want to help save the world? starting making things

I am currently redesigning the next 100 years of the future. Good news, everything turns out pretty well, although there is a rough patch here and there (but you didn't expect everything to be easy, right)?

So what caused everything to work out? Al Gore? Cradle-to-cradle design? Bikes? While all played large parts, the main cause was education. You know, schools and stuff.

Educational leaders looked at the model that is currently in place and laughed at it. "HA" they said. They found it ridiculous that kids are looked down upon for making mistakes, that art and music and dance have all disappeared from a kids curriculum by high school, that young kids are looked at as "troublemakers" for not being able to sit down for an extended period of time (in other words, for being a typical young kid), and that we are still creating graduates for an industrial society that is long gone.

These minds implemented the truth that some live these days—that creativity and Art lead to good things. They help shape the minds that solve problems. And we have some problems that need solving.

So what does that mean for you, the person of 2008? That is easy—start making things. Even if it is just a doodle of a stick person. Rediscover the fun of art and music and dance and all of the other creative pursuits that make life so damn great. Make yourself a tee shirt and wear it around town, smiling ear to ear. Paint a picture and hang it in your den, and when a guest asks who painted it, wait a few seconds then stand on the sofa and sing out "it was I that painted the picture". Help a child with homework by sketching out the problem to make it visual and watch their eyes light up when they realize that math can include pictures.

The more people who practice creativity and Art, the better off we will be. I have no factual evidence to back that assertion up...I just know.

Our society has become used to the cycle of buying things and feeling despair/cynicism about the world at large, that it may seem like the only way to live—but it's not! The problems we are facing are tough, but they aren't insurmountable—they just require a different kind of thinking.

So go forth, grab whatever tools you need (don't worry about an eraser), and get to work. The future is depending on you.

Note: As I wrote this post, the University of Indiana's student radio station (which is pretty great) played a song with a chorus of "make it better". Don't you love it when the world sends you little signs like that?

a thought on education

The work of the 826 organizations has always inspired me. Creating a place where kids can receive help with their homework and be the creative geniuses that they naturally are is vital to education. Just flip through some of their creations and you will understand.

My question: why can't this be replicated inside schools during school time?

Imagine a school that allowed kids a period of the day to be as creative as possible, without fear of grades or judgment. A time in the day where kids can choose to draw, write, paint, create music, program computers, think of new ideas and wild inventions, and read books that weren't handed out by their teachers. Is there one negative to this idea? Think of how much these children would end up finding out about themselves, and what they are capable of, and how all of the more traditional subjects really do tie into their interests. Teachers could use this period as a bridge between what they are teaching, helping to create an engaging connection to their material. Parents could use this to start conversations with their kids about learning and life. And kids could use this to realized just how capable they are, even if their recent spelling test grades suggest otherwise.

Creating a better educational system is not only going to happen through more money for teachers and supplies (although I fully support paying teachers as much as professional athletes). It will happen by rethinking the way kids learn and how we teach them. I think this could be a start.

For more on creativity and education, check out Ken Robinson's talk.

the case for ethnography

Malcolm Gladwell makes it here.

defining design thinking

As my analysis of Tangible Steps for Tomorrow for our Design Ethnography I module (finally) comes to fruition, I find myself waist deep in people—from designers to academics to journalists—trying to define what "design thinking" is.

Although I believe that most definitions go against the principles that design thinking is based on, I did particularly enjoy one attempt. Roger Martin, the Dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto put it simply: "design thinking is about creating better things".

It is beautiful in its brevity and power.

For more information on design thinking and how it can be used to improve life, here is a fun video created by a group of students at Stanford's d.school, an article from the New York Times, and the video of Roger Martin mentioned above.

a design manifesto

As I continue to turn the pages of the collection of essays that make up the book Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility, I came across the mention of "First Things First Manifesto 2000", a call for graphic designers to use their power for good.

While the text specifically calls on graphic designers, I think this can be extended to any type of designer. We are all in this together.

If you have the time, also read the original 1964 manifesto from which the 2000 version was adapted from.

fight against plastic bottles

I found the following photo on photographer Chris Jordan's website. It depicts two million plastic bottles, or the number used in the US every five minutes.



Think about that—two million plastic used in five minutes in the US alone. This is a design and mindset problem, and we need to put an end to this wasteful consumption. If you visit the website and view the closer pictures, you'll notice that a majority of them are water bottles. Yes, water, that substance that one can get free from the tap.

