SOCIAL , FIELD STUDIES & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

How Methods have been Applied to Fieldwork Study and Enable Sustainable Community Development in Three Case Studies

A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree Master of Fine Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University

By

Robin Reed - DesJardins

Graduate Program in Industrial, Interior and Visual

The Ohio State University 2012

Master’s Examination Committee:

Paul J. Nini, Advisor Peter Kwok Chan, PhD Elizabeth Sanders, PhD Copyright by Robin Reed - DesJardins © 2012 All rights reserved ABSTRACT

The goal of this study is to explore the meaning of Social Design through design research, investigate appropriate methods for fieldwork study within this context, and seek ways in which design can bring about sustainable community development. In the process of conducting the research, some key elements leading to sustainability were identified that helped to create a “Design Model for Sustainable Community Develop- ment.” Through in-depth research of three Social Design case studies and interviews conducted with design experts, key methods were identified, providing insights for who might consider working in this emerging sector, while adding to the discourse of Social Design.

This thesis also makes a distinction between “Design for Social Good” and Design for “Social Impact.” It affirms a paradigm shift in design practice towards a more human- centered approach, from designing for people to designing with people. , Exploratory Research and Ethnography are suggested as important methods that provide ways to work in Social Design that can foster ideas to bring about change that can impact societies. There is a new realm of opportunity for designers to work in this emerging social sector. By using their unique skill sets, they can begin to raise the value of design, so often misunderstood by people outside the sector and can be the “change leaders” people want and need today.

ii DEDICATION

This document is dedicated to my family and two daughters: Ashley Christine and Kelly Maureen Oldacre who are my inspiration.

iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A special note of appreciation and gratitude goes to Paul Nini, my thesis committee chair and Brian Stone, who encouraged me to take this step into academia and Peter Chan, Elizabeth Sanders and Susan Melsop at The Ohio State University, who guided and supported me through this academic process and along the way became my friends.

I will always be grateful to Dr. Rafique Keshavjee and Dr. Stefano Bianca, leading scholars in the field of development, who believed in the value of design and my cre- ative spirit to “do good.” If not for their encouragement, I would never have had the wonderful career opportunities and experiences that changed my life forever.

To my fellow MFA graduate class in Design Research & Development, thank you for sharing and collaborating along this design journey. Let’s keep on exploring.

iv Vita

1981 BFA, Communication Design Rochester Institute of , USA 1982 – 1984 Graphic , Gregory Fossella Associates, Boston, Massachusetts, USA 1985 – 1987 Art Director, Gerp Publicité Lausanne, Switzerland 1987 – 1990 Art Director, World Economic Forum Geneva, Switzerland 1995 – 2006 Art Director, The Aga Khan Trust for Culture Geneva, Switzerland 2007 – Present Founder, Design4Development Wilmington Deleware, USA 2010 – 2012 MFA Candidate, Design Research and Development, The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio, USA 2010 – 2011 Graduate Associate in Design Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA 2011 – 2012 Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Design, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

Fields of Study

Major Field: Communication Design, Design Research & Development

v Table of Contents

Abstract...... ii Acknowledgements ...... iv Vita ...... v List of Tables...... ix List of Figures ...... x

Chapter 1: Introduction ...... 1 1.1 Problem Statement ...... 5 1.1.1 Research Question ...... 6 1.2 Goals...... 6 1.2.1 Hypothesis ...... 8 1.3 Scope of the Study...... 8 1.3.1 Case Study 1, Project H...... 9 1.3.2 Case Study 2 Design Center/AKHP...... 10 1.3.3 Case Study 3 Design Matters...... 11 1.3.4 Expert Interviews...... 13 1.3.5 Secondary Research...... 13

Chapter 2: Defining Context, Approach and Methods...... 15 2.1 Business Innovation...... 15 2.2 The Design Development Process and Approaches ...... 16

vi 2.2.1 ...... 18 2.2.2 Participatory Design...... 19 2.2.3 Exploratory Research...... 21 2.2.4 Research...... 23 2.3 Social Design...... 25 2.4 Methods for Fieldwork Study ...... 26 2.4.1 Field Notes...... 28 2.4.2 Visual Ethnography...... 29 2.5 Sustainable Community Development ...... 31 2.6 Connecting these Definitions to Social Design ...... 36

Chapter 3: Case Study Development...... 37 3.1 A Case Study Approach ...... 37 3.2 Three Case Studies in Social Design...... 38 3.2.1 Case Study 1 – Project H Design ...... 39 3.2.2 Case Study 2 – Design Center/AKHP ...... 46 3.2.3 Case Study 3 – Design Matters - Transit Arts/OSU...... 70 3.3 Conclusions from the Three Case Studies ...... 88

Chapter 4: Expert Interviews Defining Social Design...... 90 4.1 Amanda Buck ...... 92 4.2 Bernard Canniffe...... 98 4.3 Thomas Ockerse...... 103

vii 4.4 Robert Sedlak...... 106 4.5 Summarizing Their Words...... 110

Chapter 5: Conclusions...... 112 5.1 Research Summary ...... 112 5.2 Conclusions ...... 112

5.2.1 Methods and Tools...... 113 5.2.2 Designer as Facilitator...... 114 5.2.3 Engaging Participants ...... 115 5.2.4 A Design Model for Sustainable Community Development ...... 116 5.2.5 Applying the Design Model for Sustainable Community Development ...119 5.3 Lessons Learned...... 120 5.3 Implications for the Future ...... 121

Bibliography...... 123 Appendix...... 134 Appendix A. Thesis Research Form...... 134 Appendix B. Thesis Research Process...... 142 Appendix C. Case Study 1...... 146 Appendix D. Case Study 2 Data Sheets...... 150 Appendix E. Case Study 3 Data Sheets...... 167 Appendix F. Design Experts Matrix Diagrams ...... 187 Appendix G. Design Model: Sustainable Community Development Initiatives...... 193

viii LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Timeline for Design Center at the Aga Khan Hummanities Project...... 56 Table 2. AKHP Case Study Research, Process Segmentation...... 57 Table 3. Responses to Interview Questions Summarized...... 59 Table 4. Matrix Diagram of Participant Responses for the Design Center/AKHP...... 68 Table 5. Matrix Diagram for the Design Center/AKHP Response Summary...... 68 Table 6. Matrix Diagram of Participant Responses for the Design Matters...... 86 Table 7. Matrix Diagram for Design Matters Response Summary...... 86 Table 8. Principles of Ethnography and Participatory Design...... 113 Table 9. Design Model for Sustainable Community Development...... 117 Table 10. Plotting the Case Studies in the Design Model for Sustainable Community Development...... 119

ix LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. My Design Journey...... 2 Figure 2. World Economic Forum Magazines. Art Direction Robin Reed ...... 3 Figure 3. Print Document & Products for Programs AKTC. Design Robin Reed...... 4 Figure 4. Thesis Framework...... 6 Figure 5. Matrix Model for Evaluating Case Studies and Social Design...... 7 Figure 6. Project H Website and Design Team in Bertie County, North Carolina...... 9 Figure 7. Illustrated Themes for Course Curriculum AKHP. Students Work...... 10 Figure 8. Poster for Design Matters. Design Robin Reed...... 12 Figure 9. Shift in Business Models, Thomas Lockwood, 2010...... 16 Figure 10. Design Development Process, Elizabeth B.-N. Sanders...... 17 Figure 11.“Design Thinking” Diagram, Tim Brown, 2009...... 18 Figure 12. I.do Workshop 2011, Hong Kong. Student Work ...... 21 Figure 13. Exploratory Research in China for Aging Populations...... 22 Figure 14. Paper Tool Kit and Results...... 23 Figure 15. Lego,Velcro-Modeling and Puppet Tool Kits...... 24 Figure 16. Design Journals...... 28 Figure 17. Photographs from Visual Ethnography, Hong Kong...... 29 Figure 18. Al-Azhar Park Project, Cairo. Photos, Gary Otte, Courtesy AKDN...... 34 Figure 19. Al-Azhar Park Project, Cairo Community Activities, Courtesy AKDN...... 35 Figure 20. Furniture Designed by Emily Pilloton, (projecthdesign.org)...... 40 Figure 21. Math Learning Landscapes (projecthdesign.org)...... 41

x Figure 22. Mapping the Project H Design Development Process ...... 43 Figure 23. Project H Design Studio, Computer Lab, Chicken Coops...... 44 Figure 24. Windsor Farmer’s Market, Bertie County, NC (projecthdesign.org)...... 45 Figure 25. Central Asian Artists Work at AKHP...... 48 Figure 26. Visual Ethnographic Study Tour Central Asia ...... 50 Figure 27. The AKHP Design Group Computer Lab, Studio and Facilities...... 51 Figure 28. AKHP Curriculum Themes. Design AKHP Students...... 52 Figure 29 Mapping the AKHP Design Center Development Process...... 53 Figure 30. AKHP Design Interns in Geneva, Switzerland...... 55 Figure 31. TransitArts Promotional Materials. Design Students...... 71 Figure 32. Etching 1880’s & Photograph 1910 of Olde Towne East, Columbus, OH . website (oldetowneeast.org)...... 72 Figure 33. Shops Boarded up in Olde Towne East & 1261 Bryden Road House...... 73 Figure 34. Mapping the Design Matters Development Process...... 74 Figure 35. Design Matters, Students’ Artefacts...... 76 Figure 36. Amanda Buck plotted Pie Lab on the Matrix Diagram...... 94 Figure 37. Pie Lab 1.0 in Belfast, Maine (www.projectmlab.com)...... 95 Figure 38. Pie Lab 2.0 Greensboro, Alabama (www.projectmlab.com)...... 96 Figure 39. Halal Hotdogs Cart, Photographed by Mohamud Mumin...... 100 Figure 40. Bernard Canniffe Plotted Case Studies on Matrix Diagram...... 102 Figure 41. Bernard Canniffe Plotted Social Design on Matrix Diagram...... 102 Figure 42. Hemp Building and Construction Materials, Web Image Capture...... 102 Figure 43.“Humanity” Magazine, Courtesy Tom Ockerse ...... 105

xi Figure 44. Thomas Ockerse Plotted Social Design on Matrix Diagram...... 105 Figure 45. Together+ University of Notre Dame Students, Web Images...... 107 Figure 46. Together+ Xenophobia Film Documentary Images...... 108 Figure 47. Robert Sedlack Plotted Together+ & Social Design on Matrix Diagram...... 108 Figure 48. Word Frequency Information Graphic Defining Social Design...... 111 Figure 49. Extracting the Design Development Process for Project H...... 116

Photography: Unless otherwise mentioned, all photographs for the thesis document were taken by the researcher © Robin Reed, Design4Development.

xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The aim of this research study is to evaluate the meaning of Social Design within a framework that connects elements from design practice, field study and sustainable community development. As a designer who has worked in the field of cultural development, I came to realize how important these areas could be to enable people around the world to build capacity and connect with our common humanity in ways that are sustainable. Research into methods and approaches for designers to connect with new audiences is critical at this juncture in time. After attending a conference in October of 2012, held by the American Institute for (AIGA) on the topic of “Design and Social Value”, it became evident that it is indeed important to formulate examples of social impact through design, so that designers can lead by example and become part of the discussion for a better future. The conference ended with a call to action to“ tell your design story!”

My Design Journey

It is appropriate at this stage in my development as a designer to describe the journey I have taken through the design profession and explain how these experiences have influenced this thesis and research direction (see Figure 1). The research study will concentrate on three areas of practice and knowledge gained through the lens of what many designers call Social Design (see Chapter 2). The first area of inquiry will highlight design approaches; the second will focus on specific methods of fieldwork studies, the third will evaluate the significance of sustainable community development, forming the

1 thesis framework (Figure 4). The context for this study is the result of the design journey I have taken through practice, development work into academia, with a new emphasis placed for the future in building capacity and education, while broadening the discourse in Social Design.

Phase 1: Private Sector

Trained as a Communication Designer, I worked in the private sector on projects for large corporations, designing identities, packaging and merchandising systems. Later my skills were adapted to print media and in 1987 my design journey led me into the not-for-profit sector, which shifted my design focus forever. I was asked to join the World Economic Forum to develop a new magazine that would enhance dialogue and communication amongst the world’s most influential decision-makers. . Phase 2: Non-Government Agencies

In 1995 I began working for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), a not-for-profit organization (NGO) based in Geneva, Switzerland, founded by His Highness the Aga

Figure 1. My design journey illustrates the movement in personal and professional development across sectors, which led to new opportunities.

2 Figure 2. I Designed WorldLink Magazine for the World Economic Forum, in Geneva, Switzerland as a communication system for the world’s most influential leaders

Khan as a means of raising the value of culture. This working relationship continues today through The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of mutually supporting development agencies that straddle economic, social and cultural domains. Over a fifteen-year period working with the AKDN as a design practitioner, I came to realize how important the role of design could be in developing strategies and building capacity in the social sector. Interdisciplinary collaboration with partners across the diverse agencies of the AKDN, resulted in remarkable achievements and provided sustainable solutions for community development that are still in place today, which this research study will highlight.

Working for many notable scholars, architects and program directors, I was engaged in numerous design projects that impacted communities in positive ways. Through the Historic Cities Program, an agency of AKTC, a comprehensive publication containing nine chapters and one hundred and eighty eight pages richly illustrated was designed and published as part of a revitalization effort to engage the community in the Old Stone of Zanzibar (Figure 3). In partnership with UNESCO, this project offered techniques

3 Figure 3. Projects and products developed for programs of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture engaged communities as part of an integrated approach to sustainable community development. and information that engaged and encouraged locals to appreciate and become involved in restoring their architectural heritage. The publication was made available to the community through the Conservation Center in the Old Stone Town and translated into Swahili (akdn.org/hcp/zanzibar). Another socioeconomic initiative, funded by AKTC and the Swiss Development Cooperative (SDC), helped a women’s group in the Northern Areas of Pakistan develop and market apricot oil products as a means of income generation. Through design, an identity was created and systems for packaging and distribution in a very hostile part of the world were put into place. This too, was part of an integrated approach to revitalization in the Northern Areas of Pakistan (see Figure 3).

