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).