Explore DesignShifts
Here, you’ll find the DesignShifts we’re exploring both in theory and in practice. Each topic explores Shifting the posture, power, perspective, practice, and the purpose of design.
DesignShift: From Single Stories to Layered Narratives
Humans (and organizations) are not simple, targeted, linear, or one-dimensional. We're layered, complex, confusing, and our depth and breadth shouldn't be confined to a one-minute elevator ride. Yet, we live in a world obsessed with packaging people into consumable niches, push out short-form content, and make up our minds based on simplified stereotypes.
In design, this shows up in the way we craft personas, design simple icons, or try to summarize things on simple post-it notes, we often simplify narratives to a point where they become useless or even harmful.
DesignShift: How can we shift design practices away from reductive single stories toward more nuanced, layered narratives?
DesignShift: From Mindset to Access
How do we design sustainable change? We focus less on mindset and more on access. We’re told that if we push ourselves, develop courage, and become disciplined we’ll get that promotion, land that job, or achieve the perfect body. However, success or behavior change is less about mindset and more about access. Access to the right conditions. Access to the right relationships. Access to money.
DesignShift: From Mindset to Access.
Rather than telling people to recycle, what if we make recycling easier? Rather than telling people to eat healthy, what if we give people access to affordable and healthy food? Rather than telling people to walk more, what if we create pedestrian friendly cities? Rather than telling people what to do, what if we created the conditions where doing the right thing is easy? Removing barriers. Opening doors. That is how we design sustainable change.
DesignShift: From Universal Principles to Regional Differences
Why do we keep thinking that designers are unbiased and neutral? Why do we keep thinking that “design” is universal and replicable?Design is about understanding historical contexts, cultural and environmental nuances, and social and political patterns. These things relate to the place where the design takes place.
As long as we keep thinking that our processes and our people can be applied to any context, culture, or challenge in a formulaic way, we will keep causing unintended harm.
There is nothing neutral about design. It can either harm or help on an individual, cultural, and systematic level.
DesignShift: From universal principles to regional differences.
What would it look like to shift our focus from universal principles to local practices? What if we let go of the white supremacy norm of “one objective truth” and invited and celebrated local knowledge as principles for our designs? What would it look like to design with place-fullness in mind?
Let’s shift together
No one knows it all. Together we know a lot. See a Shift that aligns with your current work or passion? What to co-write a shift or host a collaboration session? I would love to connect.