Original challenge: How can we reach and empower young people aged 13–19 throughout the city to increase their participation through the opportunities of a digital “Kulturskola”?
Challenge from: Kulturskolan, City of Stockholm
Redefined challenge: How might we improve the outreach and course portfolio including hybrid formats to align with lifestyles of teenagers (15-19 yo) and their need for social connection and community without serving additional pressure?
Solution: Culture Buddy
Concept: Culture Buddy is a two-step digital solution that combines a playful social media filter with an AI chatbot to engage teenagers in discovering cultural activities. The filter sparks curiosity through a short quiz and archetype, while the chatbot deepens engagement by offering personalized recommendations and social sign-up options. Together, they lower the threshold for participation by meeting teenagers in familiar, peer-driven digital spaces.
Team: KulKultur
Asher Njoroge, Chiara di Furia, Elna Ciesielski, Hao Pan, Magnus Pettersson, Thao Du Nguyenová, & Yihang Qiu.

Report abstract

This report gives account for the design process of the first half of the project by the group Kul Kultur. The project addresses a strategic challenge from Kulturskolan Stockholm, a municipal arts and culture educational organization, with the aim to increase participation among teenagers in the ages 13-19. A human-centered design methodology was deployed, following the double diamond model including; empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping and testing.
Key insights gathered from engaging with the key stakeholders teenagers, parents and Kulturskolan’s staff, revealed that there is a lack of brand awareness, that friends are important in decision-making, and that after-school activities should not serve any additional pressure to the teenagers. Six concepts were developed and explored as a response to this. After further evaluation, three of these were developed into prototypes. The final design proposal is a course recommender, which from testing showed great promise in solving the different aspects of the challenge.