Mos Def had it right ten years ago in New World Water:

There are places where TB is common as TV
Cause foreign-based companies go and get greedy
The type of cats who pollute the whole shore line
Have it purified, sell it for a dollar twenty-five

a real horror film

Sure Halloween has past, but you have time for one more horror film, right? Unlike those Jason or Freddy movies, this uses no special effects.

What more evidence is needed that cradle-to-cradle design is absolutely necessary? Still don't know what this is? Here are some videos from the book's co-authors. Fear not, these are good and inspiring.

design thinking vs. public policy

For an upcoming assignment in our Design Ethnography module, I have done quite a bit of research on recommendations that have been made to improve early childhood education. The focal point of this assignment is a report created by the W.K. Kellogg foundation and IDEO, called "Tangible Steps Toward Tomorrow". It is an engaging study, and is the only one I have found so far that uses design thinking to tackle the challenge of enhancing early education—the rest have looked solely to public policy.

The recommendations between the studies are actually quite similar. The real difference lies in what they should look like and how they should be implemented. It is these differences that have me questioning what is more powerful—changes made through design thinking or public policy?

This debate* has recently become personally significant. This past Tuesday we (Americans) elected Barack Obama as our 44th President. The feelings I had while watching the results arrive in his favor are those rare type of feelings that an entire country feels, but can hardly express. Watching in a dorm room in Dundee was especially tough, as I wanted to be part of the excitement in my country (especially after seeing video of people celebrating in the streets of NYC).

The celebrations were fascinating to watch and, besides the history that electing Obama made, the collective happiness of the people was the most moving part of the night. We are a country that, frankly, hasn't had too much to be excited about during the past three (and most likely more) years. When I wrote a note to my parents describing my reaction, I typed the line "While I enjoy living abroad, I am excited to return to my home to start making things better" before I even realized what it meant. Obama, excuse me, President-elect Barack Obama has made America—not the family and friends I have there, but the idea of the country itself—exciting to me once again. It was a feeling that I almost forgot I was capable of.

This is truly powerful, and I believe it can effectively end the "design thinking vs public policy" debate. The enthusiasm generated by President-elect Obama will hopefully create small progressive movements in homes and communities across the country—the feelings of hope and excitement can foster good right in our backyards**. At the same time, we have will have a President that seems dedicated to creating smart and forward-thinking legislation. Essentially, there is the possibility for us to have the best of both worlds.

At least, that is what I hope. And hope may be the best new-found feeling of all.


*I use the word debate, but realize that few, if any, people besides myself are even asking this question. Maybe it is a personal debate. Maybe I just created it so I had an excuse to write about the US election. While I'm at it, here are links to the victory speech (part 1 and part 2)—a must watch for inspiration seekers.

**Yes, I am insinuating that local movements to affect change are similar to design thinking. You may disagree. The definitions of both "design" and "design thinking" are unestablished enough that we can believe they mean different things and both be correct (or incorrect).

reverse design for environmental happiness

While procrastinating this morning, I came across the Solay Running Shoe case study from Boston-based design company Continuum.

First, I love that Continuum continues to explore how design can create positive social changes, especially in the environmental arena.

Second, this type of reverse design—where you take an object that usually ends up sitting in a landfill and improve it so this outcome no longer happens—can be applied everywhere. Every time that you throw something away, the designer in you should ask "how could this object be improved so that it doesn't end up in the trash"?

For some items, like water bottles, the solution may be to eliminate them altogether and use a non-disposable substitute (like this). In others, like the sneaker, a better design will be the solution.

This seems like the first step towards cradle-to-cradle design, and a good practice to start thinking like an environmentally-conscious designer.

Note: If you have some time, read through some of the posts from the No Impact Man blog (linked above, but here it is again). It is truly interesting, and holds tons of good ideas that that majority of us "impact people" can use.

bicycles and the third semester

As the first semester of this Design Ethnography program progresses (a bit too rapidly), we are beginning to formulate ideas and concepts for our third semester research projects. The ideas part is easy (there are thousands of things I would like to do), it is choosing one to focus on which is proving rather difficult.

One of the ideas that I have been tossing around is exploring how we can create better alternatives to the automobile. Particularly, I am interested in seeing how we can persuade car-addicted adults to hop back on a bicycle.

Recently, this idea has become much more personal. This past summer, while I was still a NYC resident, a bicycle was my main mode of transportation. From April to September, I used the subway less than 20 times (whereas before I would use it at least once a day). I fell in love with riding in NYC, and during that period I grew to know the city more intimately. I saw new neighborhoods, experienced more "real NYC" events, understood the camaraderie that bicyclists have, and, for the first time in my two years of living there, was finally at peace with the city.