So who is the Aga Khan? Educated in Switzerland and later at Harvard University, Karim Aga Khan is the spiritual leader of an estimated 15 million Ismaili Muslims around the world (Aga Khan Foundation, 2008). He advocates a “strong civil society and is committed to supporting people of different backgrounds and interests, regardless of race or religion to organize themselves for a variety of purposes – all in the context of creative expression. Pluralism is as important as human rights in ensuring peace,

4 democracy and a better quality of life,” (Clarkson, 2008). (See www.akdn.org). I have seen and experienced first hand, at a grass roots , how these policies have impacted individuals and communities in some of the poorest nations of the world. One of the case studies I will evaluate for this thesis is an initiative that derived from programs and policies implemented by His Highness the Aga Khan. This changed the way I saw my role as a designer, and his mission to “improve lives and bring hope” (The Aga Khan, 2005) continues to inspire me today.

Phase 3: Academia

Returning to academia, or phase 3 of my design journey, has provided the perfect venue to conduct research, bring together practice and acquire new knowledge and skills, while educating and inspiring emerging designers. The framework for this thesis has evolved as a result of all three phases in this design journey. Working across sectors, conducting research in new areas where designers can have a significant impact has provided an understanding of the role designers can play in designing a better future.

1.1 Problem Statement

In the broadest sense, the role of a designer is to create, solve problems and innovate. Increasingly, over the past ten years, how designers ideate, develop strategies and implement concepts has shifted to encompass more interdisciplinary and participatory . Bruce Mau, of Bruce Mau Design in Chicago, and author of “Massive Change” and Tim Brown, director of IDEO, a San Francisco based design firm and author of “Change by Design”, have been some of the strongest voices redefining the role of design in the public realm. It is no longer “about the world of design, it is about the design of the world” (Mau, 2004). Tim Brown defines the mission of design through “Design Thinking”, which places an emphasis on the humanistic elements of the design

5 process that “ translates observations into insights, insights into products and services and has the potential to improve people’s lives” (Brown, 2009).

It is from this perspective that designers have an unparalleled opportunity to raise the value of design in new ways. Sustainable community development is part of that change and, increasingly, the focus of social entrepreneurs, government agencies and not-for profit organizations. The key is to learn how to build capacity and collaborate effectively within communities, using human-centered, participatory approaches to develop long-term sustainable solutions. So what is the question we need to ask?

Figure 4. Thesis Framework

1.1.1 Research Question

What are the best practices, models and tools designers can use for working in the field of Social Design to build capacity, engage communities, measure results

and achieve sustainable community development?

6 1.2 Goals

The aim of this research study will be to evaluate the meaning of Social Design within the framework of Design, Field Study and Sustainable Development. It will explore, document, gather insights, analyze, and situate these findings for designers who aspire to work in the emerging area of Social Design. Drawing from interviews with design practitioners, literature and case studies in design, , urban planning, business innovation, , ethnographic research and generative design research methodologies, this study seeks to expand the discourse of Social Design or “Design for Social Good” (Pilloton, 2009) and compare this with “Design for Social Impact” (Drenttel 2012). It will also provide a model designers might consider when conducting exploratory research and working in the field of development.

Figure 5. The Matrix model is the principle tool used to evaluate the case studies and paradigm shift in design. It is also used to help design experts define Social Design.

7 Jeremy Myerson, Director of Helen Hamlyn Center, Royal College of Art & Design in London, was quoted in 2010 as saying “There is a paradigm shift taking place from designing for to designing with people.” Keeping this in mind, three specific case studies will be developed and additional published case studies suggested by design experts will be evaluated within this context.

This new paradigm shift in human-centered design needs to be described, and this study will attempt to accomplish this using a matrix model (the dimensions for this matrix model are from Sanders, 2006) with the defined parameters; design-led versus

non designer-led, designing for versus designing with a community to interpret this shift in design activity (Figure 5). From this matrix, patterns will emerge for analyses of the three case studies that will provide new insights into the approaches and methods used. This will help determine if the specific projects have been sustainable and what shifts may have taken place along a timeline. It will also be used in discussion with design practitioners to encourage a dialogue that will provide a means for interpreting their definitions of Social Design.

1.2.1 Hypothesis Working with communities using an integrated approach of applied ethnography and participatory design, designers can help build strategies and solutions that facilitate sustainable socioeconomic development.

1.3 Scope of the Study The primary research components of this thesis consist of qualitative research for three in-depth Social Design case studies. The research adopts a pragmatic approach that will evaluate the design development process for each case and extract core elements that

8 resulted in sustainable community development. The first case study to be investigated is Project H, a design-based non-profit organization that has worked in a rural setting in Bertie County, North Carolina. In the second two case studies, the researcher was involved as a participant observer. The Design Center, in Tajikistan was chosen as a case study of international stature and Design Matters, a Service Learning initiative from the Department of Design at The Ohio State University is locally based in Columbus, Ohio. This active participation and experience drawn from the two cases, the Design Center and Design Matters, serves as an EMIC account (Spradely, 1980) for the introduction to each case investigated. In addition, the researcher has gathered information from one-on-one interviews with key individuals involved from each case study as well as from expert designers working in the field of sustainable community development. Other published case studies mentioned by design experts working in the field of Social Design and cases from secondary research provide comparative lessons for the study.

1.3.1 Case Study 1- Project H, Bertie County, North Carolina Project H was founded by designer and architect Emily Pilloton in 2009 as a design- based non-profit organization that has brought the design process into a field setting to

Figure 6. Project H website and design team in Bertie County, North Carolina

9 solve important social issues and resulted in numerous sustainable projects. Activities in design began with the development of a Learning Landscape to help teach math to third graders and progressed into a high school design curriculum and summer program. The community and youth have been engaged in design solutions that have yielded a farmers market and numerous socioeconomic strategies and opportunities.

1.3.2 Case Study 2 - The Design Center, at The Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), part of the University of Central Asia (UCA) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

The Design Centre was initiated by Dr. Rafique Keshavjee, program director, and Robin Reed, designer (the researcher) in 1999 as part of the Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), an ambitious curriculum development initiative originally funded by The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), with government partners in Central Asia. The goal of the Humanities Project based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan was to develop, write and produce

THE AGA KHAN HUMANITIES PROJECT 1

THE AGA KHAN TRUST FOR CULTURE DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN

Figure 7. Curriculum books and themes for course study designed and illustrated by students of the Aga Khan Humanities Project in 2000.

10 a curriculum that would promote tolerance and the pluralism of ideas and cultures, drawing on the rich history of nations that formed the former Soviet Union. Many partner institutions in Central Asia have implemented the rigorous curriculum and it continues as part of the course offerings at the three campuses of the University of Central Asia (UCA). The course offerings are estimated to have been delivered to 62,000 students since it began in 1998. With design training, students of AKHP were able to design a two-year curriculum with faculty from nine universities, designed and illustrated six major themes: The Individual and Society; Tradition and Change; Art and Experience; Cultural Dynamics; Negotiating Human Nature; Seeking Social Justice (Figure 7).

As a service center providing for the needs of AKHP, the Design Center quickly expanded to serve a broader community of agencies within the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). Over time it began to offer services to the local government and other non-profit organizations working in the region. Design training, both practical and academic, helped students to develop skill sets that they might never have had the opportunity to acquire otherwise, which in turn led to a mentoring program still active today with a third generation of designers working at the center.

Through interviews with past and present participants of this case study, the researcher will uncover the trajectory the Design Center has taken over a period of 12 years, through the lens of Social Design (Chapter 3). By evaluating the design process with other case studies, a comparison can be made drawn that can will ground the case in Social Design, stemming from a responsible community development initiative.

1.3.3 Case Study 3 - Design Matters, Transit Arts and OSU - Service Learning Initiative at The Ohio State University (OSU), Department of Design.

11 The objective of this participatory design initiative was to partner with TransitArts, a youth arts program that is supported by non-profit organizations in Columbus, as a means of engaging students from both Transit Arts and OSU for social good. The goal has been to help TransitArts revitalize and transform a historic building that was gifted toCentral Community House and TransitArts in Olde Towne East Columbus, an important historical district in a declining urban section of the city. Both TransitArts and OSU students have engaged in collaborative activities that have yielded not only important results for the future of the building renovation, but friendships and opportunities to share and learn new skill sets from each other, while building empathy for the lives of others and youth at risk. The design researcher took part in these

Figure 8. Photographs and poster design by Robin Reed for Design Matters, illustrates student collaborative and co-design activities.

12 classes as a graduate student in 2011 and 2012. Here, too, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with past and present participants, prepared a timeline and collected data for comparison within the thesis framework of sustainable community development and Social Design.

1.3.4 Expert Interviews

The researcher participated in a number of professional and educational workshops over a two-year period and attended subject related conferences with design professionals on the topic of Social Design. One-on-one interviews were conducted with design

experts and in October 2012, with a few keynote speakers at the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Gain: Design for Social Value Conference held in San Francisco, California. Questions asked informed the research question. The approach addressed similar themes and patterns derived from insights gathered from the three in-depth case studies developed for this research study. More importantly, each participant shared and expanded the discourse and meaning of Social Design from their individual perspectives. Input provided important data, which will be quoted in Chapter 5.

1.3.4 Secondary Research: Published Case Studies

Additional publications and papers discussing examples and case studies on the topic of Social Design and Design for Social Impact will support the thesis research and provide new contexts. Sappi Paper Company Awards for “Ideas that Matter” provided a numbers of Social Design case studies that were reviewed. From their list, only Project H a met the criteria for this thesis framework and was investigated. “Designing for Social Change, Strategies for Community-Based Graphic Design” by Andrew Shea and the “Human- Centered Design Toolkit”, published by the design firm IDEO, provided many additional examples of case studies and also discussed methods for fieldwork study through design.

13 “Design with the other 90% Cities,” by Cynthia Smith, curator of Socially Responsible Design at the Cooper-Hewitt, National also presented come excellent examples of design-based sustainable community development.

A number of important scholarly papers have been published on the topic of Participatory Design, Design Research, Visual Ethnography and Sustainable Community Development will ground the research and be referenced in this thesis. Additional online resources from the internet, specifically Stanford“ Social Innovation Review,” “Change Observer,” published by The Design Observer Group and articles from the World Bank

Development Market Place have added to the current discourse on Social Design. Proceedings from the annual Participatory Design Conference, held in Denmark, and information published for the Stir Symposium at The Ohio State University in 2011 have also provided important sources of information. A complete list and references can be found in the Bibliography.

14 CHAPTER 2: DEFINING CONTEXT, APPROACH AND METHODS

Specific design approaches and methods, strategies for effectively conducting fieldwork study, and the significance of sustainable community development are a critical part of the discourse in design and for defining the language of “Social Design.” In order to evaluate the three focus areas for this research study it is essential to understand some of the key terminologies that will be referenced. Combining these three focus areas is the result of my own experiences as a designer working in the field and participating as a researcher (the participant observer, Bernard, 2011) in the two in-depth case studies that will be discussed in this thesis.

Taking courses in business, generative design research, participatory design and individual and collective creativity over the past two years, has solidified my thinking that participation and collaboration are at the core of engaging a community successfully. “Solutions come from the bottom up, not the top down” and in his book, “Design Thinking,” Thomas Lockwood describes old and new business models of engagement that support the shift to a human-centered approach for business innovation and management styles.

2.1 Business Innovation

As shown in Figure 10, the old business model of management illustrates “compliance as ideas are handed down by management for implementation.” The results are “solutions that are acceptable but not embraced by the community.” The new business model

15 A. B.

Figure 9. Examples of the shift in business models, from (A) compliance to (B) commitment that can spawn innovation. (Thomas Lockwood, “Design Thinking” 2010). illustrates “commitment,” which “draws from a values-based culture of participation and engagement.” The results are solutions that are “supported by a fearless leader and the community” (Lockwood, 2010). When business engages designers it provides a design challenge and leads to a journey of discovery. Roger Martin, Dean at Rotman School of Management in Toronto, Canada, describes this process as a “knowledge funnel that begins with a mystery and ends with an algorithm.” It is in the middle of the funnel, or the “grey zone” he calls the “heuristic” phase, where ideas are generated and it is in this area that “designers can become pivotal leaders” (Martin, 2009).

2.2 The Design Development Process and Research Approaches

The design development process for Social Design begins with a “need,” is iterative and often progresses through a brief from a client or a request for assistance by a particular community but ultimately, it derives from a simple “conversation” (Spence, 2012). Engaging in exploratory and generative design research using human-centered methods and tools that can help designers understand context and connect with a user, a target audience or a community and provides insights, otherwise difficult to obtain.

16 Figure 10. The Design Development Process diagram, adapted from Sanders and Stappers, 2008.

The designer uses qualitative methods and tools to go beyond the conventions of quantitative data gathering, which is traditionally what the business community or non- government agencies use to target groups and gather information. Qualitative inquiry is essential for building empathy and is critical for understanding human needs. Beyond simply providing innovative ideas and strategies, using these methods in the design process can provide opportunities to build capacity as well, which in turn leads to the long-term sustainability of a solution. Figure 11 illustrates the design process as it progresses through the phases of exploration, ideation, evaluation and implementation. Elizabeth Sanders, Associate Professor of Design Research at The Ohio State University describes this same “grey area” as the “fuzzy front end” of the design process, as

17 illustrated in Figure 11, where exploration and ideation take place (Sanders and Stappers, 2008).

2.2.1 Design Thinking Spanning the design development process, “Design Thinking” is a human-centered approach to problem solving which incorporates a multitude of methods and tools taken from the design discipline to help establish “open-collaboration” with people. The process is iterative and should not be confused with “the art and craft of designing.” The process harnesses “abductive thinking,” which leads to “exploration and empathy building, often resulting in innovative solutions that have the power to “enable people and communities” (Lockwood, 2010).

Figure 11. “Design Thinking” diagram highlights how the process can infuse creativity and innovation into businesses and organizations that can have an impact on society as a whole (“Change by Design” Brown, 2009).

18 Thomas Lockwood describes the key tenants of “Design Thinking” as follows:

1) Discovering unarticulated human needs as a source of inspiration.

