molida chan



i’m an experience designer exploring the intersection of systems, space, and storytelling.

my work turns complex insights into tangible services and tools that make experiences more humane.

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Where We Meet

Rethinking Third Places Through the Lens of Experience Design






Challenge
Third places—cafés, libraries, bars, community studios—play an essential role as informal spaces outside home and work. Yet, they’re often designed around furniture and function, not around how people actually use them.

I saw an opportunity to shift this:
How might we enable communities to actively shape their third places so they foster comfort, spontaneity, and belonging?

Key issues I identified:
  • Lack of adaptability (spaces rarely flex to user needs).
  • Little user voice in design decisions.
  • Desire for comfort cues (nooks, cozy seating, lighting, personalization).

The project set out to make these invisible qualities tangible—so communities could see and shape the dynamics of their own spaces.



The exhibition display introduced Where We Meet and framed the challenge: how communities can actively shape their third places.




The Process
I combined research methods with participatory design to uncover what makes third places feel welcoming.

I used mixed methods to understand how people experience and adapt to third places:

  • Surveys & Interviews – gathered baseline experiences from graduate students using Northeastern University’s graduate studio as a “third place.”
  • Observations – studied libraries, cafés, and queer bars to capture how layout, noise, and seating foster different dynamics.
  • Workshops – ran participatory activities where peers co-designed changes to our studio.




Co-Design WorkshopsTo move from abstract insights into tangible ideas, I facilitated two participatory workshops with graduate students in the studio.




    Sticky Note Walkthrough
    Participants walked through the space and placed sticky notes directly on problem areas or opportunities. 

    Comments ranged from “too dark and isolating” in one corner to “this could be a social spot” near the entry. 

    This exercise captured in-situ reactions and surfaced pain points like noise spillover, lack of cozy seating, and bottlenecks in circulation. 








    Digitized workshop notes, clustered into themes to highlight shared observations and design opportunities.





    LEGO Modeling

    Next, we built miniature versions of the studio with LEGO blocks. Students experimented with reconfiguring walls, furniture, and pathways.

    Some stacked blocks to prototype a quiet partitioned nook, while others created a large communal table to encourage social interaction.

    This hands-on prototyping sparked playful discussion and helped participants visualize how even simple changes could shift behaviors.




    Students experimented with layouts, combining LEGO models and sticky notes to explore alternative configurations.

     
    Side view of the LEGO model—capturing how physical elements like walls and furniture shaped movement and use.


            
    Overhead view of the LEGO studio model, showing the layout used as a flexible prototyping tool.




    Key InsightsThe workshops revealed that people wanted:

    • Flexibility: layouts that could be rearranged depending on time of day or activity.
    • Coziness: corners and lounge-like spaces that supported relaxation.
    • Ownership: a way to influence how the space evolved, instead of passively accepting it.

    These insights directly shaped the design of the Layers of Place Toolkit, which turned these recurring themes into modular elements anyone could map and adjust.
    Design PrinciplesInsights from research distilled into guiding principles that shaped the toolkit:
    • Flexibility over permanence — spaces should adapt to shifting needs.
    • Comfort as a driver — lighting, furniture, and ambiance strongly influence belonging.
    • Shared ownership — design tools should give people a voice in shaping their environment.




    The Layers of Place Toolkit

    The Layers of Place Toolkit is a tactile participatory design system that makes the invisible qualities of a third place visible and adaptable. It uses color-coded acrylic hexagonal tiles to represent both spatial and social elements.

    Users begin by arranging the spatial tiles (layout, permeability, furniture), then layer on social tiles (work, rest, play) to represent activity. 

    Tiles can overlap or stack, reflecting how one spot might serve multiple roles — a lounge corner could be Rest during the day and Play during the evening.

    Six color-coded tile types represent both spatial and social layers.





    Scenario Prompt Cards

    Alongside the tiles, the toolkit includes scenario prompt cards that give participants an approachable starting point. 

    Each card describes a familiar situation—like “Laptop Lounge Mode” for independent work or “Backroom Utopia” for a cozy hangout—so people don’t begin with a blank slate.

    The prompts provide a relatable anchor, lowering the barrier to co-design. As participants grow comfortable, they often move beyond the initial scenario—iterating, combining cards, or discarding them altogether—while still feeling empowered to experiment and contribute.



    Kit Packaging

    The toolkit also includes a Quick-Start Guide and a portable wooden box for storage, making it reusable and easy to transport. Participants can shuffle, cluster, and sketch on tiles, turning abstract needs into concrete spatial proposals.





    The Impact
    I tested and refined the toolkit in our Graduate Studio, which served as a living lab.

    • Students quickly understood how to use the kit thanks to the Quick Start guide and scenario cards, which lowered the barrier to participation.
    • Using the tiles, participants clustered Rest and Work in corners and placed Play near the entrance for casual meetups.
    • Based on these layouts, we rearranged furniture: a communal table in the center, a lounge by the windows, and a quieter nook in the back.
    • Within days, people gravitated to the new zones, confirming that participatory prototyping translated into real behavior change.

    The toolkit provided not only a shared visual language but also a structured yet playful process. This combination empowered students to articulate ideas they might not have voiced in an interview or survey. Instead of being passive users of a space, they became active co-designers of it.

    Students used the guide and tiles together, turning abstract needs into actionable layouts.
    Reflections & TakeawayWhere We Meet demonstrates how research-driven design can lead to participatory tools that empower communities. The Layers of Place Toolkit translates abstract qualities like comfort, rest, or play into tangible pieces anyone can use.

    For me, this project reinforced the value of participatory design, co-creation, and prototyping. It also highlighted how designers can serve as facilitators, creating systems that let people reimagine their own environments.

    Next Steps

    • Pilot the toolkit in more diverse community spaces (cafés, libraries, neighborhood centers).
    • Explore digital integration for hybrid or remote participation.
    • Study the long-term effects of participatory design on how spaces evolve over time.