The State Library Victoria is currently developing a new architect designed Children's Quarter, a multisensory and dynamic space that will provide engaging purpose-built areas for children and families to nurture literacy development, play-based learning and creativity. This studio aims to activate the new children's Quarter by creating informal, awe-inspiring learning experiences that draw inspiration from the Library's vast collection. The experience designs will ignite children's imagination, evoke a sense of wonder and introduce the magic of storytelling in all its forms. The studio will demonstrate that designers can create experiences that enrich people's lives and provide significant moments of shared curiosity and inspired learning.

This studio will involve mapping and responding to the characteristics of a designated site, uncovering the needs of a specific audience and using a rich history of children's literature and the State Library's vast collection to inspire learning experiences for children aged zero to twelve years. Students will broadly develop an understanding of the role of design in a cultural context and develop insights into the power of collaborative research and ideation methods such as suspended judgement, rapid prototyping and happy accidents. They will gain an understanding of how audience knowledge and place can inform conceptual development and how a presentation strategy can support clear and powerful communication of design proposals.

At various stages during semester students will present work in progress to State Library Victoria stakeholders. The last stage of the project is for students to present the experience proposals to the Library's Experience and Engagement managers. The presentation strategy will inform the design format and media used in the final proposals.

Students will initially work in groups to analyse a designated site and research the Library’s Collection, project audience and childhood learning theory. In response to the research findings students will propose experience concepts, create experience prototypes, develop individual experience designs and finally present proposals to State Library's Experience and Engagement Managers.

Brief 1: Group Based Research: Site Analysis, Audience Evaluation, Early Learning Theory, State Library Collection Brief 2: Experience Design: Experience Concept, Design Concept, Design Development Brief 3: Presentation: Strategy, Final Presentation Document Brief 4: Studio Knowledge Object

The project brief has been developed in partnership with State Library Victoria, Experience and Engagement Managers, who will be involved in the briefing process and provide feedback at various points throughout the project. The partnership provides a brief grounded in a real need and the library is interested in implementing outcomes that propose innovative, and 'magical' experiences.

Experience Design / Museum design / Designing for Play/ Interpretation design