

A STORY TOLD, A VOICE HEARD
“What Is Your Story?” started out as an interactive traveling art exhibition comprised of anonymous, handwritten stories developed in between the pages of used books. Authored by people of all walks of life, “What is Your Story?” is a touching look at struggles and secrets hidden deep within ourselves and how these untold stories connect us more deeply than we realize. The mission of “What Is Your Story?” is to put an end to the isolation that comes from feeling misunderstood.

Take a look into the exhibit. Because it is a traveling exhibit, “What Is Your Story?” and its team employs conventions for both long term exhibits as well as pop-ups. For the pop-ups, our team provides the materials and display, and for long term exhibits, we work with the spaces to ensure shelving and processing of books. Whether it be for 1 day or 3 months, the “What Is Your Story?” team is dedicated to make sure all of the storyteller voices are heard and elevated.

Be a part of the exhibition. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, our team at What Is Your Story? believes the voices of people in and around our communities are critically important to be heard. At its inception, the What Is Your Story? exhibit has been performed in physical books and large community events, but due to today’s global circumstances, we all have been asked to physically distance. How can we be brought together when we are physically apart? The team at What Is Your Story? is teaming up with the Museum of Design Atlanta to bring a global (virtual) empathy event to the people in our lives.

Visit: https://www.whatisyourstoryexhibit.org