Design Is Hacking How We Learn

Design is hacking how we learn
David Sherwin, AIGA Into the Woods 2012
@changeorder

photo 6291481572 by Beggs / CC Attribution 2.0 Generic License

Question 1: Can design solve most
of society’s biggest problems?*

* Be sure to show your work.

Design can solve society’s
biggest problems…

biggest problems…
if we cultivate a love
of learning through
the design process.

biggest problems…
if we cultivate a love
of learning through
the design process.
This is a talk about how
we can do this better.

Let’s start by talking
about survival.

CHALLENGE

Understand the nature and value of
connection, and the digital connection
models of urban girls in Nairobi.

APPROACH

Empower girls in local girl groups through
explorer training so they can collaboratively
plan and co-design solutions for their needs.

FOUR WEEKS
explorer training

week 1
1 22 33 4

learn skills tell stories imagine possibilities be heard

FOUR WEEKS
research objectives

week 1 2 3 4

FOUNDATIONS FOCUS IDEATION PROTOTYPE
girl kick-oﬀ connections co-design evaluation

Week 1: Creating sparks to build friendships

Week 2: Becoming explorers and storytellers

Week 3: Exposing latent creativity and wisdom

Week 4: Encouraging co-leadership and collective action

Future focus: Growing and networking local girl groups

LEARNINGS

The process and the product
had great value to the community.
Girls honed practical skills by being
exposed to the design process.
Local education systems did not teach
girls how to grow and apply these
skills in a ﬂexible manner to solve
a wide range of critical problems.

I'VE BEEN SO HAPPY
SINCE STARTING THIS
PROGRAM OF
EXPLORING. I FEEL
MORE CONFIDENT THAN
THE TIME THAT I CAME—
I WAS TOO SHY. NOW I'M
MEETING OTHER GIRLS.
I AM HAPPY.

Girl Participant, 14

LEARNINGS

There are few substitutes for in-person
communication when encouraging
local community problem solving.
Technology has great potential to expand
education’s reach, but we have to start local
and analog to achieve scale.
Safe spaces—places where girls are
“free to try, free to fail”—are critical
for gaining core problem-solving skills.

Practicing design is
empowering.
It helps people see the
world in a diﬀerent way—
and consider how to
change it for the better.
This hacks how we learn.

How we
are often
taught
THEORY PRACTICE

REFLECTION

Thanks to Kristian Simsarian for
sharing this model with me.

How
designers
learn PRACTICE
THEORY

TACIT
KNOWLEDGE

REFLECTION
take a peek at the
70/20/10 model
Michael M. Lombardo and Robert W. Eichinger
and/or Eric Schmidt and others

“Designers have the ability and the training to harness
the tacit knowledge of the unconscious mind, rather than
being limited to working with explicit knowledge. This
makes them good at synthesizing complex problems with
large numbers of constraints; It also makes them bad at
explaining or deﬁning what they are doing or thinking.
They will describe process and results because they are
not consciously aware of their own rationale.”

—Bill Moggridge, rest in peace

How
designers
anyone PRACTICE
can try THEORY

new modes
of learning
TACIT
KNOWLEDGE

REFLECTION
take a peek at the
70/20/10 model
Michael M. Lombardo and Robert W. Eichinger
and/or Eric Schmidt and others

How can I do this in
my community?

my community?
“Design situations that allow
equitable solutions to emerge…”
—Scott Boylston

my community?
“Design situations that allow
equitable solutions to emerge…”
—Scott Boylston

Help people use our tools
independent of the design process
to improve their lives.

Ask better questions by using the 5W’s and an H.
(And active listening!)

what What events or actions are happening?

who Who is involved? Who helps or gets in the way?

why Why is this happening? Why do you feel this way?

where Where does this happen?

when When does it happen?

how How does it happen? How does it aﬀect you?

Know your bias when considering
someone else’s needs—and your own.