2) Getting out into the real world, developing open-minded collaboration.

3) Observational research using ethnographic methods provides a deep-rooted

understanding of different points of view.

4) Having users or clients involved in the process of collaboration helps engage

them in innovative concepts.

5) Learning through with hands-on experimentation, quick

prototyping generates immediate responses.

The term “Design Thinking” as a process has become an important trend over the past ten years that integrates many aspects of society and business (Lockwood 2010). Moreover, “Design Thinking” has been successful at raising the value of design in the business and not-for profit sectors by making it more accessible. The methods used are often visual and interactive, which can lead to insights that ultimately help tell the real story and a “big picture” emerges (Brown, 2009). However, “Design Thinking” is not new, as Tim Brown describes in his Ted Talks (www.ted.com, 2009). The approach draws from a designer’s skill set, exploratory research and ethnography, while incorporating methods that stem from Participatory Design, as well as many other interdisciplinary techniques for developing human-centered design solutions.

2.2.2 Participatory Design “Participatory Design is driven by social interaction as users or designers learn together to create, develop, express and evaluate their ideas and visions.

19 Shared exploration, experimentation and reflection are essential parts of the design process.” (Pelle Ehn 1993).

As an approach, Participatory Design is now being embraced by the design community and stems from the past positive applications for designing user interfaces (Kyng, 1991) and in architecture and urban planning for connecting with community needs (Sanoff, 1990). Participatory Design combines methods, tools and techniques of engaging people to develop solutions for a variety of contexts. It is now being used across disciplines to tackle large social issues to meet human-centered needs.

Cooperative design, Co-design, Co-creation, User Centered Design, Collaborative Design, are some of the terms frequently associated with Participatory Design and stem from the principles and methods of engaging with people and for people. The current definition used in the annual Participatory Design Conference, held in 2012 in Roskilde, Denmark, describes Participatory Design, “as a diverse collection of principles and practices aimed at making , tools, environments, businesses, and social institutions more responsive to human needs” (pdc2012.org). Participation in the design process “legitimizes and validates the ideation phase and encourages open discussion, shared collaboration and ultimately ownership of solutions” (Bødeker, 2004). Through collaborative engagement, participants are able to address personal, social, political and ethical concerns in “powerful and sensitive ways that can empower them” (Brandt, 2012).

An example of how to work in Participatory Design was taught at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design, as part of their International Design Opportunity (I.do) workshop (Figure 13), held every year to create solutions that address

20 Figure 12. Team identities, printed materials, presentations, sketches and prototypes were produced by students of the I.do 2011 workshop at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design. A Participatory Design approach was encouraged as part of the design challenge addressing the ageing population of China. the ageing population of China. Working in teams, students engage in experiential learning, identifying problem areas for the aging population and together formulate solutions, while engaging with the elderly through home visits using applied ethnography.

2.2.3 Exploratory Research Typically exploratory research informs generative design research (Hanington & Martin, 2012). It is part of the early phase in the design development process and is an essential part of design through discovery (Belvin, 1977). Through an immersive process, understanding and empathy can be built that can forge a solid knowledge

21 Figure 13. Examples of photographs taken in China, as part of exploratory research to understand the life and context of the aging population in the region. This process uncovered conditions, lifestyle, history, religion, economic drivers and needs. base for concept development. Some of the typical tools used in exploratory design research are semi-structured interviews, surveys and questionnaires, visual and design ethnography, observation, participant-observation, cultural probing, journals, artifact analysis, experience sampling and location tours (Hanington & Martin, 2012). An established protocol for collecting data begins the process (Schwartz, 1989). The method is purposely flexible, allowing for divergence. Spontaneous interactions often arise that provide contextual and often surprising new insights for developing solutions. Synthesizing the information provides the groundwork for further targeted inquiry and concept development (Hanington & Martin, 2012).

22 2.2.4 Generative Design Research Generative Design research adds to an ethnographic study and is an approach that uses specifically designed tools and materials to engage people in collaborative exercises to uncover their “needs, desires, and feelings.” After this step, “the people are invited to imagine and express their dreams for the future. This process of discovery is critical to identifying concepts that people embrace in their lives” (Sanders, 2000).

Key to this approach is the strategy of converging perspectives whereby researchers observe and document what people make, say and do. Information gathered from what a person says may be very different from the data collected when the same person is

Figure 14. Example of a Paper Tool Kit included shapes words and magazines to help a student group at The Ohio State University define the future of social media. The artifact created highlighted the expansion of social media with a three dimensional format.

23 engaged through making or doing and provides a valid picture of their true desires. Preparing tool kits to provoke discussion on a particular topic is the key to developing useful information for further ideation. Toolkits are for “people to image, create and express their own ideas for future scenarios” (Sanders, 2010). The designer must act as a facilitator in this role of discovery, and the group discussion that follows the “making”

Figure 15. Legos,velcro-modeling and puppets can be used in Tool Kits to promote dialogue and articulate ideas.

24 can be as important as the artifact that is produced. The artefacts produced from a session allow insights and patterns to emerge and are recorded as data. Toolkits are subject specific and can be made up of whatever is available but paper, shapes, words, markers for drawing, Legos (Serious Play series), Velcro-modeling, puppets and even personal artifacts (Spence, 2012) have shown to encourage dialogue and provide for fun activities (Figures 15 and 16).

2.3 Social Design

Currently the definition of Social Design is ambiguous. The term is used by designers for a variety of social purposes and the meaning differs from country to country. Victor Papennek was perhaps one of the first to introduce the term as “socially conscious design” in 1971, meaning that designers had a responsibility to do “good design” because it could have a profound impact on people (Papenek, 1984). This has been iterated more recently by designer David Berman in his book, “Do Good Design” published in 2009. He describes Social Design as “responsible design,” which has been championed by many other designers around the world who now focus on human-centered approaches to designing products, spaces and services. Author and writer, , has written a number of articles over the past decade using the term Social Design in a broader context, that suggests the design process can address social issues on a much larger scale that is responsive to human needs in society (Margolin, 2002).

Design Economies (Mau 2004), Design for Social Value, Design for Social Good, Design for Social Change, Design for Social Impact are some of the terms being associated with Social Design. William Drenttel, designer and design strategist founded the Winterhouse Institute that “focuses on non-profit, self initiated projects that support as well as social and political initiatives” (www.winterhouse.com). In 2008 he attended

25 a workshop called “Design for Social Impact,” held in Bellagio, Italy and funded by the . The main objective for this event was to bring designers together to discuss the role design could play for poverty alleviation and to answer numerous impending questions that many designers had from around the world on the topic of Social Design. “What is the meaning of Design and Social Impact and how should it be defined? What kind of training is necessary for designers to work in this emerging area of design?”

What came out of the workshop suggests that Social Design “defines a new kind of designer” and requires a much broader skill set and training. Drenttel indicates that through education “designers will need to use different tools and thinking processes to connect with outside environments, users and social participants.” Most importantly the definition of Social Design includes the need for “collaboration between designers, across schools and communities to be able to generate compelling initiatives in the future” (Drenttel, 2012). The stance taken for this thesis paper will focus on Design for Social Impact.

2.4 Methods for Fieldwork Study

For designers to work effectively on social issues, it is critical for them to work in the field to develop a deep-rooted understanding of human behavior in a society or culture through total immersion (Shea, 2012). The knowledge gained has the potential to change the design researcher and the people in the field in extraordinary ways. Living or working amongst the people of interest, sometimes over a long period of time, brings new challenges that are an essential part of developing collective cultural values and understanding. Conducting field research using the principles of ethnography can take place in foreign and often remote settings. It is critical to differentiate between the tools and

26 methods that are employed by ethnographers working for a business or institution to study consumer behavior, with the tools and methods necessary for social impact that derive from working in a field setting.

History has shown that human beings are explorers by nature. Many of the methods used in anthropology today were informed by the early theories of the cultural anthropologist Margret Mead (1901-1978) who said, “Living with other people (participant- observation) allows you to see things you would not otherwise notice. At the same time, the smallest things you do, which you may have thought were natural, are just wrong in your field site” (Mead, 1920). This could be defined as “culture shock” – a true awakening of the senses, and the first phase in becoming aware of new surroundings, where everything seems strange. This consciousness has been described as essential to developing a true understanding of an environment and can provide the “deepest kind of knowledge” necessary for connecting with people (Mead and Shankman, 1985).

Fieldwork study differs from basic exploratory research in that it requires time to develop meaningful relationships and an understanding of a local language and customs, especially if interpreters are involved when working in a foreign country. Ethnography provides the foundations for designers to conduct fieldwork study. A number of prominent anthropologists and ethnographers point to important criteria essential for collecting and gathering data that is pertinent to a situation being investigated.

1) It is central for connecting with a group to understand the political environment, cultural meanings and events, behaviors and actions (Robson, 2011). 2) Use Participant Observation to gain an insider’s perspective and build trust (Spradley, 1979).

27 3) Conduct open-ended interviews with a disciplined set of pre-established inquiry principles (Spradley, 1979). 4) Go native through total immersion without losing your own cultural identity (Bernard, 2011). 5) Take field notes as a written narrative that tells a story in the form of a journal that can be accompanied by maps and drawings (Emerson, 1995). 6) Use visual ethnographic tools; a still or video camera to record situations and events for articulating and capturing moments and data for further in-depth analysis (Schwartz, 1989).

2.4.1 Field Notes Taking good field notes should include “initial impressions, details about the physical setting, including size, , noise, colors, equipment, and movement, including people in a particular setting, such as number, gender, race, appearance, dress, comportment, feeling and tone.” Creating a journal when entering a culture where both language and customs are unfamiliar helps to articulate the strangeness of the setting (Emerson, Fretz and Shaw, 1995). Field notes also provide an important way to record discussions, conversations, observations and points of view (POV) from the perspective of the

Figure 16. Journals are an important tool for documenting and recording life situations that foster ideas and concepts in a site location and tell help tell a story.

28 researcher and the participants. Intricate details and reflections can be recorded immediately and set the scene for telling the story. Additional visual sketches further enhance and clarify a setting, especially for a designer. Writing, drawing and sketching can help generate ideas (see Figure 17) while grounding the research in a time and place.

2.4.2 Visual Ethnography

For designers, visual ethnographic methods are often part of their unique skill sets and should be intuitive as part of the design process. Sketching and drawing, or video offer a technique for visualizing people and contexts in detail that can enhance a journal or field notes. In addition, photographs can capture intimate stories quickly that can be shared and analyzed in greater depth over a long period of time and often lead to valuable insights for problem solving.

Figure 17. A visual ethnographic study in China shows an image (above left) of a tiled subway wall that reflects local culture and the markets displayed artifacts that reinforced this cultural identity (above right and below left). What people wear and how they care for themselves can often be captured in one image (below right).

29 One of the most important reasons to use photography in ethnographic studies is to tell and disseminate a story. It provides an instant message that often receives an immediate response. How pictures are taken and used needs to be clearly defined up-front before any research is conducted, since there are cultures and environments where using a camera may be inappropriate. The ethical elements of using visual materials needs to be considered as well; who took the pictures? are they authentic? what is the source? In a setting where it is unacceptable to use a camera, the ability to sketch a scene or detail quickly is an advantage (Schwartz, 1989).

2.4.3 Fieldwork Study through Education It is time to take notice when an article in the Economist, p.80, December 3, 2011 begins with the title “Field of Dreams”, and discusses the revisions Harvard Business School has made to their MBA program to include fieldwork – “i.e. going out to talk to people.” The university is emphasizing the need for their students to leave the classroom and learn by doing, replacing the traditional method of learning through case studies. FIELD (Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development) is a two-year series of courses that involves “team-building to learn to collaborate and give and take feedback,” after which “students are sent to work in one of 140 companies in 11 countries.” The third component of the syllabus provides “seed money of US $3,000 to each student to launch a small company and the most successful is voted on by fellow students.”

This style of structured learning out of the classroom is not unique to Harvard University. has instituted “SEED” out of the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies with a mission to “stimulate, develop, and disseminate research and innovations that enable entrepreneurs, managers, and leaders to alleviate poverty in developing economies. Students participate in courses through

30 the Stanford Graduate Business School, as well as in on-the-ground, immersive learning through experience in the field.” The core belief is that to alleviate poverty it is “important to develop new insights” and students learn to become partners with entrepreneurs and businesses.

2.5 Sustainable Community Development

Sustainable community development is a term that is most commonly referenced in the development sector to describe interventions that engage community in the preservation or adaptive reuse of a given environment. The specific aim is to provide hope through assistance by developing “integrated strategies that ultimately help recipients foster solutions so that they become the masters of the process. At the most basic level, the goal is to stimulate and facilitate change that is positive in character, significant in impact, long lasting in consequence and sustainable into the future” (The Aga Khan, 2002).

Architects and urban planners have been engaged in sustainable community development since the late 1960s in the United States (Comerio, 1984) and this set a precedence for community development work around the world. In 1985, Henry Sanoff, professor of architecture at the University of North Carolina, began implementing and using the Participatory Design approach as a way of involving the public in developing their physical environments. He insisted on engaging the public in “an open dialogue to establish a sense of trust, so that issues, which might normally be swept aside might surface.” Communities had to be part of the solution and were an essential component of the design process. Giving the “public a voice” sparked a new movement in architecture and urban planning, one of social responsibility that both architects and governments began to emphasize (Sanoff, 1990). The development sector, concerned with social impact, adopted this method of engaging with populations in developing countries through village organizations.

31 In the 1990s the movement of engaging populations to solve problems by providing a forum for dialogue was echoed in the works of other architects working on a global scale, using a slightly different, integrated approach to urban planning. Their focus was placed on preserving the built heritage in developing economies. John de Monchaux, former Dean of the School of Architecture & Planning at MIT, was one of the masterminds behind the creation of the Media Lab at MIT in 1992 and later he became the director of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) based in Geneva, Switzerland. He and Swiss architectural historian and urban designer, Dr. Stefano Bianca, were instrumental in forming the long-term strategies for development and the preservation of built heritage that resulted in the Historic Cities Programme (HCP) in 1992. Dr. Bianca directed this program until 2007 and successfully completed close to 20 urban revitalization projects, during his tenure at AKTC. The significance of the integrated approach, which involved government and community for urban revitalization became a world standard. The projects became a model for conservation emulated by other agencies of the AKDN and partner institutions. UNESCO, the World Bank, the World Monuments Fund, The Ghetty and the Ford Foundation, as well as many other non- government and government agencies (NGO’S) around the world, have adapted their approaches for sustainable community development.