Since coming to Dundee in mid-September, I haven't been on a bike. This changed on the final day of a recent seven-day, three-city journey. I rented a traditional "Dutch Bicycle" and explored the bike-obsessed city of Amsterdam.

For three hours I was Sal Paradise on two wheels. I didn't follow a map, I followed what looked interesting. I became lost, found, and then lost all over again. I explored the "non-touristy" areas of Amsterdam and blended in with locals in the midst of their daily routine. During the three hours I had the bike, I left it only once—to indulge in a Belgian waffle (an addiction I had developed during the trip). It was a beautiful experience and the absolute perfect way to end an amazing journey.

Two thoughts now stand out in my mind.

First, why aren't more cities like Amsterdam? Why do we abandon our bikes once we reach driving age, some of us never getting back on one again? I don't believe it is because of a dislike for the activity—on the contrary, I would wager the most of us have fond memories of riding a bike.

Second, there seems to be a part of the puzzle that is overlooked by many: substituting a bicycle for a car can rejuvenate your sense of discovery. In his book Earth in Mind (a must-read for anybody currently living on Earth), David Orr argues that our sense of discovery is killed during our lifetime, which ends up having a huge impact on how we connect with and treat our planet. On a bicycle this is recharged. You can stop to see something new. You can ride off the beaten path. You are no longer a prisoner in the usual car-ride to wherever it is you are going. You are free.

When I returned my rented bicycle, I let the store clerk know how much fun I had. We chatted about the differences between biking in his city and NYC, and I told him that, as much as I enjoy riding in NYC, I felt more relaxed in Amsterdam. I never once had the feeling that a distracted cabbie could take me down at any moment. I felt respected. His response to this: "here, bike is king".

Can this mindset be cultivated in other areas? Perhaps I should find out.

the trash can project

One of the things that I dislike about blogs (the over/under of how many times that phrase will appear in a post of mine has to be near 300) is that many bloggers view blogging as a substantial form of action. Instead of getting out there and working for a solution, we now sit behind our computers and vent to a bunch of fiber optic cables. Don't believe me? Check around the Internet and you'll see a million "climate change is bad, sustainability is good" blog posts, but hardly any that say "let's create and try out new solutions".

One of the things that I like about blogging (the over/under for that phrase is probably around 3) is that it is a good way of keeping me honest. Instead of just thinking about an idea and letting it float away into the ether without ever doing anything, I can now print the idea here. If I fail to act, I have to answer to the public.

So with those two thoughts in mind, I present to you:

The Trash Can Project

Most of us have heard the Marketing 101 anecdote about grocery stores placing sugary cereals at the eye level of children. Apparently, since the children are face to face with these cereals, they will throw a fit until their adult shopping companion gets so embarrassed that the only recourse is placing that sugary cereal in their cart, putting a smile on both the child's and grocery store owner's faces.

Is there a way we can use similar thinking to reduce the amount of waste we produce? This is what I intend to find out.

In the next few months, pending approval from the university, I will be conducting an experiment where I place as many trash receptacles at eye-level as I can. On these receptacles, I will also place some quick facts or other information about what happens to our waste once it leaves our hand. My hypothesis is simple: having trash cans out of sight makes it mentally easier for us to create waste.

Success of the project will be measured in two ways:

1. Surveys and informal discussions with those who were affected by the experiment, and if/how it changed their actions.
2. A comparison of the amount of waste produced during the experiment vs. the normal amount of waste produced.

We live in a "throwaway culture", where even things like coffee cups and bags—two items with perfectly good non-disposable replacements—are being created for a single use. Now, I realize that our abundance of waste can't be solved by things like this alone. We have to be better consumers—buying natural products that use less packaging, using non-disposable replacements whenever possible, etc. What his experiment will hopefully accomplish is to remind people (including me, a repeat coffee cup offender) that our rubbish does end up somewhere, and we are running out of this "somewhere" space.

What I am hoping to do is create that second thought, even if it just for a few weeks.

As the project gets going, I will post updates, pictures, and videos. To make it easier to find these posts, I am removing categories for all posts except those regarding specific projects.

dear workspace desigers, i am not a robot

As we continue to design the MDE studio, I find myself spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about workspace design. Recently, a New York Times article expressed many of the same ideas and thoughts on what makes for a good workspace as we have discovered through speaking with one another. The article states the main challenge of workspace design is finding a way "to offer flexibility but keep employees feeling connected and engaged."

I am not disputing this fact—it is actually pretty close to the same question we have tangled with in our pursuit of the "perfect workspace". But I can't help think that workspace design is still missing something.

