How to expand Design Thinking for a better tomorrow

From Triple Bottom Line to Doughnut Economy, many concepts exist for a more responsible future. What can we do to make these concepts a reality on the level of new products and services?

“If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.” ― Pete Seeger

We are not just in one crisis — we are in multiple crises at once. The last decades in environmental destruction, human rights abuses, social unrests, failing political systems, and overly-powerful corporations have proven that. There can be no doubt that the economic, political, and social systems we have in place today will not sustain us.

We have seen many calls for new approaches — from Stakeholder Capitalism to the Triple Bottom Line, to the Doughnut Economy, and many more. The analyses are clear, and the push for something different is happening on all levels.

The current global pandemic has been a moment when more radical new approaches suddenly feel possible. From Amsterdam embracing the Doughnut economic model to Milan reshaping mobility and transportation to reduce pollution, people are taking action. And the calls to embrace sustainability and make progress on ESG goals ring loud and clear.

While a lot is happening on the leadership level of cities, corporations, and countries, all intentions ultimately need to cascade into real implementation. This is where the rubber hits the road and where the products and services we create matter. The world will not merely be changed by speeches and commitments but by everyone taking action and doing things differently.

And this needs to reflect in our processes.

Expanding Design Thinking to serve us better

The key focus areas of Design Thinking are often cited as Desirability, Feasibility, and Viability:

“Put simply, it is a discipline that uses the designer’s sensibility and methods to match people’s needs with what is technologically feasible and what a viable business strategy can convert into customer value and market opportunity.” — Tim Brown, HBR

This model has served us well, yet also acts as a catalyst for our attention. If we teach and utilize this model as-is, and aim to check these three boxes, then we are not looking at the broader context. Society and its needs do not typically appear in considerations. Neither does our environment and ecology. There is also no dedicated space for ethical or moral considerations.

That is not to say that designers have ignored all these factors all along. That is definitely not the case — and I do believe that we are all approaching our work with the longing to create something positive on all levels. Yet when budgets are limited, timelines are short, decisions get rushed, and hierarchies impose external powers — they fall out of sight.

Therefore we need to expand the baseline of what we are looking to create.

Adding Responsibility and Sustainability

Following the various proposed models and clear areas of friction that need to be resolved, what is missing today then is an explicit consideration for societal impact (Responsibility) and ecological impact (Sustainability). We need to create products and services that profitably serve a need, but that also have a positive impact on all stakeholders and take into account ecological boundaries.

The proposed and extended mental model, therefore, looks like this:

What does it mean to take these dimensions into account?

Responsibility for Society

When we ponder our broader responsibility to society, many layers are essential. This problem set is profoundly philosophical and ethical in nature, and hence inherently hard to approach and apply. Nevertheless, we should demand of ourselves to struggle with these questions and struggle well with them, to give them due consideration.

The first lens might be the ethical aspects of the product or service for the user, beyond the “need” that was identified. At the overlap of user needs and business models, there are plenty of deep gray areas. Look no further than Facebook or Google to find business models that serve short-term needs and lead to long-term ethical problems. The Surveillance economy that has resulted is the subject of many books, lawsuits, and much misery today.

Another lens is the impact on society at large. Beyond the direct relationship between the product or service, the customer, and the company that provides it, what are implications for society? Again, looking at the impact on the social fabric of businesses like Uber is sobering. Not to mention the democracy-undermining effects of Facebook, Twitter, and Co.

Looking at the impact on society is difficult. There are many layers from the general social fabric, to specific relationships within society (e.g., inter-generational), altering discourse, values, or mindsets. The implications can by myriad in nature, and often work systemically with other effects and inventions at the time.

Some good questions to ask yourself:

• Who is the customer, and who is the user? Are their interests aligned? Is the business model aligned with the benefits of the user?
• Will the usage of my product or service alter the nature of reality or interpretation of reality of the user?
• Will my product or service alter how the user perceives his environment or behaves in it? How does it change their relationship with their family, friends, neighbors, and community?
• If my product or service is hugely successful, what would that look like? Which positive or negative consequences might that have?
• What if my product or service was the subject of an episode of Black Mirror? What would that episode be about, and why?
• Imagine it is ten years in the future, and your product or service is in the headlines as being destructive for society. What happened?

Sustainability in Ecology

Much has been written on the topic of sustainability, and there are strong proposals for how to integrate sustainability and circular economic approaches into design and business — chief among them the Circular Design Guide by IDEO and the Ellen McArthur Foundation.

However, it is essential to note that sustainability needs to be considered in second- and third-order consequences. It is not enough to look at the particular product or service we are concerned with only in terms of its cradle-to-cradle lifecycle (which is difficult enough), but extend that thinking to the necessary inputs and outputs two to three levels down.

This requires us to understand where the material we use comes from, how it has been produced, what practices are in place, and so forth. In the digital realm, we need to understand how the data centers we choose are powered, what the energy-saving practices are, and what commitments the particular provider has made towards the future.

Some good questions to ask yourself:

• What input and output materials are required for my product or service? Where do they come from? And how are they produced?
• What is the true ecological impact of my product or service, if I add up all activities requires throughout the whole value chain?
• What radical alternatives are available today or in the near future, that would reduce the ecological impact by 10X?
• If my product or service were to run for the next 5000 years with incredible success, what irreversible damage would add up?
• Is my creation aligned with principles used by nature in the sustenance of life on earth?
• Would I be proud to tell my grandchildren that I was part of bringing this product or service into the world?

Design Thinking for a new decade

We have entered 2020 with many problems that need to be addressed — world-altering problems that threaten our survival. While the last decade has seen little to no meaningful progress, we need to make serious progress quickly. This can not only happen on the level of leadership, communication, and consensus but requires all of us to take action.

“If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.” ― Pete Seeger

Designers, as a community, have a big responsibility for the products and services we create and put out there. As such, we also have immense power over what sees the light of day — and hence are in a great position to take serious action on these issues.

I believe, however, that we need to change our processes and guiding principles, in order to hold ourselves accountable. We can not only check three boxes and move on but need to give due consideration to our social responsibility and the environmental sustainability of our products and services. We need additional process steps, tools, and a set of good questions to ensure that we struggle well with these complex problems.

If you have any thoughts, responses, or questions to add, I would love to hear from you in the comments below, or feel free to reach out to me directly here on LinkedIn. Thank you for reading.