As a designer working on projects, I consider my approach somewhat different from other people’s methods and strategies. This doesn't mean that some methods are wrong and others right. Design is not considered a science as there is not a scientific method to show the correct answers to problems that I am trying to solve. In design, there are a lot of opportunities to address just one problem. My proposal will be the result of the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data obtained in the research phase.
To start the project it was helpful for me to define a clear research scope which would allow me to begin digging in the areas I was interested in. My four main areas of study are:
Design Management/Methods
Indigenous Community Practices
Non-profit Social Innovation Organizations
Systems Complexity
Defining an understanding of the relation between these 4 main areas of study is what guides the project to finding and locating what I call my "sweet spot", which is where the proposal of the project is located. That solution must accomplish the project’s design criteria. The solution must be desirable, feasible, and viable and has to address the triple bottom line of any sustainability-driven project (people, profit, and planet). All four main areas of study provide the key insight that shapes the final deliverance.
Introducing Design Management in this project provides structure and strategy for data collection and data analysis. Design Management is defined by a practice that merges theoretical and practical methods in order to be applied in ethnographic understanding, towards the design of an innovation.
Taking into consideration Indigenous community practices helps me to understand alternatives for living. I have learned that these communities:
Learn from mistakes
Have a strong sense of community
Transfer shared knowledge which is key to preserve their culture for generations
Provide awareness that consequences are reflected over time
Analyzing the non-profit social innovation organizations brings to the identification of the two main problems they are currently facing:
Problem Identification
Measuring Impact over time
There is no doubt they want to create an impact. Having good intentions is not enough. Some of their initiatives create unintended negative consequences that are sometimes worse than the current situation which they are trying to address. Identifying and understanding the underlying problem these organizations are trying to solve help reduce risk during the solution implementation as well as increase the diffusion and adoption rate of the final deliverance.
Measuring impact is also a huge problem they are facing. What key factors do they have to look for to determine if an initiative is successful or unsuccessful? Who defines it? Does the community? Does the organization? What type of data has to be collected in order to define success? All these questions circle around my head at this time. Organizations need to be responsible for their projects and proposals. There has to be a way to measure and follow-up the project in different stages with low cost and low tech.
Considering systems complexity is the key. Understanding the system as a whole and looking at the problem from a different perspective helps to map out relations and helps to have a better and a more holistic understanding of what organizations are trying to target. I have found a great example that I will use to explain systems. Imagine the following situation; there are two individuals with their eyes covered who are touching different segments of an elephant. They have been asked to describe their perception of the elephant. One of them is touching the elephant’s husks, and he says, "the elephant is like a snake, it's long and flexible”. The other individual is touching the elephant's ear, and describes the elephant as a big bat, with big wings. Who is right? Who is wrong? Both people were right based on their own perception and experience while touching the elephant. But neither of their descriptions would work to describe an elephant. In order to get a holistic description of the subject, it’s important to have a holistic and systematic understanding of any complex problem before trying to solve it. It is also relevant to be aware that any change in the system has consequences. The systems' condition changes if a variable is disrupted. Any action affects the system’s conditions over time; everything has a consequence and has an effect.
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