Heritage Spark Design Thinking Toolkit by Liang Hou

Heritage Spark Design Thinking Toolkit by Liang Hou is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award in IJzer in Onderwijs, Leermiddelen en Trainingsinhoud Ontwerp Competition Category.

IJzerOnderwijs· 2025

Heritage Spark Design Thinking Toolkit

by Liang Hou

Client: Zhejiang University

A' Design Award in IJzer Winner in Onderwijs Category

22,874

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #170646

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Heritage Spark Design Thinking Toolkit

Heritage Spark is een lesgereedschap voor ontwerpwerk gebaseerd op immaterieel cultureel erfgoed. De toolkit bevat drie kaartensets. Erfgoedkaarten introduceren tien vormen van immaterieel cultureel erfgoed voor snel begrip. Personagekaarten maken het mogelijk om elke erfgoedvorm vanuit verschillende rollen te bestuderen. Technologiekaarten stellen technische mogelijkheden voor die nieuwe ideeën kunnen inspireren. Twee denkcanvassen, één persoonlijk en één voor teams, ondersteunen samenwerking. De kaarten zijn digitaal gedrukt op gecoat papier en uitgestanst. Heritage Spark is bedoeld voor studenten zonder voorkennis van het onderwerp.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in IJzer

Heritage Spark Design Thinking Toolkit is winnaar van de A' Design Award in IJzer, een prestigieuze erkenning die wordt toegekend aan goede ontwerpen die voldoen aan de professionele en industriële eisen die worden verwacht van goed ontworpen creaties. Winnaars in IJzer tonen grote vaardigheid, hoge specialisatie, deskundig inzicht en het creatieve vermogen van hun makers. Heritage Spark Design Thinking Toolkit wordt verwacht een hooggewaardeerde, bewonderde en gekoesterde creatie te zijn die praktisch en innovatief is. Dit ontwerp dat de A' Design Award in IJzer heeft gewonnen, integreert de beste praktijken uit de sector en heeft bekwame technische kenmerken die verbonden zijn met knowhow en talent. Heritage Spark Design Thinking Toolkit wordt gerespecteerd om zijn grondigheid en is ontworpen om verbeteringen van de levenskwaliteit te bieden die helpen de wereld een betere plek te maken.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Heritage Spark is one of the few auxiliary tools for Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) designing in China. It is highly accessible to students unfamiliar with ICH, enabling them to quickly grasp its various types. Using a collaborative role-playing analysis method, it streamlines the design and creative process. Beyond being a design aid, it also plays a key role in promoting ICH.
Dimensions & Packaging: The cards measure 95mm x 133mm with a thickness of 0.3mm. The toolkit includes two thought canvases: a personal canvas (A4 size, 210mm x 297mm) and a team canvas (460mm x 960mm) for collaborative work. The packaging box measures 460mm x 320mm x 80mm, designed for convenient storage and transport. The materials and dimensions ensure durability and usability, making the toolkit suitable for various design and brainstorming scenarios.
Tags: ICH Design, Inspiration Inspired, Design Assistance, Toolkit, ICH
Production Technology: The design was created using Photoshop and Illustrator, then digitally printed on 300g coated paper and die-cut for precision. The process included user research, workshop testing, and design thinking methodologies to refine content and usability, ensuring the toolkit aligns with user needs. The cards were produced in small batches, ensuring quality and adaptability.
Design Challenge: The challenge lies in designing a set of cards that can enable ICH (Intangible Cultural Heritage) novices to quickly understand its value and essence, while also effectively stimulating user empathy to identify pain points from the perspective of ICH bearers. The cards must balance knowledge dissemination with thought stimulation, ultimately encouraging users to contribute innovative ideas for the future of ICH.
Research: Heritage Spark cards are designed to provide a quick entry point for users with no prior knowledge of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). This research explores how card design can effectively convey ICH knowledge, foster user empathy, and encourage users to adopt the perspective of ICH bearers. The cards guide users to identify challenges facing ICH, define problems, and utilize divergent thinking to generate innovative solutions for ICH protection and transmission.
Inspiration: In the era of rapid technological growth, the protection and promotion of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) face major challenges. Our course experience and student feedback reveal a lack of ICH awareness. To foster innovative ICH design, it is essential to quickly grasp its essence, analyze its status from various angles, and explore its fusion with new technologies. Thus, we created Heritage Spark, a toolkit to inspire creative ICH design.
Project Duration: The project started in Hangzhou, China, in January 2024.
Operation Flow: The toolkit includes ICH cards, introducing ten ICH to build a quick understanding. Character cards help users explore ICH from different roles and perspectives. Technology cards offer various tech options to inspire diverse designs through integration. Additionally, two thought canvases support process development and idea exchange, fostering collaborative design.
Team Members: Creative Director: Liang Hou, Researcher: Wenqi Wu, Designer: Qianyu Tang, Designer: Yixuan Gao, Designer: Xiaoran Zhang, Designer: Chongjun Zhong, Designer: Songruoyao Wu; Designer: Yingping Cao; Tutor: Zhibin Zhou and Tutor: Kejun Zhang
Image Credits: The above material comes from our own team.