JCC MANHATTAN - THE MAKEGUFFIN PROJECT
Designing creative spaces for adults on the spectrum to build informal support networks
WHAT?
MakeGuffin is a relating-by-making space designed to help neurodivergent adults build interdependent relationships through playful collaboration. It invites participants to team up around creative challenges, explore their interests, and make something together—fostering connection through the act of making. The experience follows a narrative arc inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s “Man in Hole” story structure: individuals face a challenge, struggle together, and come out stronger—as a group.
MakeGuffin is powered by two open-source tools: the MakePlaybook, a how-to guide for hosting the experience, and the MakeGenerator, a hands-on challenge machine that prompts imaginative, sometimes delightfully absurd projects (e.g., “Make an infomercial for villains about piña colada” or “Make pasta recipes for a butcher about Oscar nominations”), making the MakeGuffin easily facilitated by community centers with minimal support.
WHY?
For many adults on the authism spectrum, the path to independence depends on three pillars: a stable income, secure housing, and an informal support networks. While income and housing can be provided through policy or programs, social connections can’t be handed over. They have to be built by the individuo. But for many people on the spectrum, building and sustaining relationships is uniquely difficult. Social cues can be confusing, unstructured settings can be overwhelming, and past experiences of exclusion or misunderstanding often lead to double guessing themselves.
Then, at 18, most formal support programming disappear, leaving these adults feeling isolated, without the scaffolding to develop the relationships that make independent life sustainable. At the same time, remaining programs often focus on job readiness or behavioral goals, not community. The result is a growing population of neurodiverse people navigating adulthood alone — a reality that contributes to serious mental health risks, including depression and suicide.
"They are lonely, isolated and don’t feel good about themselves. Their human needs and desires aren’t being met. They see that everyone has friendships and relationships and they are not included.” — Director of a community center
OUTCOME
Over two years after its initial pilot in 2018, MakeGuffin grew into a sustained program at the JCC’s Center for Special Needs, offering neurodiverse adults a space to connect through play, imagination, and shared making. Across multiple cohorts, participants engaged in the experience, with many returning regularly and even stepping into leadership roles as peer facilitators.
The program not only helped reduce anxiety and foster belonging, but also equipped the JCC team to carry it forward. We trained social workers, interns, and program staff to facilitate sessions — and by the end, they were running the program independently, embedding it into their ongoing offerings.Today, MakeGuffin exists as an open-source model for everyone who wants to use it.
DURATION
3 years, 2017 - 2020
LOCATION
New York, United States
MY ROLE
Project Co-lead
Conducted Design Research
Facilitated co-design workshops
MakeGruffin program experience design
Make generator product design
Visual and brand design MakeGuffin project
Co-facilitated prototyping and pilots
TEAM
Nicholas Chan
LINKS
HOW?
We combined design research, creative facilitation, and participatory prototyping to build a sustainable model for informal connection. The process unfolded through these key activities:
Design research — We conducted interviews with subject matter experts and adults on the spectrum to understand daily routines, values, and social dynamics. Tools like journey mapping, card sorting, and group interviews helped uncover five major challenges: social isolation, restrictive clinical framing, low confidence, fear of failure, and peer competition.
Co-designing safe social spaces - Through workshops, we explored concepts of trust, belonging, and mutual support. In a “Hero’s Journey” session, participants mapped their paths toward independence, uncovering shared obstacles and aspirations. A “Limiting Beliefs” workshop invited reflection on internalized narratives, surfacing emotional needs and building collective confidence.
Program co-creation — We hosted a make-a-thon where participants engaged with their interests around “what could be.” They imagined new programs for the JCC and shared their passions, sparking creativity and collective ownership.
Experience and product desing - Building on the make-a-thon insights, we designed the actual program experience and built the Challenge Generator, creating a space that fostered connection, creativity, and leadership.
Piloting — We ran two pilot rounds with 28 participants over one month at the JCC’s Center for Special Needs Adaptation, collaborating closely with staff. The pilots tested whether the program fostered bonding relationships, showed demand and satisfaction, and gauged the community center’s readiness for adoption. We measured impact through quantitative surveys and qualitative feedback on participation, emotional shifts, and new roles assumed.
Building for longevity — To ensure sustainability, we trained social workers to facilitate the program and gradually transitioned ownership to participants. Over two years later, the program continued independently, demonstrating lasting impact and community ownership.
