WEBVTT 00:00:02.960 --> 00:00:06.209 I want to talk about 21st Century Design. 00:00:11.360 --> 00:00:13.894 So, what do I mean by that? 00:00:13.894 --> 00:00:16.352 I mean it's a different kind of design. 00:00:16.352 --> 00:00:21.799 It's not the traditional design where we make beautiful,  wonderful objects and wonderful experiences. 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:25.687 It's about thinking about design as *a way of thinking*, 00:00:25.687 --> 00:00:28.905 a way of addressing the major problems of the world, 00:00:28.905 --> 00:00:32.604 because designers have a special way of addressing issues. 00:00:32.604 --> 00:00:36.278 We call it Design Thinking – it comes under many other different names – 00:00:36.278 --> 00:00:38.546 but it's what designers have been doing for... 00:00:38.546 --> 00:00:41.054 well, since the beginning of designers! 00:00:41.054 --> 00:00:42.424 And 00:00:42.424 --> 00:00:45.900 in other words, it's not new. 00:00:45.900 --> 00:00:48.043 It's been around for 00:00:48.043 --> 00:00:50.848 80... 100 years. 00:00:50.848 --> 00:00:55.078 So, what is design as a way of thinking? 00:00:55.078 --> 00:00:57.661 Well, here's how *I* like to talk about it. 00:00:57.661 --> 00:01:02.243 And I call this *human-centered design*, and we'll come back to describe that term later. 00:01:02.243 --> 00:01:05.492 But it has four important components. 00:01:05.492 --> 00:01:08.954 First of all, well, it's *human-centered*. 00:01:08.954 --> 00:01:11.580 So, we always focus upon the people. 00:01:11.580 --> 00:01:14.926 And that's very important because it's the only discipline where 00:01:14.926 --> 00:01:20.000 the major focus is about making things that are appropriate for people. 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:23.370 Second, we solve the right problem. 00:01:23.440 --> 00:01:26.460 You know, there are lots of really good problem-solvers in the world: 00:01:26.460 --> 00:01:30.264 The economists, the political scientists and especially the engineers 00:01:30.264 --> 00:01:32.542 – they're trained to solve problems. 00:01:32.542 --> 00:01:33.930 But engineers, 00:01:33.930 --> 00:01:36.962 they never stop and say, "Is this the right problem?" 00:01:36.962 --> 00:01:39.693 They give you a *solution*. But, you know, 00:01:39.693 --> 00:01:42.348 I have a rule when I do my consulting work, which is: 00:01:42.348 --> 00:01:45.792 Do not solve the problem that I am asked to solve. 00:01:46.080 --> 00:01:51.445 That's because usually we discuss a problem by the *symptoms*. 00:01:51.445 --> 00:01:54.140 And if you solve the symptoms, well, that's all very good... 00:01:54.140 --> 00:01:56.548 but the problem *comes back*. 00:01:56.548 --> 00:02:00.451 What you have to do is figure out: "What's the real cause?" 00:02:00.720 --> 00:02:04.665 So, we have epidemics, 00:02:04.665 --> 00:02:07.574 especially in cities – not the current epidemic – 00:02:07.574 --> 00:02:09.935 but just, say, cholera epidemics. 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:14.240 And we say, "Well, we should go in and treat them and cure the people!" 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:17.584 Yes... but *why* did you have epidemics? 00:02:17.584 --> 00:02:22.006 Well, it's usually carried by poor sanitation. 00:02:22.006 --> 00:02:24.973 All right, so let's improve the sanitation. 00:02:24.973 --> 00:02:28.224 *Why* is there poor sanitation? 00:02:28.224 --> 00:02:33.442 Well, because the people aren't using appropriate toilets. 00:02:33.442 --> 00:02:35.594 Well, OK, but why not? 00:02:35.594 --> 00:02:37.853 Well, because they're homeless. 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:43.375 If you want to stop cholera epidemics, you have to solve the homeless problem; 00:02:43.375 --> 00:02:48.372 the point being: You have to look at what the *fundamental issues* are and address them. 00:02:48.372 --> 00:02:53.449 And those fundamental issues are much more *difficult* than solving the symptoms. 00:02:53.449 --> 00:02:58.688 But unless you address them, the symptoms keep coming back and back and back. 00:02:58.688 --> 00:03:02.852 Well, what can designers do to solve the homeless problem? 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:05.207 Well, let's go back. 00:03:05.207 --> 00:03:08.547 What do we do? We focus on the people. 00:03:08.683 --> 00:03:14.691 We focus on answering the right problem – the deep underlying causes. 00:03:14.691 --> 00:03:17.945 Third, we recognize that everything is a *system*. 00:03:17.945 --> 00:03:21.982 You can't solve one little piece, because everything is *interconnected*. 00:03:21.982 --> 00:03:25.635 So, you have to really look at the nature of the system. 00:03:25.953 --> 00:03:29.431 And, finally – and this is *extremely* important – 00:03:29.522 --> 00:03:32.459 we *don't rush* to a solution. 