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?
22 March 2010
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Tags co-creation, design, dialogue, jamie oliver
28 January 2010
I respect the way Bill Easterly challenges our assumptions about aid and agree with him when he (surprisingly) writes that we should look harder for dialogue before the satire starts. Face-to-face conversations about what isn't working might provide us a means to "walk a mile in another man's shoes" and in so doing, help us collectively reduce our oversights.
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23 January 2010
In my ongoing research, I came across this beautiful work by Elise Rijnberg. The pattern is made with subtle embroidery and meant to educate on the western traditions of dining.
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Tags design, dialogue, meal, typography
12 January 2010
Learning #3: Just because we speak the same language, doesn't mean we understand each other.
"...dialogue characterizes an epistemological relationship. Thus, in this sense, dialogue is a way of knowing...I engage in dialogue because I recognize the social and not merely the individualistic character of the process of knowing. In this sense, dialogue presents itself as an indispensable component of the process of both learning and knowing." (Paulo Freire)
As I reflect on my work in a cross-cultural context, I realize how much complication can arise from the lack of a shared language. Getting on the wrong bus, saying the wrong thing in a meeting and ordering the wrong food are but a few examples. But back in my own city, where I am able to do most of these things, I think I can take the shared language notion for granted. It may allow you to get where you want to go but it doesn't guarantee you'll really know or learn. In looking ahead, I hope to continue to work on projects that require cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary teams because I find that these experiences help equip me to avoid the perils of assumption.
One of twelve in this series
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07 January 2010
Twitter and Facebook let me peek in on people. But they can't replace meeting someone face to face. So in the spirit of learning from others, I've developed a list of ten people I'd love to have coffee with this year. Believe me, limiting it to ten was not easy. There are a lot of interesting people in the world! Here's what I came up with (in no particular order):
1. Paul Polak: 25 years of experience counts for something. I respect Paul's unswerving commitment to appropriate design in emerging nations. (Update: I got to meet up with him at a talk in June 2010)
2. Jacqueline Novogratz: I resonate so closely with her time in Rwanda and respect the way she's built her career based on respecting others. I could learn a lot from her.
3. Erik Hersman: I had one email exchange with Erik where we discussed the difference between rural and urban when it came to addressing needs in Africa. I'm inspired by the commitment to technology for "the dark continent."
4. Alfred Sirleaf, The Analog Blogger: Because he saw a need of the people.
5. Maggie Breslin: She has worked as a design researcher at the Sparc Lab/Mayo Clinic for the past 4+ years. To watch the complexity of a hospital and apply design process in this arena is something I want to learn more about.
6. Dambisa Moyo: One of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people ain't too shabby.
7. Eddie Izzard: Not only is he hysterical but he also runs marathons. And speaks French fluently. Also born in Yemen.
8. Lucy Orta: Anyone who cooks a meal for 70 people as a creative act has my attention.
9. Tina Fey: Because apparently, I'm her doppelgänger.
10. The women of Gashora: Because our conversations aren't finished yet. (Update: We got to meet up in May 2010!)
Bonus? Lady Gaga: A woman who can get an audience with the Queen, become a CD at Polaroid and dress like nobody's business, could likely teach me a thing or two about brand (or perhaps more likely how to speak your mind and still get ahead).
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