As a first step for sustainable community development, John De Moncahux developed an integrated planning approach to engage governments and states in a call to action for preserving build heritage (DeMonchaux,1997) in what he calls “5 things to do:”

1) Ownership and Operation The state will do X. 2) Regulation You must (or must not) do X. 3) Incentives/Dicentives If you have X, the state will do Y.

32 4) Property Rights You have a right to do X, and the State will enforce that right. 5) Information You should do X, or You need to know Y in order to do X.

This approach was not specifically driven by Participatory Design but it did emphasize tools for engagement through architecture. It was Dr. Stefano Bianca who integrated the two approaches of Sanoff and De Monchaux, building an impressive portfolio of sustainable development initiatives over a period of more than twenty years (www. akdn.org/hcp). At the core of this integrated approach to urban rehabilitation were specific goals and objectives that defined this strategy. In the case of projects initiated through HCP, cross-cutting themes such as Gender, Environment, Organizational and Institutional Development of Local Organizations, also known as strengthening civil society or capacity building, were central for all projects undertaken. Evaluation and monitoring to assess the effectiveness of the initial goals was conducted with local populations (Bianca, 2007).

The development of Al-Azhar park in Cairo, Egypt is just one example of how a multitude of interventions harnessing the voice of local populations can produce surprising and sustainable results. The strategies for development incorporated both historical and urban contexts. A well-defined integrated approach, working with government and local citizens, yielded a “green lung” (Figure 19) in one the most densely populated cities in the world, which today is a hub of activity, wildlife and socioeconomic opportunity enjoyed by the local citizens (Bianca, 2007). Engaging the Al-Azhar community through surveys and discussion groups with families, women and children, provided insights that led to improved housing and education programs

33 Figure 18. Al-Ahzar Park project in Cairo, Egypt is an example of an integrated approach to urban revitalization and sustainable community development that engaged the local population. Photographs taken by Gary Otte, courtesy of AKDN.

and the creation of a school and cultural center. In addition, professional training and microfinance loans for small business enterprises were implemented. The result was a catalyst for revitalizing one of the oldest historic districts of Cairo and is a model of inspiration today (Figure 20). From these field experiences, HCP continues to take on similar challenges in the developing world and plant the seeds of opportunity through careful and sensitive design and urban planning (Bianca, 2004). This thesis will reference other AKTC projects that were the outcome of similar integrated approaches

34 Figure 19. Community initiatives connected with Al-Ahzar Park project in Cairo, Egypt are through education, housing development and small business enterprise development. to development in later chapters and evaluate how design and Participatory Design might fit into their well-established development model.

What can be learned from the case study in Cairo and many others is how effective collaboration can become a stimulus and an economic driver, even where conditions are difficult. It requires persistence and participation at many levels to provide solutions that are ultimately adopted by the local citizens and therefore sustainable. As designers begin to venture out beyond their borders (Mau, 2004) and use their abilities and skill sets for the greater good, it is examples like these that can serve as inspiration.

35 2.6 Connecting These Definitions to Social Design

In the context of this thesis framework many of the definitions described are part of the current discussion amongst design professionals on the topic of Social Design. There is no clear definition that seems to be fully embraced by the community, yet literature and case studies appear to link, Business Innovation, Design Thinking, Participatory Design and Design Research with the paradigm shift, designing for to designing with people and communities. What has become clear is that the value of Social Design is being discussed as a means for designers, leaders and communities to engage in the world around them, while working within communities to tackle large and small sustainable change in an “open process” (Manzini and Rizzo, 2011). Chapter 3 will highlight case studies that have embraced Social Design through the design development process to discover the impact they represent for sustainable community development.

36 CHAPTER 3: CASE STUDY DEVELOPMENT

“Case study research involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within a real life context using multiple sources as evidence.” – Robert Yin, 2009

3.1 A CASE STUDY APPROACH

The rationale for learning from three case studies, as “stories” of accomplishment, provides the background for understanding the design development process through the lens of Social Design. It legitimizes this emerging sector within design by raising awareness that further supports the idea that designers should be part of the critical social discourse for defining development strategies in the future. Discovery through a case study approach will provide an understanding of the Social Design process and highlight new domains in which designers can expand their skill sets to work in the social sector. The three case studies selected are positioned as two different areas of Social Design; “Design for Social Good” and “Design for Social Impact,” as discussed in Chapter 2.

This chapter begins by looking at Project H, a design non-profit organization founded by architect and product designer Emily Pilloton in 2008. Much like Cameron Sinclair, the architect who founded Habitat for Humanity, Emily Pilloton has become an advocate of design for “Social Impact” and her story is an inspirational model to learn from and analyze. The two case studies that I have been directly involved with are significant

37 because they serve as examples of Social Design. My role in both cases stems from a background in visual communication design that uses a slightly different skill set to spread design through fieldwork. Mapping out the design processes for each case will highlight how and why these cases may have been sustainable, each developing through Participatory Design and grounded in the early theories of community engagement articulated by architect Henry Sanoff.

3.2 THREE CASE STUDIES IN SOCIAL DESIGN Working in the “field” to generate design solutions can be a profound and unique work experience; both for the designer and the communities they are serving. Encouraging participation in the creative and decision-making processes provides an opportunity for new ideas to emerge and a way for the community to voice opinions and take ownership, while creating “meaning” within their society. The process of design and what is learned along the way is almost as important as the end result. Designing with people has the potential to build local capacity in design and knowledge. All three case studies focus on different geographical locations of the world with completely different social needs and geopolitical contexts. The timeline for each is very different but what will be appraised is the process to see if sustainability has been achieved.

The stories and insights gathered from the case studies through literature, participant observation and semi-structured interviews provides a learning journey and a diverse perspective for how design can have a broad impact on culture and civil society, while building capacity. At the same time, patterns and similarities have been recorded and observed while working in the field that broaden how we should think about design and the role that it can play in building sustainable opportunities. Sometimes it is the “micro” events one observes in the field that can be transformed into macro“ ” level solutions (Travers, 2001).

38 3.2.1 PROJECT H “In my heart I believe design belongs in the hands of the youth and we need to go beyond ‘going green’ and enlist a new generation of design activists.” - Emilly Pilloton, San Francisco, October, 2012

As a case study in design, Project H is an excellent example to evaluate within the framework of design, fieldwork and sustainable community development. It is significant because it is current and highly praised within the context of Social Design and has received much acclaim within the design community across the United States. I heard Emily Pilloton speak about the founding of Project H (projecthdesign.org) at the AIGA Gain: Design for Social Value Conference in October, 2012. The social impact the Project H team had on the local community in Bertie County, North Carolina was important for two reasons: 1) Project H adopted a hands-on approach to the design process that engaged the community by working with them. 2) High school students were participants in design learning experiences that inspired them, gave them hope and changed their lives and the society in which they lived.

BACKGROUND

Project H grew out of the experiences that Emily Pilloton had as a designer who became disenfranchised with the design industry focus on “product, client and budget.” Having been raised in a family that believed it was important to volunteer, she developed a value system that encouraged her to give back in some way to her community. As a design critic, Emily was asked to become the managing editor of “Inhabit,” an online architectural forum (inhabitat.com), which gave her a platform to voice the deficiencies

39 Figure 20. High end-furniture designed using recycled materials by Emily Pilloton, 2008 she encountered in the design profession. Deciding that it might be better to take action rather than write about “design for social impact,” she gave up the position and started a furniture company that designed and produced luxury, one-of-a-kind furniture made from 100% reclaimed materials (Figure 21). She describes in her presentation how she would “literally climb into dumpsters to recuperate materials to support the ‘green’ movement.” This may have helped coin what the current youth call “dumpster diving,” a term used to describe the fun in finding unwanted treasures (Dwell, 2009).

Although the company was working in a responsible way, using Cradle to Cradle manufacturing practices (McDonough & Braungart, 2002), the “element of making lives better through design in a sustainable way” was still missing. Project H, a non-profit organization, was founded by Emily Pilloton as a means of bridging that gap. The H

40 stands for some of the “core values that guide their mission: Humanity, Habitats, Health, Happiness, Heart, Hands, and more” (Pilloton, 2012). Currently Project H has nine chapters across the US and three international chapters that collectively take on projects for their social value and include many volunteers. The “Math Learning Landscape Playground” project (Figure 22), was developed by Project H for a school in . It was initially conceived as a third grade math learning system, not a product, that would be universal and draw on parallels between nations. “After all, numbers are numbers

Project H Design

Figure 21. Math Learning Landscape Playground in Uganda (above) and Bertie County, North Carolina (below).

41 wherever you go and 2+2 will equal 4 in Uganda or in the US” (Pilloton, 2009). This innovative approach to learning was published and impressed the Superintendant of Schools in Bertie County, North Carolina. Unexpectedly he gave Emily a call and they had a conversation about designing a similar playground for his school community. Intrigued that a “Superintendant of Schools from rural North Carolina read design publications” and was interested in the “Math Learning Landscape Playground” project, she accepted the design challenge (Pilloton, 2012).

CONTEXT

Like so many areas in the United States today with an agricultural legacy, the towns in Bertie County, North Carolina have been in serious economic decline for years. Their average per capita income was estimated to be below $15,000 a year with 26% of the population living below the poverty line, according to the US Census Bureau in 2000. The principle industry in the area is from agri-businesses and poultry farming, with Perdue as one the largest employers in the region.

DESIGN PROCESS

The opportunity and design challenge in Bertie County for the Project H team was fostered by a “need.” Design research began with conversations within the school community, which were participatory in nature (Figure 22). The initial challenge was to adapt the Ugandan “Math Learning Landscape” model to meet the “quantifiable standards set for third grade math at the US State and National level.” In Uganda “the community was so grateful that you were even there, that they were willing to accept whatever was proposed” (Dwell interview, 2009). As Emily described in her presentation, the next most critical consideration for them became how to “involve students in the design process of building the playground.” This was the first project

42 Mapping the Design Process for Project H

EXPLORATION CULTURE CONTEXT PEOPLE DESIGN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Plan of NEED {Conversation} Invitation Learn the History Context Observations FIELD SETTING Engagement

14 13 12 11 10 9 8

IMMERSION Fieldwork with Community Shift in designer EVALUATION Projects IDEATION Live with the Students and Engagement mindset Developed Community Community

15 16 17 18 D 19 20 21 Sense of High School Learning Community Summer Program Students Inspired Ownership & SUSTAINABILITY Design Curriculum with Students Outreach Hope

24 23 22

OPPORTUNITY Socio-economic Partners Development

Design Seeds 2007 - 2011 NO. 1-20

Figure 22. The Project H Design story and development process in Bertie County, North Carolina was recorded and mapped from a presentation made by Emily Pilloton at the AIGA Design for Social Value Conference in 2012. Audio reference no. 12100904.MP3. undertaken with the school community, and out of that success grew trust (Shea, 2012) and a fertile ground for planting further “seeds in design.” The high school community then decided to provide a space that might be transformed into a design studio so that the Project H team could teach and build with the high school students (Figure 24). It was at this point that Emily and her husband decided to move from California to Bertie County, North Carolina and become residents, immersing themselves in ways to improve the livelihoods of people in the area and bring about positive change through design.

Once a place was created in the local high school for conceptualizing, ideating, collaborating, designing and building, more projects came along that engaged the

43 Figure 23. Project H Design studio and computer lab (above and below left). Chicken coop prototype and final product (above and below right).

Project H team and their students. Computer labs were designed and built in the high school, followed by a request from the school board asking the Project H design team to write a High School Design Curriculum. This comprised of three hours a week designing during the school year and included a summer program that hired and paid students to produce the projects they had developed during the school year.

Overcoming the numerous obstacles and successfully completing all these projects with students had a profound effect on the entire Bertie County community. The students shared their concerns for the future in classes by using their new understanding for design thinking and making. Solutions for reaching out into the broader community to

44 Figure 24. Students highlighted a community need that transpired into the design of Windsor Farmers Market. Prototype models and posters helped to engage the community. help in creative ways became apparent. The idea of introducing poultry farming as a sustainable farming method into the local community resulted in the design of chicken coops for families, followed by a farmers’ market that provided a location and stalls for local vendors in town.

LESSONS LEARNED

The four key tenants from the High School Design Curriculum highlighted “creativity, citizenship, capital and critical thinking” and this provided the foundation for . The critical lessons that can be extracted from this case study are numerous but perhaps what is most relevant are the methods of engaging people in the community, accomplished by living in the community, mentoring through design and working with youth throughout the process of discovery and creation. The students shared newly acquired knowledge with their parents and this inspired the entire community, seeding the crucial elements of sustainability for further community development initiatives.

45 Although the Project H team did eventually leave Bertie County, they have retained a connection with the community and continue to bring young aspiring designers from urban settings to work, play and learn during the summer. The creative spaces; the high school design studio, computer labs (Figure 24), playground as well as the farmers’ market within the community, provide common meeting places to gather and reunite. The graphics and signage (Figure 25) are a constant reminder and symbol of “good design.” Emily Pilloton concluded her presentation in San Francisco by sharing a student’s reflections on the whole design experience by quoting a student who said, “I want to come back someday and show my kids I built this!” It is this lasting influence that is really crucial for sustainability into the future.

3.2.2 CASE STUDY 2 - DESIGN CENTER AT THE AGA KHAN HUMANITIES PROJECT

“I think the Design Center was a unifier in a sense because everyone was focused on the positiveness of what they had to offer. There was no conflict in that place. There was a whole spectrum of cultures working together for a purpose, respecting each other, working on design, talking about principles, talking about ideas and bridging technologies together. It was a safe place to be.” – Muneera U Spence, 2012

The Design Center at the Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, perhaps one of the poorest and underdeveloped nations of Central Asia, is the second case study researched for this thesis. Through the use of current day technology it was possible to connect and interview many of the participants, now located around the world to tell a design story that spans twelve years. Responsible for initiating the idea of the Design Center in 1999, I decided it was important to see what impact design

46 has had on the people of the region and the students that were trained in design in order to learn how the Design Center had evolved over time. Could this be an important example of a Social Design initiative and what are the lessons that can be learned from the development process that we might use today?

