The next big disruption in lifelong learning will be by design. We are innately trained and poised to have a global impact on how other people can survive and thrive, whether they are designers or not. In this talk from AIGA Seattle's Into the Woods 2012 conference, David Sherwin points out opportunities and shares tools he's gathered to encourage people to be better critical thinkers and problem solvers, using the activity areas of the Collective Action Toolkit as a frame (which at the time was still a work in progress).

1. Design is hacking how we learn
David Sherwin, AIGA Into the Woods 2012
@changeorder
photo 6291481572 by Beggs / CC Attribution 2.0 Generic License

2. Time for a pop quiz!

3. Question 1: Can design solve most
of society’s biggest problems?*
* Be sure to show your work.

4. Design can solve society’s
biggest problems…

5. Design can solve society’s
biggest problems…
if we cultivate a love
of learning through
the design process.

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

7. Let’s start by talking
about survival.

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

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

13. FOUR WEEKS
explorer training
week 1
1 22 33 4
learn skills tell stories imagine possibilities be heard

14. FOUR WEEKS
research objectives
week 1 2 3 4
FOUNDATIONS FOCUS IDEATION PROTOTYPE
girl kick-off connections co-design evaluation

15. Week 1: Creating sparks to build friendships

16. Week 2: Becoming explorers and storytellers

17. Week 3: Exposing latent creativity and wisdom

18. Week 4: Encouraging co-leadership and collective action

19. Future focus: Growing and networking local girl groups

20. 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.

21. 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

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. How we
are often
taught
THEORY PRACTICE
REFLECTION
Thanks to Kristian Simsarian for
sharing this model with me.

25. 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

26. “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

27. 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

28. How can I do this in
my community?

29. How can I do this in
my community?
“Design situations that allow
equitable solutions to emerge…”
—Scott Boylston

30. How can I do this in
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.

31. predict
adapt

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

39. 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?

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

42. thousands of sticky notes

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

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

46. 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?

47. 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?
TACTICS
How might we best maintain
the freshness of healthy food
in a vending machine? HOW MIGHT WE?

48. 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?
TACTICS
How might we best maintain
the freshness of healthy food
in a vending machine? HOW MIGHT WE?
DESIGN

49. 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?

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

54. 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?

55. ACT EVALUATE ARTICULATE
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

56. ACT EVALUATE ARTICULATE
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

57. ACT EVALUATE ARTICULATE
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

58. ARTICULATE REFLECT ACT
dd another 5 minutes
dd 5 more ideas
eally more unicorns
n more sticky notes

59. 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

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

64. interactive storybooks about loneliness

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

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

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

72. 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?

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

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

77. forming
norming
storming
performing

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

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

83. Design can solve society’s
biggest problems…

84. Design can solve society’s
biggest problems…
If we can help people unlock
their potential by learning
through design.

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

86. Let’s share our tools with the world.

87. Download the Collective Action Toolkit:
frogdesign.com/cat
Say hello:
david.sherwin@frogdesign.com
davidsherwin.com
@changeorder
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