Since returning to school a month ago, I have noticed something interesting about my mindset: I am in a constant state of inspiration and eagerness to learn. When I sit in the library at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, I can't help but be motivated. During the times I find myself fading from the task-at-and, I will wonder the library and browse one of the many visual art publications (last one viewed: Born in the Bronx). This activity recharges my batteries and keeps me focused for another few hours.

In short, the atmosphere of the library, and on a larger scale, the college campus, lights the fire of inspiration. The question is, why do most workspaces ignore this fact?

I have worked in the "typical office", where all you can see is a sea of gray cubicles—a crushingly uninspired atmosphere. This design treats employees like papers in a filing cabinet, and ensures that they hardly ever have to leave "their area". To the higher-ups this means two things: increased productivity and more profit.

This is wrong—we are not robots! Workspaces should invite creativity and promote collaboration. This is not done through meetings where managers extol the virtues of working together or thinking outside of the box. This is done through creating an environment where people can be creative and collaborate. Why not have a room full of materials that stimulate this sense: art supplies, chalkboards, Lego's? Why not have a space full "non-corporate" furniture—couches, arm chairs, pillows, anything with color—where members of different departments can spend a few minutes to re energize? Why not build a library where employees can be inspired by the work of others?

Humans are not meant to sit in the same space for an entire day—especially if they are expected produce great, creative work. We need brainfood and playtime. We need distractions and abstract thought. Most of all, we need human interaction and the space to think and dream up crazy ideas.

This concept isn't new, and it has been applied to workplace exteriors for years. We constantly see beautifully designed buildings being built—which is wonderful. Now it is time to use the same thought and creativity when designing the inside.

what (else) can we learn from the simpsons

During our first session of Design Ethnography 1 a few weeks ago, we were shown an image of "The Homer", a car designed by Homer Simpson to meet every single one of his needs. The lesson here was a simple, but useful one: allowing the voice of the customer to be the only design influence can be dangerous, and sometimes lead to undesirable results.

Fortunately for fans like me, this is not all we can learn from The Simpsons.

When I visit the univeristy gym during the correct hour, every single television propped above a machine is tuned to The Simpsons—it is like there is no alternative. Usually I would think nothing of this besides "this occurs because it is a funny show", but after reading Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, a new reason came to light: the Simpsons are relatable. The show is about a family of four living in the suburbs and going to work and school or keeping a house. Everybody can understand this concept. In a way, watching The Simpsons is a form of ethnography. The way one reacts to the events on the show is similar to the way one will handle similar events in their own life. Sure, The Simpsons use over-the-top examples, but it is done to drive home a message. This is why it is such a brilliant concept—because it is barely a "concept" at all. It is just everyday life.

Or maybe I just like thinking about The Simpsons.

By the way, the book mentioned above, Understanding Comics, is a great read for any design ethnographer. Scott McCloud goes into deep detail to explain why comics are unlike any other form of media. "Closure" in comics—the process that our mind executes to fill in the story between frames—can be a useful tool for an ethnographer: create a fluid story from fragments of information. It is a recommended read—if nothing else, it will be the most unique book you've read lately.

fun with graphs

A week ago I said I would become a dedicated blogger. So far I have let you, the reader at home, down. So that ends today. Expect a blogging revolution.

To start off, here is a graph I sketched today during a period of alternative inspiration (read: procrastination). It attempts to explain the phenomenon of how one's behavior, when introduced into a new environment, becomes less controlled over time.

the first lesson of graffiti is...

It's best to get it right the first time.

"getting visual is habitual"

Inspired by that quote from Gza of the Wu-Tang Clan, I have decided to start a "picture of the day" thing (which won't be daily) as a reminder to keep snapping photos. So here you go, a picture of a red phonebooth on Magdalen Green:

Keyboard Mishaps

What has Apple done? While using the nice, spacious, new computers in the faculty media lab, I noticed I was hitting the "apostrophe" button instead of "return". Upon looking down, I noticed the following:



They have completely messed with the keyboard layout by adding another button between the pinky and "return". Now, the user is forced to stop being creative and think about their keystroke.

What is this, 1873?

first up: blogging with a purpose

I am not a fan of blogging. The concept of docmenting life--instead of living it--seems silly. With that said, I'd like to introduce you to my blog.

What sets it apart from those I laugh it is the purpose: to provide a central location to document the events of the Design Ethnography program at the University of Dundee (remembering details gets harder by the day). This will most often include the following:
1. Articles dealing with a related topic (with a bit of commentary).
2. Details of classes, projects, and other events that seem right for the documenting.
3. Pictures.

So for the next year, I will be a blogger. I will document everything related to design and ethnography on this site. After that, I will (most likely) walk away and spend some time outside.