BACKGROUND

A brutal five year civil war that began in 1992 devastated Tajikistan just after the collapse of the Soviet Union that killed an estimated 100,000 people. The nation was battered and adrift and located in a very remote and mountainous part of the world.

His Highness the Aga Khan offered assistance to the governments in the region and the newly formed republics. In 1996 he signed an agreement with the Presidents of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and their Ministries of Education to develop a Humanities Program that would focus on Higher Education to be based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. “The idea was to introduce students of Central Asia to an integrated approach to the humanities that would promote tolerance and critical thinking.” The Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP) was the outcome of these early negotiations and was designed to explore the “human condition by looking at important academic texts from around the world to develop a curriculum” that might unify the Central Asian nations and their common humanity (Keshavjee, 2012).

CONTEXT

In 1998 Professor Azim Nanji, Head of the Department of Religious Studies at the and Dr. Rafique Keshavjee, Associate Dean at the Institute of Ismail Studies (IIS) in London at the time, were tasked with getting the project launched. They developed a strategy for AKHP that was based on four levels of engagement:

47 Figure 25. Central Asian artists provided much needed visual material to illustrate the Aga Khan Humanities curriculum. Nomadic life and poverty after the civil war were key themes in 1999.

1) The first level was with thegovernment and the Ministries of Education. 2) The second level engaged academics of the region from a variety of disciplines. 3) The third level engaged rectors from a number of important Central Asian universities. 4) The fourth level of engagement involved the selection of faculty and students to write and test a curriculum to be developed using a “Peer-to-Peer Model” of pedagogy. The “Peer-to-Peer” pedagogical model was devised as a method to engage the teachers in a participatory way that would provide a sustainable means of transferring knowledge over time. This model became the foundation for the entire project and is at the core of the teaching methods being implemented by faculty today.

In 1998 Dr. Keshvajee became the Director of AKHP and moved to Tajikistan where he began to implement the project objectives. As the faculty began to compile texts and write a new curriculum for the Central Asian nations, Dr. Keshavjee realized that he was going to need help to design and produce the curriculum materials and teachers’ guides

48 that were planned. There were no contemporary design skills available in the region at that time and rather than outsource design work to expensive firms based in Moscow or Europe, Dr. Keshavjee asked the Director of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in Geneva, Switzerland if I might be willing to help with design and possibly train a few students? (See vita, p. vi). Without hesitation, I agreed and in the fall of 1999 took on my first three-week design-based field assignment in Dushanbe.

It is important to note that traveling from Geneva, Switzerland to Dushanbe the capital of Tajikistan in 1999 was a true adventure in every sense of the word. The journey involved a stop in Moscow before flying the only airline available, Tajik Air, into Dushanbe. As an American, the idea of landing in Moscow was a relatively new concept and continuing on into the depths of the Pamir Mountains in Central Asia felt like flying to the moon but what an experience and what an opportunity!

DESIGN PROCESS

Initially I thought my task would be to provide vocational training in design for a few bright, technology savvy pre-selected students at AKHP but once I arrived on site, I realized there was much more that could be done through design that might have a broader impact. It would not be easy and would take much longer than a few weeks.

Encouraged by both Dr. Keshavjee and the students who were eager to learn, we set up a design space with just a few computers, a scanner and an ink jet printer provided through the project. In advance, I had purchased design software that the students eagerly installed. Although most of the students could work in English, I did have a translator that helped me teach the basics in using Adobe software packages. In the first three weeks, I was able to set up a basic design system for the curriculum materials that

49 Figure 26. Conducting a visual ethnographic study tour to visit AKHP partner universities and faculty in three locations, Khorog, Almaty and Bishkek, provided context and visual materials needed to help illustrate and understand the scope of the project. the students were able to use and input the texts with images they were receiving from the project faculty to design.

As I immersed myself in a completely new culture, connecting with the people and visually documenting the site location to provide much needed visual material, I began to transfer another visual skill set to the students through the lens of my camera. They were intrigued by the way I would capture images and suggest inserting them into their page layouts. It had never occurred to them that they might take pictures to illustrate the content of their texts. The faculty and the students became my family away from home and I began to mentor them and realized that the skills I could share were unique in a region deprived of hope. They blossomed and inspired me.

50 Figure 27. The AKHP Design Group computer lab and studio (upper left and right), dinning room and conference area (lower left and right) were the essential spaces created for collaboration and discussion amongst faculty and staff.

I was asked to return to Dushanbe a few months later to further develop the skills and capacity of the young students, who now proudly called themselves the “Design Group.” When I arrived I was surprised at how advanced and adept the students had become using the design software and they had produced hundreds of pages of curriculum material in my absence. The faculty had identified specific themes for the curriculum that were to be taught and as a group we began to gather visual materials and create an identity for six major themes that defined the two-year curriculum (Figure 29). The themes were the following: 1) Responsibility of the Individual to Community, Society and the Environment 2) Culture, Tradition and Innovation

51 3) Formal and Informal Traditions in Culture 4) Art and the Human Condition 5) The Rise and Decline of Cultures 6) The Individual as Object of Cognition, Human Diversity and Human Ideals

It was at this point that I suggested to Dr. Keshvjee that AKHP might consider developing a Design Center, which would engage additional students, provide training and extend design services into the community also in need of design capabilities. This had never occurred before to anyone but it made sense and fell in line with the pedagogy they were implementing through the project, and followed the sustainable community development models that were being implemented by other agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network. The students were inspired by the idea of being entrepreneurs and actively engaged with the outside community to see if other non-government agencies (NGO’s) might be interested in working with them. To their surprise, there was

Figure 28. Six major themes for Aga Khan Humanities curriculum materials were created by the students at the Design Center.

52 great enthusiasm and work came in from a number of UN and government agencies. The problem became how to manage income-generating opportunities as an organization with an NGO status and this is still an unresolved issue today.

Over a period of two years I returned three times to work with the Design Group and the Design Center began to thrive becoming an “incubator for new ideas and a hive of activity” (Allibhai, 2012). They began to produce work for other development agencies based in Dushanbe and certainly had the potential to bring in clients and become a business. In between these visits Muneera Spence, Professor of Graphic Design at

Oregon State University, was invited to teach the Design Group during the summer of 2000. She brought an important academic perspective in design to the students,

Mapping the Design Process for AKHP DC

EXPLORATION CULTURE CONTEXT PEOPLE DESIGN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Plan of NEED {Conversation} Invitation Learn the History Context Observations Engagement FIELD SETTING IMMERSION

14 13 12 11 10 9 8

Design System Design Center Thinking Like Design Group Design Studio Design Skills IDEATION Developed for Created Entrepreneurs Formed Space Created Taught AKHP Curriculum

15 16 D 17 18 19 20 21 Design Foundations Faculty & Student Faculty & Students Sense of Students Inspired EVALUATION SUSTAINABILITY & Thinking Taught Collaboration Learn Together Ownership & Hope

24 23 22

Community OPPORTUNITY Partners Outreach

1999 - 2003 PHASE 1: NO. 1-21 Design Seeds 2004 - 2006 PHASE 2: NO. 22-24

Figure 29. Mapping the AKHP Design Center development process from 1999-2011 to see whether sustainability occurs.

53 knowledge in design foundations and design thinking methods that supported the design system we had created for the curriculum materials. She taught them how to “create meaning with images and text that would capture exactly the written pieces” the AKHP faculty were composing. She encouraged the students and faculty to have meaningful conversations by teaching the students how to ask the right kind of questions that allowed them to “capture the essence of the text” (Spence, 2012).

My final interaction with the Design Group was through a design internship that I set up with the AKTC office in Geneva in the spring of 2001. This provided two students with a real world context for design in the west. At this point, the students had developed basic design sensibilities and skills but they were still lacking a professional approach to their work and production capabilities, primarily because there were no printers in Tajiksitan to learn from. During the three month internship the students were tasked to design and produce professional documents and presentations, meet strict deadlines and prepare documents for press. Perhaps one of the most important learning experiences I arranged for the students was a trip to our local print supplier when I had to proof a major publication. It is not often anyone has the opportunity to see one of the world’s most sophisticated Heidelberg six color offset presses in action and when interviewed, they indicated this brought everything together for them. Pre-press made sense and they could see why it was so important to be meticulous and professional with the design work they undertook.

Misha Romanyak was one of the first design students that I taught atAKHP and he came to Geneva as one of the interns (Figure 31). He became the Design Center manager in 2003 and kept the innovative spirit that was initially created alive. “The time we spent in Geneva and the visit we made to the printer opened my eyes to a new world of

54 Figure 30. Two students from AKHP in Dushanbe were awarded internships in Geneva, Switzerland. They had a chance to see the United Nations and learn about printing. possibilities” he said, when I interviewed him. He shared the legacy of the Design Center, how it grew in three phases and what three generations of designers he mentored and trained were able to accomplish. His dedication to the Design Center and entrepreneurial fortitude sustained the Design Center and allowed it to grow. I planted the seeds of design in a developing country and 12 years later, it was possible to realize the sustainable impact design has had for individuals and society in Central Asia. Mr. Romanyuk left Dushanbe in 2012 to take on a new position with the University of Central Asia (UCA) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The Design Center remains based in Dushanbe as part of AKHP, now one of the many UCA academic programs offered at their three campuses (www.ucentralasia.org). Currently there are two designers working there, trained by Mr. Romanyuk, who continue to provide design services to AKHP. Mr. Romanyuk is expanding his expertise in design through the Department of Communications at the Central Administrative offices for UCA in Bishkek.

PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS

For the Design Center at AKHP Case study, fifteen participants were contacted for the study and nine were interviewed; four were AKHP directors at different times periods

55 Design Center/AKHP Timeline

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 1999-2003 2004-2006 2007-2011

Table 1. Timeline for the Design Center at the Aga Khan Humanities Project. over twelve years, two were AKHP faculty, two were early AKHP students and one was a Professor of Design. The data collected from each participant is presented on a timeline in three phases: Phase 1 from 1999-2003, Phase 2 from 2004-2006 and Phase 3 from 2007-2011 (Table 1).

Table 2 illustrates the design research overview for the Design Center case study, including the number of participants interviewed, their current location around the world, in which phase of the development process they were present, the means for communication with them and an identifier for the audio file for each participant. In an attempt to gather new insights about the Design Center and what a sustainability model might look like, nine semi-structured questions were formulated for discussion. Participants were also asked to map the Design Center on the matrix diagram. In addition to the interviews that were audio recorded, quotations and word descriptors were gathered. Not all the data gathered used face-to-face engagement. Skype technology and the matrix diagram were effective tools for eliciting important information and responses. What was disappointing was how few participants in the later phases, two and three, of the Design Center development process responded to my request for an interview. Most of the respondents from phase one were eager and willing to engage in a semi-structured interview session. What became evident from the

56 interview sessions was that the questions spurred a dialogue that was difficult to steer. Participants were impassioned and eager to share their individual stories, which took far longer than anticipated.

PARTICIPANT RESPONSES

For each interview session, a consent form and statement of research intent that included the open-ended questions along with the matrix diagram were sent to the participants ahead of time by email. The majority of participants confirmed their willingness to participate via email, however a few responded through Facebook Messenger and their

Process Segmentation Design Center, Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia (UCA)

Participant Code ID Current Location Role at AKHP/DC Phase of Development Communication Method Audio/Questionnaire

1 2 3

1. DC1.MC Kyrgyz Republic Research Fellow/AKHP Skype, Email, Facebook A,Q 12102601/602/603.MP3

2. DC2.SA Switzerland Director/AKHP Email, Telephone A 12093001/002/003.MP3

3. DC3.ND Kyrgyz Republic Director/UCA Skype, Email A 12102802/803.MP3

4. DC4.RK Director/AKHP Skype, Email A 12104011/402/403.MP3

5. DC5.MR Kyrgyz Republic Student, Manager/AKHP Skype, Email, Facebook A 1209601/602.MP3

6. DC6.AR Russia Student/AKHP Skype, Email, Facebook A 12101901/902.MP3

7. DC7. MS Qatar Design Professor Skype, Email A 12092204.MP3

8. DC8.SM Tajikistan Faculty/AKHP/UCA Email Q

9. DC9.PS Tajikistan Faculty/AKHP/UCA Email Q

10. DC10.RR USA Design Professional/AKTC Participant Observer Design Researcher

Phased Evolution Phase 1 1999-2003 Phase 2 2003-2006 Phase 3 2006-2012

Table 2. AKHP Case Study research, process segmentation table, highlights participant locations, roles, phase of involvement, technology used to conduct interviews and audio reference numbers.

57 consents were copied and saved to individual data sheets that were prepared for each participant. After a brief introduction, participants were invited into a conversation in which the following open-ended questions were addressed:

• Please describe the project. • How was the community engaged in the project? • Can you describe the experience of working with designers? • What were the key methods and tools employed? • Has the project been sustainable?

• What was learned from the experience? • Has this project improved the lives of the community it was designed to serve? • What has the community gained from the collaborative experience? • What reflections can be shared with others interested in the project?

As the interviews unfolded and were audio recorded, an enormous amount of qualitative data was accumulated. Once the questions were answered participants were asked to look at the matrix diagram and tell me where to situate the Design Center on the axis and explain their reasoning. In a few cases participants had actually prepared their matrix diagrams in advance as PDF files, which they uploaded via Skype for discussion.

