Local design teams Milk Design and STICKYLINE joined Primary 5 and 6 students as an “Aging Forest Rescue Design Team.” Set in an ageing forest in the future, students designed medicine-delivery devices for the elderly animals, cultivating empathy through the process.
This course is based on design thinking and set in the background of an ageing forest of the future. It guided students to empathise with elderly animals facing different physical disabilities, and used their creativity to design custom medicine-delivery devices for them, thereby cultivating students’ empathy and problem-solving skills.
To kick off the programme, students stepped into the shoes of seniors through role-playing games to experience the daily challenges of managing chronic conditions firsthand. They then conversed with “AI Animal Elders” to understand their needs and difficulties. After the interviews, AI assisted students in summarising the information collected to build a “persona,” laying a solid foundation for designing solutions around these pain points.
After getting to know the four fundamental delivery mechanisms, students put their creativity to work by applying these principles to specific scenarios. Through iterative testing and adjustments, they gradually completed their medicine-delivery devices. Throughout the process, AI also served as a helping tool to refine design drafts, while students practiced critical thinking by evaluating whether or not to adopt the AI's suggestions.
At the end of each class, students filled out a “Trial-and-Error Log,” to reflect on the problems encountered in each test and adjust accordingly. In the final lesson, parents were invited to attend the students’ sharing session to learn about their creative journey and learning outcomes, and to witness their growth together.
Participating Schools (listed in alphabetical order):
Christian & Missionary Alliance Sun Kei Primary School
S.K.H. Tsing Yi Estate Ho Chak Wan Primary School
P.L.K. Stanley Ho Sau Nan Primary School
The founder of Milk Design Limited, Chi-wing Lee, is a product designer. He believes that design is a tool to explore the different facets of life, and that design is inseparable from daily living. In recent years, he has been actively involved in curatorial work - using exhibitions to promote design to the public. Passionate about design education, he is currently a visiting lecturer at the School of Design of Hong Kong Polytechnic University and is part of various design education programmes at the PMQ and the Hong Kong Design Centre.
Stickyline was founded in 2011 by Mic Leong & Soilworm Lai. Focusing on paper engineering and structure development, the creative duo has been transforming two-dimensional planes into three-dimensional forms through deconstruction and reconstruction. By folding and creasing, they have created art and design in its own form as installation art, sculpture, stage design and window display, etc.