00:03:32.480 --> 00:03:35.913 We know that when we're dealing with human beings 00:03:35.913 --> 00:03:38.598 and societies and different cultures 00:03:38.598 --> 00:03:41.583 and political forces and economic factors 00:03:41.583 --> 00:03:45.670 that whatever we do is probably *not* going to be right. 00:03:45.882 --> 00:03:51.119 So, what we do is we try a *simple, small intervention*. 00:03:51.119 --> 00:03:53.234 We see what the *results* are. 00:03:53.234 --> 00:03:56.320 Then we modify it, and we continually 00:03:56.320 --> 00:03:57.881 experiment, 00:03:57.881 --> 00:03:59.720 do an intervention, 00:03:59.720 --> 00:04:02.465 learn from it, change what we're doing, 00:04:02.465 --> 00:04:05.539 and slowly we'll get bigger and bigger 00:04:05.539 --> 00:04:08.745 because each one allows us to do even more the next time; 00:04:08.745 --> 00:04:11.572 and we'll get better and better. 00:04:11.572 --> 00:04:14.228 So, that's the secret, 00:04:14.228 --> 00:04:16.130 but it's a *hard secret* because 00:04:16.130 --> 00:04:19.488 for a problem like the cholera epidemics I mentioned 00:04:19.488 --> 00:04:22.325 it could take 10 years to solve. 00:04:22.325 --> 00:04:25.722 But these are big, major problems – they will not be solved overnight. 00:04:25.722 --> 00:04:30.176 And that's what designers, though, are really well trained to do. 00:04:30.585 --> 00:04:33.065 Design is an interesting discipline. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:36.679 Designers don't really have any content. 00:04:36.679 --> 00:04:42.589 The content that designers have and what they learn when they go to a design school and get design degrees 00:04:42.589 --> 00:04:48.085 they learn the techniques; they learn the problem-solving and problem-defining methods. 00:04:48.085 --> 00:04:51.608 They have a whole bunch of powerful tools. 00:04:52.125 --> 00:04:54.107 And then, 00:04:54.107 --> 00:04:59.569 because we don't know the details of healthcare or even housing, 00:04:59.569 --> 00:05:02.029 we have to *bring in the experts*. 00:05:02.029 --> 00:05:08.669 So, we have to have a multidisciplinary team where we work together with people from all types of skills. 00:05:09.259 --> 00:05:16.126 And we have to learn how to work with them and bring together a solution that is most appropriate for the people. 00:05:16.237 --> 00:05:20.244 And the most important thing – which I'll come back to in a short time – 00:05:20.244 --> 00:05:23.021 this has to come *from the people*. 00:05:23.182 --> 00:05:29.404 If designers come in and look over a problem and say, "Ah! I  understand the problem; here's what you should do...", 00:05:29.811 --> 00:05:33.586 it doesn't even matter if that's the correct answer. It will *not* work, 00:05:33.586 --> 00:05:39.104 because unless the people who are being affected understand and believe and accept it, it will not work. 00:05:39.104 --> 00:05:42.494 So, the people themselves have to be part of the solution. 00:05:43.042 --> 00:05:44.764 And you know what? 00:05:44.764 --> 00:05:46.876 Quite often, 00:05:46.876 --> 00:05:48.848 they've already started. 00:05:48.848 --> 00:05:51.661 We have seven billion people in the world, 00:05:51.661 --> 00:05:54.304 and a lot of them are really creative and wonderful. 00:05:54.304 --> 00:05:57.229 And those people understand the problems they're facing. 00:05:57.229 --> 00:05:59.709 And a number of those seven billion have 00:05:59.709 --> 00:06:02.975 already started creative, wonderful solutions. 00:06:02.975 --> 00:06:08.621 So, instead of trying to come in and say, "Here's what we say, us experts, foreigners 00:06:08.621 --> 00:06:15.188 (who don't understand your culture and don't understand your resources and don't understand what you're able to do and what you need)," 00:06:15.188 --> 00:06:17.482 why not let the *people* lead the way? 00:06:17.482 --> 00:06:21.000 We see what they're doing; we say, "That's really clever! 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:25.588 Ah! I wonder... if you need assistance, we can mentor, 00:06:25.588 --> 00:06:28.735 we can facilitate, we can bring in other resources. 00:06:28.735 --> 00:06:33.195 You have difficulty – *individuals* have difficulty tackling the whole system 00:06:33.195 --> 00:06:35.228 or tackling the political issues, 00:06:35.228 --> 00:06:37.668 but that's where we can come in and help." 00:06:37.668 --> 00:06:40.952 So, we call that *community-driven design*, 00:06:40.952 --> 00:06:43.825 which is a subset of human-centered design; 00:06:43.825 --> 00:06:48.333 which, as far as I am concerned, is really about *designing for humanity*. 00:06:48.333 --> 00:06:50.771 So, human-centered design is a subset of 00:06:50.771 --> 00:06:53.340 *humanity-driven design*, 00:06:53.340 --> 00:06:56.434 *humanity-centered design* – because we're trying to save 00:06:56.434 --> 00:06:59.292 – well, the planet.