George Aye: Design education's big gap: Understanding the role of power

© Greater Good Studio 2017




Can we? ≠ Should we?

3© Greater Good Studio 2017



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Incrementally Better Studio

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The Gut Check


The Gut Check


Does this client serve a vulnerable or underserved population?

Are the client’s profit motive and impact motive aligned?

Is human-centered design the right approach?

Has the client expressed interest in learning from us?

What is their tolerance for new things?

Will this work be intellectually challenging for us?

Will we learn new things?

Does this project have a chance of being profitable?

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defines your portfolio

Yes


defines your portfolio

Yesdefines your reputation

No


• 826 National • Academy for Global Citizenship • AIDS Foundation of Chicago • Alliance for Strong Families and

Communities • Alphawood Foundation • Axelson Center for Nonprofit

Management • Big Shoulders Fund • Center for Care Innovation • Center for Economic Progress • Center for Neighborhood

Technology • Chicago Department of Public

Health • Chicago Public Library • Chicago Public Schools • City of Chicago Department of

Cultural Affairs and Special Events • Communities in Schools Chicago

• Donnell-Kay Foundation • Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Fdn • Grand Victoria Foundation • The Richard H. Driehaus

Foundation • Enlace Chicago • First Five Years Fund • Forefront • Genesys Works • Grand Victoria Foundation • Hennepin County Medical Center • Impact Engine • Indiana Nonprofit Resource

Network • Infiniteach • LISC Chicago • Logan Square Neighborhood

Association • Lyric Opera • Metropolitan Tenants Organization

• MHA Labs • Mikva Challenge • New Voice Strategies • Now is the Time • OneGoal • Pilot Light • Portapure • Reading in Motion • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation • Schools That Can • SouthWest Organizing Project • The Chicago Community Trust • The Chicago Public Education Fund • The University of Chicago

Consortium on School Research • The Ihangane Project • Toru • Volunteers of America • YMCA of the USA

We want ________________________________________

to ________________________________________________ .


a person/group of people

adopt a new behavior




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Social sector clients holds us [designers] at arms length

affordable housing / aging populations / autism /bullying / chemical dependency / child slavery / childhood obesity / civil rights / clean water / criminal justice / domestic abuse / drug-related incarceration / food deserts / gang-related retaliations / gun violence / hate speech / healthcare disparities / HIV/AIDS / homelessness / human rights / hunger / immigration / infectious diseases / LGBTQ rights / literacy / mental health / workers’ rights / physical disability / predatory lending / public health / public schools / recidivism / refugees / religious intolerance / reproductive health / segregation & discrimination / sex trafficking / sexual abuse / sexual harassment / suicide / systemic racism / tenants rights / truancy / unemployment / unplanned parenthood / urban resilience / veterans with PTSD / wage inequality


Can we? ≠ Should we?

POWER:


The ability to affect an outcome

Designing social services at scale demands an understanding of power.



Power asymmetry affects every relationship.

1.



Law EnforcementDoctors

EmployersFunders

TeachersLocal Government

Leadership

DetaineesPatientsEmployeesGranteesStudentsCommunityFront line staff


Law EnforcementDoctors

EmployersFunders

TeachersLocal Government

Leadership

DetaineesPatientsEmployeesGranteesStudentsCommunityFront line staff

Designers


Power profoundly affects your world view.

2.


How the world sees you

How far ahead you can plan

How predictable the world feels

vs




How predictable the world feelsHigh

vs





Years/Decades/Generations

High

vs





Rational


High

vs





Rational


High Low

vs





Rational


High

Days/Weeks/Months

Low

vs





Rational


High

Irrational

Days/Weeks/Months

Low

vs


Power transfer must be explicitly designed.

3.

We want ________________________________________

to ________________________________________________


care providers

build trust with their complex patients



Which came from this

• How might we uncover patients true priorities?

• How might we understand their barriers to getting the help they need?


Specifically this


Which came from this



Understanding power Being trauma-informed

ACEs (Acute Childhood Experiences) Managing implicit biases

Class consciousness WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, Democratic)

+

Gaps:

People adopt the change they were a part of making.


When given away, power generates power.

