Dialogue Through Design

A Sort of Revolution: Episode One
Are you ready for a change? What does that mean?

To the cooks in a school cafeteria in West Virginia, change means,"It has to come from the top." Jamie Oliver demonstrates that real change may cost you everything you've got.

If you've worked on projects where the objective is design for social change, this episode speaks on a whole bunch of levels. As a designer, it hosts a glimpse into the process of navigating complexity and seeking to employ human centered design methods when addressing a problem. If you ever wanted to see this methodology in action, this episode offers insight (more than you might imagine). You can watch in the USA or Canada.

Here's what I take away from Jamie's initial foray into the community of Huntington:

1) Three to four months of investment with the community will reveal more than two weeks ever will.

2) Visualizing the problem and an accessible solution is essential to understanding.

3) The system is complex and you have to navigate it. No shortcuts.

4) People skills are part of human-centered design. And even with them, your best intentions may be misunderstood.

5) The outsider who wants to change the way things are will always pose a threat.

Anything else?