Researching other people requires us
to apply more rigor to our life decisions.

Questions are also tools that help us
focus where to ideate—and break
rigid patterns of thought.

People are seeking healthier
food and drink in metropolitan
and rural areas. WHY?

STRATEGY

It’s expensive to constantly
visit vending machines to reﬁll WHAT’S STANDING IN
it with fresh foods. OUR WAY?

How might we best maintain
the freshness of healthy food
in a vending machine? HOW MIGHT WE?


STRATEGY


TACTICS



STRATEGY


TACTICS


DESIGN

ARTICULATE HOW BY GENERATING IDEATION QUESTIONS

How might we How might we How might we How might we
best maintain signal to users procure and create a vending
the freshness of vending deliver fresh food machine that can
of healthy food machines the for inclusion contain different
in a vending freshness of food in vending sizes, shapes,
machine? on display? machines in and types of
a region? food?

How might we How might we How might we How might we
aid a vending help a machine most quickly help users see
machine in quick- provide the receive payment what is available
ly recognizing appropriate and disburse at a vending
different types climate to products to machine when
of fresh and different types vending machine they are not
local food? of food? users? present?

Be more eﬀective in how you
use your time to come up with ideas
by using timeboxing.

ACT EVALUATE ARTICULATE

• what to do • did you do it? • what else needs to be done?
• how long you’ll do it • need more time? • how much time will it take?
• required output • get the right output? • was output is needed?
• desired fidelity • was it the right fidelity? • what fidelity is required?


create low-fi design ideas • did you do it? • what else needs to be done?
do it for 10 minutes • need more time? • how much time will it take?
at least 8 ideas • get the right output? • was output is needed?
words + doodles • was it the right fidelity? • what fidelity is required?
on Post-It Notes


create low-fi design ideas low-fi ideas worked, • what else needs to be done?
do it for 10 minutes especially the sketches • how much time will it take?
at least 8 ideas with corgi puppies— • was output is needed?
words + doodles but more ideas with • what fidelity is required?
on sticky notes unicorns would help


create low-ﬁ design ideas low-ﬁ ideas worked, add another 5 minutes
do it for 10 minutes especially the sketches add 5 more ideas
at least 8 ideas with corgi puppies— ideally more unicorns
words + doodles but more ideas with on more sticky notes
on sticky notes unicorns would help

ARTICULATE REFLECT ACT

dd another 5 minutes
dd 5 more ideas
eally more unicorns
n more sticky notes

20 MINS 40 MINS 60 MINS 80 MINS 100 MINS 120 MINS

FINAL CLEAN
SKETCHES

VISUAL
REFINED
DESIGN EVALUATE
WIREFRAMES
THINKING

DETERMINE
ROUGH
APP EVALUATE
WIREFRAMES
CONTENT

BRAINSTORM
BIG IDEAS EVALUATE

Don’t let people argue for ideas until
everyone shares their preference.

interactive storybooks about loneliness

Tell a story. Perform a drama. Sing a song.
Write it down. Draw your idea. Create a comic.
Make a collage. Tinker with discourses.

Tear apart and reassemble your stories
so you can say more with less.

Questions help you unpack how
to act on your best ideas.

why Why is this problem happening?

who Who can help you ﬁx it?

what What skills or materials do you need to solve it?

where Where can you go for assistance?

when When can you get started?

how How might we work together to change it?

Want big change? Keep motivated
by visibly celebrating quick wins.

Team up by creating personal
connections through shared
goals and values.

forming

norming

storming

performing

Help others identify and
share their superpowers.
Apply them in concert.

“Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth,
that around every circle another can be drawn…”
—Emerson

biggest problems…
If we can help people unlock
their potential by learning
through design.

biggest problems…
If we can help people unlock
their potential by learning
through design.
This is good for everyone:
families, clients, communities, yourself.

Let’s share our tools with the world.

Design Is Hacking How We Learn

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