investing in local communities by sharing the power of design

David Sherwin @changeorder

Savannah College of Art and Design May 9, 2013

We Have a Voice: Investing in Local

Communities by Sharing the

Power of Design

This is what Savannah-area teens taught us when we asked them…

This is what Savannah-area teens taught us when we asked them…

“What change do you want to see in your community?”

Robynn Butler, SCADEric Green, SCADCarol Lora, SCADMarina Petrova, SCADKatie Mansell, SCADNaz (Najmeh) Mirzaie, SCADAlexandra Pappalardo, SCADNathan Sundberg, SCAD

42 studentsat Beach, Groves, and Savannah High Schools

Larry "Gator" Rivers, Gatorball Academy / MenyetDebra Hasan, Gatorball Academy/ Menyet

3 HS teachersMs. Wilson, Beach High SchoolMs. Dawson, Groves High SchoolMs. Reese, Savannah High School

8 grad students

3 instigatorsScott Boylston, SCAD Design for SustainabilityDavid Sherwin, frogErin Sanders, frog

2 NGO leaders

Savannah High

Groves High

Beach High

“Are you serious, it's our opinion, it's what we want to do?”

—Mr. Mohammed

“Kids… complain about the school system,it is great to hear a solution for once!”

How did we get here?

What tools were they using?

How is this similar to other community efforts globally?

What did the participants discover?

What impact has it had on their lives?

frog is a global innovation firm that designs and builds new products, services and experiences for large, medium

and start-up organizations

Man had landed on the moon and young people wanted to change the world; we all wanted to make a difference.

I wanted to make people smile.

– Hartmut Esslinger, 1969

1

People think design is about creating new uses for technology…but it’s first about understanding the needs of groups of people.

2

We build practical skills and acquire knowledge by participating in group problem-solving activities.

CHALLENGE

Understand the nature and value ofconnection, and the digital connectionmodels of urban girls in Nairobi.

APPROACH

Train girls in local girl groups to be explorers.Collaboratively plan and co-design solutions for their needs.

1 2 3

tell stories imagine possibilities be heard

week 1 2 3 4

learn skills

FOUR WEEKSexplorer training

1

FOUNDATIONSgirl kick-off

2

FOCUSconnections

3

IDEATIONco-design

4

PROTOTYPEevaluation

week

FOUR WEEKSresearch objectives

“(When we learned to brainstorm), we realized the ideas were in our head... we didn’t have to be told or

wait to read them in a book.”

-girl participant

“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

3

Group problem solving is empowering. It helps us build stronger relationshipswith people in our communities.

How can I do this in my community?

How might we translate the design process into something centered on skill development and knowledge-sharing for communities?

How can I do this in my community?

How might we turn the creationand communication of ideas into a vehicle to teach inquiry, leadership and problem solving to anyone, from any culture?

frogdesign.com/cat

makesomething real

imaginenew ideas

seeknew understanding

buildyour team

clarify your

GOAL

planfor action

makesomething real

imaginenew ideas

seeknew understanding

buildyour team

clarify your

GOAL

planfor action

makesomething real

imaginenew ideas

seeknew understanding

buildyour team

clarify your

GOAL

planfor action

makesomething real

imaginenew ideas

seeknew understanding

buildyour team

clarify your

GOAL

planfor action

“Clarify” activity:

imagining impact and outcomes

makesomething real

imaginenew ideas

seeknew understanding

buildyour team

clarify your

GOAL

planfor action

makesomething real

imaginenew ideas

seeknew understanding

buildyour team

clarify your

GOAL

planfor action

“Imagine” activity:

creating a spectrum of ideas

makesomething real

imaginenew ideas

seeknew understanding

buildyour team

clarify your

GOAL

planfor action

makesomething real

imaginenew ideas

seeknew understanding

buildyour team

clarify your

GOAL

planfor action

“Make” activity:

design through storytelling

—Nathan Sundberg, SCAD Graduate Student

“I think that this whole process has been illustrative of the role that I see designers having in any process: as an enabler of voices.

Everyone has a story and a point of view, but they don’t always get a chance to communicate [it]. They don’t always realize that their point of view is important.”

—SCAD CAT Pilot Participants

“Through this program, I actually get to talk and fit in.”

“It's not only school. Y'all help us with our home lives, too… It's a time to vent, but also fun.”

“Within our school, we’re not heard, so to have a program like this come and actually hear us out… and [let us] have an opinion about things…”

“We have a voice.”

Critical Thinking

Communication

Collaboration

Creativity

Critical Thinking

Communication

Collaboration

Creativity

Play

Performance

Simulation

Multitasking

Distributed Cognition

Collective Intelligence

Judgment

Networking

Negotiation

Critical Thinking

Communication

Collaboration

Creativity

Play

Performance

Simulation

Multitasking

Distributed Cognition

Collective Intelligence

Judgment

Networking

Negotiation

Community

On right: Selected skills listed from Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture by Henry Jenkins with Ravi Purushotma, Margaret Weigel, Katie Clinton, and Alice J. Robison.

Finding and solving problemsDoing it collectivelyAmplifying the dialogueMaking it a norm

Empowers people to lead

© 2013 frog. All rights reserved.

Say hello:david.sherwin@frogdesign.comdavidsherwin.com@changeorder

Download our free toolkit:frogdesign.com/cat