Creating a design framework to guide development in Northwest Arkansas

A program framework that centers people and experience in design excellence

While the first several years of the Design Excellence Program had been a success overall, WFF has identified a pattern of projects going over budget and time. In addition, the Foundation was concerned with problems that arose when designers prioritized aesthetics and form over people and experience. In 2018, WFF engaged Gehl to address the early challenges of their young and promising program, to ensure its continued success and guide their future investments. Gehl conducted a site visit, rigorous precedent research, two interactive workshops, 12 interviews with stakeholders, and synthesized findings to create a supportive framework of principles, goals, and corresponding metrics to formalize the Design Excellence grant, as well as the design and evaluation process. In addition, Gehl mapped the current grant process, identified operational challenge areas, and proposed solutions that would enable the projects to stay on budget and on schedule, and facilitated internal and external communications about the program.

In 2020 and 2023, Gehl continued work with the Walton Family Foundation to test and implement the Design Excellence Framework across 13 design projects. Gehl worked with grantees at all phases of the design process to set project goals and metrics, collect and analyze baseline data, and track progress toward achieving project goals during the design review process. The team also created capacity building tools for grantees, impact assessment reports, and recommendations for how WFF might direct future investments to maximize impact program-wide.