ANALYSIS OF PARTICIPANT RESPONSES

Overall participants from Phase 1 were passionate and enthusiastic, while telling their individual stories. There were no negative remarks of any kind recorded, which was surprising considering the difficult climate in which the Design Center was launched.An equal number of participants were solicited from each phase; the interest level was less enthusiastic by participants from phases two and three, which is also evident by looking

58 Change, People, Influenced, Seeing, Approach, Capacity, Ideas, Sustainability Ownership,Incubator, Talent, Enable, Entrepreneurial,Spark, Ideas Youth, Options, Collaboration, Internal, Service, Active, Resource Participatory, Developed, Engagement, Innovative, Compelling, Explore, Peer, Peer-to Critical Thinking, Multiplier, Impact, Opportunity, Sustainability Document, Photograph, Technology, Skills, Development, Teach, Knowledge, Ideas, Communicate, Visual, Expression,Entrepreneur, People, Training, Mentor, Capacity, Sustainable Publish,Training, Amazing, Seeing, Learn, Communicating, Knowledge, Experience, Professional. Sharing, Demonstrate, Images, Illustrate, Visual, Language, Life Support, Information, Gather, Teach, Image, Conversations, Sparks, Powerful, Create, Meaning, Ideas, Principles, Cultures, Purpose, Unifier, Collaborative, Learning, Internationalization Collaborate, Implement, Engage, Document, Provide, Service, Skills, Partner, Civil Society, Develop Real-Life, Collaborate, Implement, Engage, Document, Provide, Service, Skills, Partner, Civil Society, Develop Real-Life, Mentor, Share, Professionalism, Visual, Communication, Collaborate, Learn, Educate, Ideas, Entrepreneurship, Community, Systems, Thinking, Conceptualize, Implement, Capacity, Sustainability Design Center Impact Descriptors

Y Y NS Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Yes /No/Not Sure /No/Not Yes Would you consider consider you Would DCthe a Sustainable Development Initiative? ? Strategy/Thinking Training - - S T P,T P P P,T P,T P,T P,T P,T P,T P,T P, S, E, T P, Education Print/Web - Research - - What doesdo What DC the currently P R E ? Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Yes /No Yes Has the DC the played Has importantan role broader the in community with

Capacity Researcher Employer Employer Employer Designer Designer Educator Faculty/Employer Faculty Mentor Worked Y N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Role: Designers Yes /No Yes 2 3 1999-2003 1999-2003 2003-2006 2006-2012 1 Time Frame Design Center , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia (UCA)

Phase 1 at AKHP at

Position Research Fellow/AKHP Research Director/AKHP Director/UCA Director/AKHP Student, Manager/AKHP Student/AKHP DesignProfessor Faculty/AKHP/UCA Faculty/AKHP/UCA Design Professional/AKTC Responses to interview questions summarized. ID Timeline

Participant Responses Participant DC1.MC DC2.SA DC3.ND DC4.RK DC5.MR DC6.AR MS DC7. DC8.SM DC9.PS DC10.RR Phase 2 Phase 3 Phased Table 3. Table

59 at the length of the project descriptors recorded in Table 3. Respondents from phase two and three were less familiar with the earlier roles the Design Center had played and did question the next stages of development and the role it might have as part of UCA. The interview responses generated long conversations and numerous meaningful insights in which nine categories emerged that provide an important picture of sustainability:

1. A Physical Common Space

Many of the participants reflected on the importance of the actual spaces atAKHP and the Design Center in the early years of development. They described it as being conducive to collaboration and the exchange of ideas, which precipitated a mutual understanding and respect for the different roles people were playing. One participant, a design professor said, “for those who worked there, it was a safe place to be. There was a big studio space downstairs for the designers and upstairs for the professors, who were writing the curriculum materials. The thing that was so interesting in that space was, who became interested in how design could convey the messages that they were writing about, and that in one image the designers could convey, for example a whole ethic” (DC7.MS). Another participant called the Design Center space an “incubator for talent and entrepreneurship. There was always a buzz and a feeling that things were possible, which I tried to encourage” (DC2.SA).

The Design Center became a place people wanted to be, where meaningful, open conversations could take place freely and interaction amongst individuals was encouraged. It was interesting that three participants, spanning phases one and two, 1999-2006, used the same word highlighting the “spark” in the environment. Safety, freedom and a dialogue through design grew from the physical common space people shared together.

60 2. Living With People in their Environment

Immersion is an essential part any Social Design challenge and it is critical to live and spend time with the community to be served to truly understand their needs. The majority of the participants interviewed reinforced this premise. “I learned more from the people I encountered, while I was in Central Asia than I was able to teach in the three months I was there. When you travel someplace new, you must always go with your bag empty because when you return home your bag is full and overflowing” (DC7.MS). A former Director at AKHP also said, “the students all got a really good meal. At that time this was really important. The civil war had only just ended and the kids were not well off and lunch meant a lot to them. So we said, we’ll give you knowledge and lunch!” (DC4.RK). This was particularly significant in the early stages of the development of the Design Center because this was the reason many of the students joined AKHP and got involved with the Design Center. Initially they were volunteers, once the Design Center was established and students were educated in design they were able to offer design services and paid commensurate with their abilities. Had the designers and people involved with developing the Design Center not understood the delicate social climate and implications of the war torn region, they might never have had the support and commitment of the local community, faculty and students. Living and working with the individuals at the Design Center made their training even more important. Acquiring design skills provided students with additional income and established an entrepreneurial mindset. Educating the students in design and understanding the environment were key factors in the creation of the Design Center as a place of opportunity.

3. Conversations

Many of the participants interviewed spoke specifically about the importance of asking the right questions and to have meaningful conversations that would yield a narrative

61 for visual interpretation and results. Students at the Design Center were trained in visual communications and graphic design. Conversation became an essential part of formulating concepts and image-based materials. Most surprising was the comment by one participant who said, “ultimately if you start talking to somebody, you will have a conversation and if it is a design-based conversation it doesn’t seem antagonistic. Discussions about , color and image, softens the political and religious differences in a culture and enables you to cross all kinds of boundaries” (DC7.MS). Another participant corroborated by saying “you can affect thinking through design, so having the right conversations in a safe environment was crucial” (DC4.RK).

4. People

In a social environment that comprises of people it is important to comprehend and appreciate the local culture, their customs, language and history to work effectively with them. Building empathy and sensitivity for a population helps to identify specific needs. The Design Center was established because there were no equivalent services or skills available in the region. “The Russian way of life had stripped the Central Asian’s of their identity. As a people they were not prepared to live without subsidies, without control, without religion.” What was impressive at AKHP and at the Design Center was the resilience of the community that was created there. “It took courage for the faculty and students at AKHP to look in all the places they could possibly look to find knowledge. I think hunger for re-in-culturation, motivated people of all ages, from the little kids to the old people” (DC7.MS).

As the Design Center evolved over the years the designers engaged with the broader community in Dushanbe as well as through nine other universities in Central Asia and offered a voice for the people in many ways. One of the directors was quoted as saying,

62 “it is amazing to think of the ripple effect the Design Center has had. The materials the designers produced were so beautifully illustrated and compelling that they spread like wildfire and were copied all over Central Asia. The people were thirsty for anything visual they could get their hands on” (DC4.RK).

5. Collectivity

While understanding the people is critical to “seed design,” and solve social issues, what also became apparent through the interviews was the importance of a collective approach to work and knowledge sharing, established at AKHP early on. Critical to their success was the “Peer-to-Peer model of pedagogy we developed, which required academic scholars and faculty to educate each other and students to do the same” (DC4.RK). This approach was also carried over into the Design Center in 2000, when the group was formed. Designers were required to teach and mentor others and twelve years later three generations of designers have been trained in design.

On collectivity another participant and former director of AKHP from 2004-2006, praised the success of the Design Center. He said, “people talk about a culture of dependency, often with assistance coming from aid agencies, but here is one example that you can point to, where with very minimal effort and investment young people took an idea, transformed it, made it their own and began to contribute to the development of their own society” (DC2.SA). This could not have been achieved without collective action and team work.

6. Design

The students who were trained in design called themselves the “Design Group. which later became the Design Center” (DC5.MR). They were inspired by what they learned

63 about design and through the design process. A former AKHP design student said, “you brought design to our life and that changed my inner world and how I looked at nature. You taught me a way of seeing and thinking about things. The most ordinary everyday things I began to see differently. I learned to pay attention to small details because they could be transformed into something much larger” (DC6.AR). Another student who became the Design Center manager said, “I don’t think I would have received the respect from other NGO’s and clients I have had since, without the training and education I got from you and Muneera” (DC5.MR).“It would be good to see more of these kinds of projects, where creativity and development walk side by side and creativity triggers something new” (DC1.MC).

To understand the impact design can have on a community these statements, which come twelve years after Dr. Rafique Kehavjee and I established the Design Center, confirm the importance design can have, while changing the lives of a population of people. In closing his interview, a participant said,“the Design Group played a very crucial role and had a much greater impact because of the social and political climate in Central Asia at the time. I think similarly there is the same potential in East Africa, where I now work, with the rise of a new East African identity” (DC4.RK).

7. Mentoring

There were no design schools in Central Asia as we know them in the west, only a few in Russia through Art Academies. Initially I was asked to spend a few weeks and train some students in design so that they would be able to produce the curriculum materials required for the two year undergraduate program at AKHP. The director and I were not sure if the students in his program were capable of taking on the task of designing the curriculum his faculty were writing and testing but I agreed to try. Once acclimated

64 to the foreign setting I began interacting with many of the students at AKHP and with support from the director, I asked them to help me set up a computer lab. Training began with developing skills in desktop publishing and I established an identity for AKHP and a design system that made it easy for students to follow initially, that allowed them to learn the art of communication design. Over the years I transferred may skill sets in design, and production by providing them with internship opportunities. Crucial to the experience was the participatory approach I adopted from the beginning. I did not design for them, I designed with them and over a two year period, “they began to function like professionals,” as one participant described them. They learned how to create identities, solve complex problems and understand the importance of photography to provide visual materials they needed to illustrate the complex topics. Exploratory research was essential for concept development. Over the years I kept in touch with the students and continued to mentor them. I regularly received copies of their work asking for comments and critique and have followed their development.

Muneera Spence, professor of graphic design at Oregon State University at the time, also volunteered to teach and mentor the Design Group in the summers, between 2000- 2003. She provided some crucial foundations in graphic design and was highly praised by many of the participants for this study. We never actually met until I talked to her through Skype as a participant, and I asked her to describe the role she played. “I tried to support the students and teach them how to work, how to gather information, create images and respond to every article the faculty had written within the system you had set up. I talked a lot about how to follow a design system, how to create meaning with images and text. I also encouraged the students to interview the faculty, who were writing the chapters they were designing. For the first time, the faculty started to become part of the design process.” As a faculty member said who was interviewed, “there was a

65 lot of active participation and engagement. Designers think and ask questions differently, in detail, and connect well with the specialists to make meaning of our texts” (DC8.SM and DC9.PS).

8. Continuity

For many years participants indicated that the Design Center was evolving and providing important services and teaching other students about design. One participant said, “we shared what we could do with students at other universities and they became excited and asked us if we could open a special class in design at their universities” (DC6.AR). The

Design Center has been sustainable because the students, who became designers, provided continuity and their system of transferring skill sets by mentoring others was described as “contagious.” The idea of the Design Center was important and unexpected as part of an internal organization. “We set up a multiplier effect that has lasted over 12 years. It has been appreciated and supported by the community both internally and externally, which is why it is there today” (DC4.RK).

9. Opportunity

Creating the Design Center was an opportunity identified through a design need. The transfer of design skills has opened the doors to many new ventures for the students trained in design. The data indicated sustainability through adaptation and as a place for innovation and creativity. However, sustainability may now be in question. The Design Center manager, who was one of the first students trained in design has taken on a new role, leaving two “3rd generation” designers in Dushanbe. A participant from phase three of the case study timeline said, “we inherited AKHP and the Design Center from AKTC in 2007. There were no mechanisms set up for income generating opportunities as a non-profit organization. Building capacity through design has never been thought of

66 or really considered. We would need to have a vested interest to go beyond the technical aspects of a service organization but there could be opportunities and internships set up with design students from the west” (DC3.ND). (See Appendix D for supplemental participant data sheets and information).

CONCLUSIONS

The nine categories that emerged from a review of the design development process (p.65) and the interviews, support a conclusion that the Design Center has been a sustainable community initiative for a twelve year period, spawned through design . The implications of the study suggest that Phase 1 and 2, 1999-2006, were the growth phases of the Design Center. In Phase 1 there were a larger number of responses, descriptors, and lengthy interview conversations that supported the quadrant on the matrix diagram, designing with and designer-led. Design was initially required for a specific purpose, to fill a “need,” as was documented Figure 29.

Table 4 illustrate how participants understood the role of design at different phases in time. The segmentation and sustained movement over the past 12 years is very distinct, suggesting a tactical or intentional shift in direction and evolution as seen in Table 5. Movement from a participatory and collaborative environment in 1999-2003, transitioned to an entrepreneurial approach to design as a service provider from 2003- 2006, although respondents indicated that there was still a transfer of design skill sets to another generation of designers. Data suggests that from 2007-2012, the Design Center became essentially a service provider for an in-house organization. With the departure of the first Design Center manger in 2012, the role of the Design Center has been put into question as a place for mentoring and the transfer of skill sets, innovation and learning. As one of the participants indicated, it is doubtful that the same collaborative spirit,

67 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 1999-2003 2004-2006 2007-2011

MS MR SM, PS MC

AR

MR

SM, PS

MR

SM, PS

SA

Key: Designing With People & Designer Led Non Designer Led & Designing With People

Designing For People & Designer Led Non Designer Led & Designing For People

Table 4. The number of participant responses plotted on a timeline for the AKHP Design Center indicates a clear shift in approach and orientation by phases.

All YEARS

1999-2012

Trend towards working with people

Phase 1

1999-2003 4

Phase 3 2006-2012 4

4 4 SUSTAINABILITY Model Through Design Phase 2 2003-2006 KEY: Stakeholders

Designing With People & Designer Led

Designing For People & Designer Led

Non Designer Led & Designing With People

Non Designer Led & Designing For People

Table 5. Participant responses plotted for all years, 1999-2011.

68 through design will continue without an evaluation of what the role of the Design Center could be moving into the future. Can it be an incubator for new ideas, entrepreneurship and capacity building, providing help for small business enterprise development through a transfer of shared design abilities, or will it simply stagnate and become a center for printing and production? Another participant suggested that for a positive shift to take place towards design, “outside training and education would be required and UCA would have to have a vested interest” (DC3.ND) in supporting this initiative.

