2016 Creative Design Award Recipient
Babson Net Impact Club
Babson's Net Impact Club was awarded the Creative Design Award after they successfully organized and ran a regional Net Impact design challenge on Babson’s campus. The club was specifically recognized for the original approach they took in building relationships with other Net Impact chapters in the Boston area.
Original Problem: Babson's Net Impact Club, a chapter of a national organization committed to social and environmental innovation, wanted to create a stronger and more permanent connection with other Net Impact chapters from other colleges in the Boston area. Communication with the other chapters had been lost when leadership graduated the previous year.
Solution: The Babson Net Impact chapter contacted the National Net Impact headquarters and offered to host the Next Generation Mobility Challenge, a regional competition where teams imagined solutions around community and transportation.
During the challenge, the Babson Net Impact organizers required that design teams consist of members from different schools. These mixed teams helped facilitate relationship building between Babson's Net Impact members and students from other local Net Impact chapters. The Babson Net Impact team's organizing efforts also helped enhance Babson's brand at a regional level and earned them runner up for the Babson Impact Award.
How the Creative Design Award is Selected
The Creative Design Award recognizes the graduate school club team whose implemented design reflects the highest degree of originality, desirability, and feasibility.
Teams are evaluated according to the following criteria:
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Originality: the extent to which the design incorporates new ideas and experiences
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Desirability: the extent to which the design satisfies the user need
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Feasibility: the degree to which the implemented design is attainable from a technical standpoint
The voting process: After each club team presents their implemented design solutions, each team captain completes a scorecard that asks her or him to measure the originality, desirability, and feasibility of each club's presented design solution.
Team captains are not allowed to vote for their own design. The club team with the highest number of combined points is awarded the Creative Design Award. A club team must implement their design solution in order to be considered for the Creative Design Award.