What
organization of a design workshop with 40 participants, developing and prototyping solutions to societal problems in interdisciplinary teams
organization of a design workshop with 40 participants, developing and prototyping solutions to societal problems in interdisciplinary teams
Where
German American Conference 2022 at Harvard Kennedy School
German American Conference 2022 at Harvard Kennedy School
„Design problems are "indeterminate" and "wicked" because design has no
special subject matter of its own apart from what a designer conceives
it to be. The subject matter of design is potentially universal in scope,
because design thinking may be applied to any area of human experience.“
special subject matter of its own apart from what a designer conceives
it to be. The subject matter of design is potentially universal in scope,
because design thinking may be applied to any area of human experience.“
Wicked Problems in Design Thinking.
Richard Buchanan in Design Issues, Vol. 8, No. 2, (Spring, 1992), pp. 5-21
Richard Buchanan in Design Issues, Vol. 8, No. 2, (Spring, 1992), pp. 5-21
Out of pure curiosity I wanted to explore what would happen if design thinking was applied to system-scale societal problems such as climate change, public health and national security. I envisioned politicians, scientists and economists addressing complex, wicked problems with a designer's mindset. As part of the organizing team of the German American Conference at Harvard I proposed this workshop as one of the events on the agenda of the three-day conference on transatlantic relations.
Motivation
Both as individuals and as a society we are confronted with major challenges everyday. Challenges that pose huge threats to society, democracy, security, prosperity, health and environment or are known to become a major threat in the near future. These challenges need idealistic, bold and radical solutions!
Both as individuals and as a society we are confronted with major challenges everyday. Challenges that pose huge threats to society, democracy, security, prosperity, health and environment or are known to become a major threat in the near future. These challenges need idealistic, bold and radical solutions!
It is hard not to lose one’s spirit in the face of all these complex problems and not to be stuck in an “action paralysis”: There is so much knowledge about the problems we are confronted with - why don’t we manage to draw the appropriate actions from it, but far too often only come up with minimal compromises without a perceptible effect?
The workshop aims to drive the participants from abstract thinking to actions. It should allow participants to overcome mental barriers in the first phase of the workshop - formulate the radically consequent answer to the problem they are working on - and in the second part fit their answer in the interaction of challenges and mutual interference of solutions.
Execution
For the facilitation of the workshop we collaborated with the Boston-based design studio OTHER TOMORROWS. We hosted 40 participants from different backgrounds and across all generations to connect and discuss transatlantic topics. During the event the participants were be split into groups work on different topics. The topics of the teams tie the event to the overarching theme of the conference - transatlantic partnership:
Healthcare: How to strike a balance between personal freedom and public health?
Climate Colonization: How to realize a just, internationally coordinated fight against climate change?
New Social Contract: How do we get back to a cross-generational, universal responsibility?
Nuclear dead-end: How to overcome a military-based world order/ power status?
Climate Colonization: How to realize a just, internationally coordinated fight against climate change?
New Social Contract: How do we get back to a cross-generational, universal responsibility?
Nuclear dead-end: How to overcome a military-based world order/ power status?
Participants were split up into teams of 6 to 8, each team had one topic expert (research scientist, entrepreneur or politician) in the group. Other team members were students, people working in industry, politics, or at NGOs.
Lessons Learned
„wicked problems are a "class of social system problems
which are ill-formulated, where the information is confusing, where
there are many clients and decision makers with conflicting values,
and where the ramifications in the whole system are thoroughly
confusing"
which are ill-formulated, where the information is confusing, where
there are many clients and decision makers with conflicting values,
and where the ramifications in the whole system are thoroughly
confusing"
Horst Rittel's concept of wicked problems presented by C. West Churchman, "Wicked Problems,"
Management Science, (December 1967), vol. 4, no. 14, B-141-42.
Management Science, (December 1967), vol. 4, no. 14, B-141-42.
Applying design thinking to wicked problems is good and bad at the same time. It is good as it unlocks creative potential and facilitates collaboration and an exchange of thoughts and ideas. It is bad as there is no common understanding of a wicked problem and problem definitions among team members vary. Thus problem solutions are equally diverse and their effectiveness is uncertain as there are no true or false answers to wicked problems. Ultimately, wicked problems are and will always be wicked.
Design thinking as a tool for addressing wicked problems is unable to reduce the complexity of the problem or provide one true answer. It is however capable of overcoming the separation between thinking and acting, one of the root causes leading to inaction when dealing with system-scale problems. It forces participants into action and generation of concrete problem solutions, overcoming the limitations of verbal discourse and entering into the tangible.
My Role
Workshop concept, topic and agenda
Inviting speakers
Correspondence with design agency and conference chairs
Location and logistics
Workshop facilitation
Workshop concept, topic and agenda
Inviting speakers
Correspondence with design agency and conference chairs
Location and logistics
Workshop facilitation