Respondents indicated that AKHP students today are increasingly expanding their skill sets through the internet. So it is questionable if a new generation of young students will benefit from the design experience without working and creating in a collective physical space. Continued support and continuity can be achieved using current technology but can not replace the benefits of designingwith people in a field setting or culture. Design as an approach and a way of thinking will never be possible through the simple acquisition of computer software skills. It cannot replace a human-centered design approach to solving social issues through a design development process.

It was during the first two phases of the Design Center evolution that participants suggested that it was “conversations and a safe physical space” that yielded a collaborative environment for design, learning and mentoring to take place. Living amongst the people in a community or field setting provided opportunities for exchange and learning that was inspirational and transformative for everyone. “The spirit of the Design Center,” as one participant described it, “was created by all those people who invested in it.” It is doubtful that the 3700 pages of curriculum materials that have recently been completed, along with the eight volumes of teachers guides would have been possible without an understanding of the basic skills and principles of design.

69 3.2.3 CASE STUDY 3 - DESIGN MATTERS, SERVICE LEARNING The flowering of this elationshipr over the past three years has been an absolute joy to experience. This exchange has brought together people of diverse ages and backgrounds to bridge the gaps that too often divide our community.” – Jackie Calderone, 2011

Design Matters is an interdisciplinary design course that draws students from a variety of disciplines within The Ohio State University (OSU) community to learn and engage through design for a social cause. Professor Melsop of the Department Design at OSU, who developed the curriculum described the principle objectives. “The intent was to provide experiential learning opportunities as a Social Design initiative that engages students with the broader community of Columbus.” She indicated that a Participatory Design approach formed the foundation of this Service Learning class that has been in place for a period of three years.

BACKGROUND

Students that enroll in this Service Learning course work in partnership with students from TransitArts, a youth-based arts program housed within the Central Community House (CCH) located in Olde Towne East, that is connected to the Greater Columbus Federation of Settlement Houses and the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education. The mission of TransitArts is to provide a “safe” learning environment for youth often at risk to expand and explore new possibilities through the arts. Many of their activities revolve around art, music and dance/hip hop, open-mike and poetry sessions, providing freedom of expression and the development of each students unique creative talents. “TransitArts engages young people, ages 12-21, and workshops are free” using a mentoring approach. This is made possible through the generous financial support of a number of donor sponsors (transitarts.com).

70 Figure 31. Promotional materials designed by students from TransitArts

When the design department at OSU first established its relationship with TransitArts in 2010, CCH had recently been gifted a magnificent stately home on Bryden Road in an important historic district of Columbus to house their activities. The residence however was in disrepair and in need of renovation. This provided a unique opportunity to bring students from OSU and TransitArts together to develop spaces and engage in the restoration of the property through participatory design.

CONTEXT

1261 Bryden House is located in a community that was settled in 1882 by many affluent politicians, businessmen, industrialists, architects and land speculators who were responsible for shaping the city of Columbus. There are numerous examples of houses unique to that period and of significant architectural value still standing today. They reflect the diversity of art and culture that was thriving during that period as well as the mix of religious cultures in a developing America. As with many US cities in the early 1900s, industrialization and the advent of the car took many of the affluent population into new and developing areas around the city. Not long after World War II, most of the

71 Figure 32. Above left: Bryden Road in the 1800’s. Above right: African Americans at the local barber shop around 1910. Bottom: current images taken from a visual ethnographic study tour in Olde Towne East.

prominent residents had ether died or moved to the outskirts of the city and by the 1950s a new state highway system was introduced that further precipitated the decline. By the 1970s the neighborhood became predominantly an African American community and many of the old homes had been transformed into apartments and community facilities. In the 1980s interest in purchasing these houses sparked civil unrest and tensions began to divide the community (oldetowneeast.org).

72 Figure 33. Left: Many shops in Olde Towne East are boarded up. The neighborhood is in desperate need of socioeconomic stimulus. Right: 1261 Bryden House.

Revitalization is currently underway to restore many of the houses in Olde Towne East and this provides a unique opportunity to engage with the city to restore the neighborhoods through socioeconomic development. The collaboration with OSU and TransitArts is one such example, bringing together youth of diverse backgrounds around a common cause that has the potential to bring to life another one of the spectacular homes from the area, while helping to eliminate some of the social issues that often divide communities.

DESIGN PROCESS

In 2010 collaboration was established with TransitArts and OSU, when an agreement was reached between Professor Melsop, from the Department of Design at OSU, and Jackie Calderone, the Director of TransitArts, to unite their students around a common goal to revitalize 1261 Bryden House. Through conversations with various stakeholders, and taking into consideration the needs of Central Community House (CCH), Professor Melsop was invited to propose a Particpatory Design syllabus that would bring students from very different backgrounds together to learn, design and build together. The studio- based course took place over a quarter (ten weeks) and was designed to use studio

73 Mapping the Design Process for Design Matters OSU

EXPLORATION CULTURE CONTEXT PEOPLE DESIGN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Context Develop NEED Invitation Participatory IDEATION FIELD SETTING {Conversation} Ideas Based on Design Activities OSU Directives

14 13 12 11 10 9 8

Students Present Mentors & Students Building & Making Students Inspired Visits & Location Design Groups Design Skills Together Learn Together Together Build Freindships Exchanges Formed Shared

15 EVALUATION ? SUSTAINABILITY OPPORTUNITY D

TIMELINE: 10 WEEKS EACH YEAR Design Seeds 2010 - 2012

Figure 34. Mapping the Design Matters course as an example of Social Design to see where sustainability occurs. locations at TransitArts and OSU, so that students would have experiences within both settings. Each year the focus for the course changed, depending on the requirements of Central Community House but the design process of engagement remained consistent all three years. The course objectives were to:

• Collaborate on interdisciplinary outreach for the benefit of restoring 1261 Bryden House. • Work on team based projects. • Learn and design collectively, while OSU students share their skill sets. • Instructors and mentors from OSU & TransitArts serve as facilitators in the design learning process.

74 The syllabus for the Service Learning course provides the following activities of engagement, as sited by professor Melsop for the “International Poverty Solutions Collaborative Methedology Conference held October, 2011 at OSU, and recorded as a participant observer from a researchers perspective in the class setting: • Toolkits were prepared by OSU students that consisted of images and text to elicit TransitArts students in discussion and personal story telling, as a way of getting to know each other, while developing friendships and formulating ideas for the project objectives. • Understanding scale exercises were achieved through activities that involved

physically measuring one another, then plotting the measurements on a 3/4” scale. From this experience personalized avatars were made to scale using a variety of materials provided by students from OSU. • Ideation for individual projects was achieved through conversations, drawings and collages that students initiated together. Ideas were followed by developing small scale models for objects, storyboards or mock-ups for print and video. • Making together in collaborative action, facilitated a transfer of skill sets at both Central Community House and in the studios at OSU. • Sharing accomplishments and presenting final results through an exhibition. • TransitArts students toured and visited the OSU campus and OSU students attended open-mike and hip-hop presentations by TransitArts students.

This research study indicates that the first year the course was offered to students at OSU, the principle objective was to redefine the interior spaces of 1261 Bryden House and draw up plans, along with the design and development of furniture pieces that could be used in the new space. The second year the course was offered, the focus was on building additional pieces of furniture that were utilitarian in nature, as well as

75 Figure 35. OSU and TransitArts students shared skills, stories and produced a variety artefacts; avatars, chairs, felt storage units, and plans for the future.

designing outreach materials, which were generated to help raise awareness and increase the visibility of the project to encourage further donations, and funding to finance the renovation of 1261 Bryden House. In year three the course continued with a variety of product-based projects that were intended to be used in the house once it is finally restored. Year four will bring new challenges as OSU transitions to a semester system. This will provide a longer time frame for students to work and co-create together.

76 The experiential nature of this course was adaptive, meaning the central focus changed depending on input from TransitArts and CCH from year to year. After three years running, it was an opportune moment to question sustainability and evaluate the progress and impact the course has had on the students, mentors and community through this research study. There were a total number of fourteen participants interviewed and a broad sampling represented. The stakeholder categories comprised of students from TransitArts and OSU, from all three years and different disciplines, directors, professors, mentors as well as members from the outside community. The following questions were sent for review in advance, prior to the meeting:

• Please describe the TransitArts/OSU collaboration to the best of your knowledge. • What were the key methods and tools employed? • What was learned from the experience? • Was the community engaged in the project? If yes, how? • How has the collaboration helped raise funds needed to restore 1261 Bryden Road? If yes, how? • Do you think that this program will be sustainable over time ? • Can you describe the experience of working with designers? • What reflections can you share with others interested in the project?

As with the Design Center case study, participants were all asked to plot the Design Matters Service Learning course on the matrix diagram and explain their reasoning. A few participants positioned the course in a different location for each year, which was an interesting variation on how the matrix diagram was intended to be used. Participants made it clear that there was a shift from year to year.

77 RESPONSES FROM PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS

As in the previous case study, I had been a participant observer over a two year period and as a result I was able to identify a number of key steps in the Design Development Process (Figure 34) as a comparison with both Project H and the Design Center. Rather than highlight categories of group responses as with the Design Center, the approach taken for this particular case was to appraise what the key stakeholders had to say about the impact and experience, since it did not have the benefit of a long timeline for evaluation. In all, the impact the course had was based on thirty weeks of engagement. Each course consisted of ten weeks, between 2010 and 2012. Interviews took place at OSU, by Skype or at the Central Community House. Many of the participants used Facebook Messenger to coordinate and confirm their willingness to be interviewed. The following responses and quotes were audio recorded, each participant allocated an identifier and summarized for the study.

1) OSU Students

The majority of the OSU students plotted their responses on the matrix diagram below the horizontal line in the quadrant designing for/designer led. There were some slight variations, although two graduate students who were interior designers, each having taken the course separate years, incidentally plotted almost the exact same location on the matrix diagram. The responses overall indicated that there was a hint of disappointment due to the short duration of the course. More time working within the community was an expectation that did not seem to be fulfilled. One student from Knowlton School of Architecture summed up his impression by saying,“the experience with TransitArts got me an out of the classroom setting and into a community, which I wanted. We developed projects that provided furniture to add to the space at 1261 Bryden House. We worked as interdisciplinary teams and established friendships,

78 however I wish the TransiArts students could have had more exposure to the skills of designers and architects. The time frame was too short and we were unable to build long term relationships” (TAOS.1 AB). Another student from the Design Department said, “ I must be honest, the course did not meet my expectations and I believe there is a missed opportunity to make a greater impact within a community setting, but there are numerous lessons that can drawn from the experience. The TransitArts kids were part of a close knit community and OSU students were from different departments, so they did not function in the same way. The time frame was too short and therefore the experience lacked in continuity, making it difficult to keep the thread alive. I’d like to see OSU nurture the relationship by supporting the revitalization effort. This would help to provide a common space, where both Central Community House and OSU could take pride in a combined effort that would engage a much broader community. Creating a space to meet and collaborate is important and then opening that up to the neighborhood, is a way to invite them in to see what we are doing together” (TAOS.8 ED).

The OSU students were very proactive and did enjoy the studio-based course and the opportunity to mentor and share their skills, when possible. It was a unique experience for most of them to venture into an area of Columbus that they did not ordinarily visit. A German student who took part in the class in 2011 made the following statement, “as a foreign student this was a good experience for me to see into another American community through a hands-on approach to the design process. I enjoyed the chance to work with kids and learn about a different culture but I did think it would have been more effective and sustainable if the kids had been able to work physically more on the OSU campus, so that they would have understood more clearly what the design process was all about. Our time with them was too short but it did build an awareness about the impact design can have” (TAOS.12 FS).

79 2) Transit Arts Students

The responses that I recorded from the students at TransitArts contrasted with those of the OSU students. The TransitArts students treated me as if I was part of their family and in their home. They appeared glad to see me again and were eager to talk about the Design Matters course. Overall the responses accumulated indicated that there was a momentum building and a desire to see the relationship continue and grow. The majority of students interviewed had been part of the program over the three year period and each had been glad to have had the opportunity to work with OSU students.

Although the interview was to be guided by the semi-structured interview questions, prepared and sent in advance by email, it was clear the students preferred to tell their own story. They wanted to share their most important reflections and commented on how their experiences had effected the broader community. One student explained,“ I was part of the class for two years. The OSU students were like family. I am the oldest in a family of ten and there was definitely a ripple effect from this collaboration into the community. I told my brothers and sisters about the projects we were designing and making and they all wanted to be part of the same experience and maybe they can? I’d like to see the next projects consider a garden and landscape project, since that is where my interests lie” (TAOS.2 CJ). Another student said, “I see the experience with OSU & TransitArts like a ‘Big Brother, Big Sister program’. I love that we talk about space and make things together. The tools and materials the OSU students bring dictates the outcomes of our projects. I loved making the avatars and working at OSU in the studio, especially in the big ‘Fish Bowl’. We can’t wait to visit each year and have the opportunity be at the OSU campus. My wish for next year is to see the dance studios on campus because dance is what really I really love. I’d also like to do an open-mike session in the Ohio Union to show students our talents” (TAOS.9 DG).

80 Having been a participant in the course, I did encourage the TransitArts students to describe their favorite activities and share their desires for further collaboration. “Over the past three years my favorite activities were making the avatars, developing space in our shoeboxes and visiting the ‘Old House,’ because I was scared at first to go there. I also really liked working in the workshop at OSU. The visits were great but I would like to see us working on the ‘Old House’ now. Maybe we could have a coffee house and space where we can all meet with our OSU friends. It would also be fun to develop tiles to help landscape the outside of 1261 Bryden House. That way we could all have a tile that we created!” (TAOS.10 KH).

3) Design Educator

The design-build studio has provided opportunities for OSU students to become mentors and work as a team. It has been an exchange of personal stories, while working towards a goal that inspired everyone. From the standpoint of a design professor, “the experience of bringing both the OSU students and TransitArts students together has been a very positive social experience; one that has evolved each year in new and fascinating ways and has been a path of exploration and discovery for all those involved.” An important comment that was noted suggests that OSU students are “changing and growing, seeking new ways to work with participatory tools they can use within their own disciplines.” The professor described the challenge of working with the urban youth as “difficult and hard to expand at times” but on the whole she said, “this has been an incredibly uplifting experience for both groups. It brought diverse students together in a way that provided common ground for all of them to learn in a new way. The participatory nature of the syllabus encourages, design thinking and making within a design process. I have seen a shift over the past few years in the TransitArts students from a more passive group, to a group that is ready and willing to engage openly in

81 ideation and problem solving. The OSU students are also changing and becoming more socially conscious, so there is enormous opportunity to make further progress through continued collaborative efforts” (TAOS.13 SM).

4) Directors

Two directors, one from TransitArts and one from Central Community House (CCH), contributed to this research study and shared their perspectives on the collaboration with OSU. Specifically I noted that each participant shared a similar goal; to open up 1261 Bryden House to a much “larger community,” and each expressed a desire to engage the OSU community in that process. In answer to the questions which referred to what was learned from the experience and how the community was engaged, this response was recorded: “a strong connection has been started between OSU and TransitArts and it is nice to see the variety of students, both men and women from different disciplines at OSU willing to work together for a common goal - to help us restore 1261 Bryden House. The collaboration has produced some beautiful works of art and lasting friendships. From our perspective it is difficult to fit so much into a short time frame. We’d like to see more involvement by the OSU community that might serve as a core learning center and help provide resources needed to help renovate 1261 Bryden House and open it up to a larger community” (TAOS.3 JC). During conversations, I did discuss the definition of Social Design and the participant was eager to expand on this topic and learn more, suggesting that 1261 Bryden House might be an extension for further initiatives moving in a social direction.

Another director interviewed shared the CCH educational philosophy with me, which was to place the “individual first.” She said they always asked students the following three important questions: “what do you want to do? Where do you want to go? How

82 can we help you get there? She went on by saying, “we are incredibly happy with the Design Matters-Service Learning initiative at OSU because we believe it helps our students achieve their goals. It also blurs the lines in a neighborhood often divided. We would love to see more involvement from OSU to help students build social enterprises and income generating opportunities. The restoration of 1261 Bryden House will hopefully provide a space for OSU students from a variety of disciplines to come and work with our youth, which can have an important in impact on our broader society” (TAOS.14 LW).

5) TransitArts Mentors

Another very important link for the case study came from the CCH mentors, who work with students through a variety of programs. Their time and commitment makes many of the activities that are organized for students possible and they bring the group together as a “family.” The role they play is significant for all the students that take part in the various activities and it is their insights that often help guide the youth and set a standard. Their hard work, dedication and skills inspire and encourage the youth to find their passions, sometimes through dance, poetry, conversation, art and music. The youth look up to the mentors as role models. Having been part of the three year collaboration with TransitArts and OSU students, they provided new insights. In discussion with them I recorded the following comment, “at first our students were anxious about working with OSU students but we encouraged them and very quickly they got over their fear of being accepted.” This was a surprising remark in reference to the first year of engagement that I had never considered. She also went on to say how “important the relationship has become and TransitArts kids look forward to visiting OSU and working with students every year. We love to take them to campus” (TAOS.7 NC).

83 Another long time member of CCH and mentor described the variety of activities shared. “Through conversation, music, art and dance we have built important relationships for the TransitArts kids with the OSU students.” When asked about the future of the collaboration he said, “it would be nice to see OSU students take part in our open-mike sessions around the city. This would help develop sustainable long lasting relationships, which currently is difficult because of the short time frame. I’d like to see more entrepreneurial exercises and have the kids contribute as a group to the physical house restoration, so that everyone feels they belong there.” When asked what was the activity TransitArts students looked forward to most he replied, “the kids love being able to visit the OSU campus and work in the studios there. They really enjoyed their visit last year!” (TAOS.4 JOC).

6) Outside Community

Two participants from the OSU community have followed the progression of Design Matters and were responsible for awarding the Design Department a Service Learning distinction for the course. “We see the design-based service learning course as way to break down barriers in culture that are often divisive” (TAOS.5 HC). Crucial to the overall experience one participant said, “through collaboration OSU is able to offer students an opportunity to use power tools and sophisticated equipment through this learning exercises on campus, while at the same time exposing OSU students to off campus real world needs (TAOS.6).

The exhibitions held at the end of each Design Matters course has provided a window into the work and relationships that have been established with the students from TransitArts and OSU. Both the local community connected with CCH and the OSU community have increasingly shown support and interest in the projects students have

84 undertaken and produced. A majority of the participants interviewed agreed with the following statement, “it will be important in the future to extend out and broaden our community circles” (TAOS.3 JC).

ANALYSIS OF PARTICIPANT RESPONSES For this particular case study, all the interviews were conducted face-to-face with participants, and by the simple fact that everyone who was asked was willing to meet with me, I sensed a genuine feeling of commitment, good will and dedication from each individual I spoke with (although my having been a participant in two of the classes may have provided a sense of familiarity as well.) Their responses clearly indicated that there is a momentum building and a desire to see the relationship continue. In particular, the students from TransitArts were incredibly enthusiastic about past experiences, and they openly shared what projects and activities had been the most memorable for them. They plotted their experience in very different locations for each year on the matrix diagram. The most significant insight from their responses was the desire to spend more time at OSU and that they missed seeing the friends that they had made after the course was over.

The responses gathered from conversations with students from OSU were surprising and markedly different. Although everyone interviewed shared some very positive stories from having participated and taken the course, there was clearly a hint of disenchantment, perhaps even disappointment. Analysis of the conversations revealed that this was the result of the very short time frame spent with the TransitArts students. They felt that the impact they might have had could have extended much further. They suggested that the OSU community as a whole needed to be far more engaged in order to have a meaningful social impact within the Olde Towne East neighborhood. OSU respondents indicated that it was important for them to be able to share their skill sets

85 2010 2011 2012

Key Stakeholders: Students OSU Designing With People & Designer Led Students TA Designing For People & Designer Led Directors/Educator Non Designer Led & Designing With People Mentors Community Non Designer Led & Designing For People

Table 6. 14 Participants plotted how they felt about the Design Matters course on the matrix diagram for each year. The different stakeholders were allocated different colors.

All YEARS

2010-2012

SUSTAINABILITY Model Through Design ? KEY: Stakeholders

Students OSU Students TA Directors/Educator Mentors Community

Designing With People & Designer Led

Designing For People & Designer Led

Non Designer Led & Designing With People

Non Designer Led & Designing For People

Table 7. The TransitArts students saw each year differently, while the OSU students positioned the experience in a similar quadrant each year.

86 in meaningful ways that would really change the lives of the youth they were working with. They felt that the Participatory Design approach was important and the activities were beneficial for spreading theseeds of design but continuity and ownership beyond a simple one-off project experience was missing. From the matrix diagram, although the responses indicated fluctuation and a significant variation from year to year (see Figure 6), the majority of the respondents positioned the case study on the axis above the horizontal axis (see Figure 5). In year two and three there was an overall movement in the direction of designing with people. (See Appendix E for further information).

CONCLUSIONS

The Design Matters Service Learning course took place in two very different academic settings and the expectations from students is equally diverse. Both the Design Department faculty at OSU and the Directors of TransitArts and CCH see their partnership as the beginning of something new and full of potential for further collaboration. After three years running, and a transition from a quarter system to a semester system at OSU, it is important to take the opportunity to evaluate sustainability and the direction the Design Matters course might take. The narratives gathered from the students and other participants in the research study, provides a voice that can potentially add to the conversations about the future direction the course might take. It is important to listen. Common themes noted were how positive the experience has been, the need for income generating opportunities and mentoring in entrepreneurship, extending and engaging with the broader community, restoring the house together so that “everyone feels they belong there”(TAOS.4 JOC). 1261 Bryden House is waiting for the TransitArts students to move in... and for everyone to begin working on it together. The bigger picture however, is an integrated approach to revitalizing the Olde Towne East neighborhood in Columbus. As other examples in this research study have shown, it

87 requires a concerted effort to gather the right partners from different disciplines to define and work together towards a common goal. It is only then that sustainable community development can take place. Design can facilitate the process and help develop those important strategies.

3.3 CONCLUSIONS FROM THE THREE CASE STUDIES

The case study approach is grounded in the interpretive traditions of collecting qualitative data, and it is through the gathering of information and the telling of a “story” that knowledge is acquired and new insights develop. The three case studies that served as the foundation for this thesis were stories of how design can impact communities by bringing people into the design process. The social implications were lasting and tangible. Both Project H and the Design Center at AKHP have been sustainable because design practitioners and educators worked in a field setting to deliver solutions that also built capacity over a period of time. Support for these initiatives was gathered by actively engaging people in conversations throughout the process of design. Systems and continuity were established that garnered support from the broader community and allowed each of these projects to evolve over time. The matrix diagram (Table 4) illustrates a defined almost systematic transition through three phases of development from 1999-2012. In contrast, the matrix diagram (Table 6) suggests instability that reflects the transitional state of the Design Matters Service Learning initiative.

In comparison with the other case study timelines, it is too early to tell if the Design Matters Service Learning course can be a considered a catalyst for social change or “Design for Social Impact.” However it could be considered “Design for Social Good.” The syllabus provides an opportunity for OSU students to learn how to implement a Participatory Design approach which, as noted from the Project H and the Design Center

88 case studies, is an essential ingredient for achieving sustainable results. The responses recorded suggested the potential is there to build an important collaboration that reaches into civil society and provides a forum for cultural exchange. New friendships and conversation builds meaningful relationships and the process of building and making together has been an important learning experience for the students.

Sustainable development is often defined by financial indicators, but the key criteria for sustainability in each of these cases has been identified through people and not necessarily as a result of economic stimulus or viability. Certainly funding to seed an idea is critical but for momentum to build and society to be impacted over time, individuals must take ownership and believe in the benefits of an initiative so that it can take root. In all three case studies, it was through the design process, that began with a Participatory Design approach that inspired people. They then understood the potential for entrepreneurial growth and created opportunities for themselves. As mentioned earlier in chapter 2, Harvard MBA students are now provided “seed money” as part of their fieldwork assignments to develop social ventures, but have they been sustainable?The goal for most aid agencies is to provide stimulus and then move on to other projects. These cases provide important examples of how critical it is to build “Social Capital,” as Emily Pilloton described it to encourage lasting sustainable community development.

89 CHAPTER 4: EXPERT INTERVIEWS DEFINING SOCIAL DESIGN

“Designers are a special breed of thinkers. We engage in the discussion and help define solutions to the problems faced by society. Through partnering with community organizations, activists, researchers, scientists, institutions, politicians, and artists, designers become an essential piece of the collaborative process needed to inspire and create change.” - Bernard Canniffe, The Piece Theory, 2011.

What the Experts Say

The case studies developed and analyzed in Chapter 3 are all examples that fall into the current discourse on Social Design. From much of the literature that is available, it is ev- ident that designers submit very different perspectives and interpretations that appear to fall into the two categories mentioned earlier: “Design for Social Good” and “Design for Social Impact.” Within the framework of this research study, I have associated Design for Social Impact with sustainability. The objective is to provide change within a com- munity through design, that stems from their own decisions and involvement. It is not what the designer creates nor is it necessarily about the beauty of an object or a finished product; rather it is about the journey of design that includes people in the process of creating something that can change peoples lives that achieves sustainability. To quote Bernard Canniffe, “the design aesthetic is secondary to empowering community and if we do it right, the community’s voice outweighs our own” (Shea, 2012).

90 Returning from San Francisco in October, 2012, a passenger on the plane next to me in- quired as to my business there? I responded that I had been to a “Social Design Confer- ence,” which launched a lengthy conversation about the gentlemen’s new business ven- ture and brand identity, that he proudly displayed on his laptop. He was dismayed when I asked the question, “did you employ a designer for this?” His answer was, “not really, I have a guy that is really good with the computer who created this for me. He and I have worked together for a long time and he does a lot of my promotional and work.” He was perhaps taken aback when I replied, “I can tell it was not designed by a professional designer.” The passenger then asked me to explain why, which I did, and he seemed intrigued with my rhetoric expounding on the benefits of design and said simply, “well you may be able to offer unique skills and develop wonderful strategies engaging people but you have not done a very good job of marketing yourselves.” This stuck with me and it made me realize how important it is to engage others in the design process, to educate and seek collaborative opportunities to build design capacity, and in the process do justice to the discipline by marketing our strengths. Social Design can be about this process, which is why I asked some design experts to share their insights on the topic, through interviews that were recorded. Each participant also agreed to use the matrix diagram as a tool for plotting their interpretations and to discuss their meaning.

Amanda Buck, Bernard Canniffe, Tom Ockerse and Robert Sedlack agreed to be inter- viewed and were asked to discuss the meaning of Social Design and if possible, share a particular case study or examples that fell into the definition they described. All con- versations were recorded and are available to accompany this thesis (see Appendix F). In addition, a few of the keynote speakers at the AIGA Gain: Design for Social Value Conference, held in October, 2012 were also recorded to supplement this research. They provided important insights into the emerging field of Social Design and validated the

91 new trend in the profession, which I had also gleaned from much of the literature I had read over the past few years on the topic. Robert Sedlack and Emily Pilloton were both speakers at the conference. Emily Pilloton delivered a presentation about Project H and her story provided many of the details I recorded that helped define the design process employed. Robert Sedlack spoke about Together +, the design process and the impact this project was making through various partnerships in a community in South Africa. One-on-one interviews using Skype were conducted with Amanda Buck and Bernard Canniffe. With Thomas Okerse and Robert Sedlack, I was able to have conversations in person. The following are summaries of the interviews conducted.

4.1 Amanda Buck - Senior Designer, Obama for America “My mission is to create effective, smart, and thoughtful work that resonates with people. I love telling stories through design. I am dedicated to experimentation and sensitive to context for every project. I believe that design is about people, and that collaboration leads to stronger results.” - Amanda Buck, 2012, LinkedIn

As a young designer, Amanda has made a career of expanding the discourse of Social Design through action and has been very successful. When I asked her to describe the definition of Social Design, she said, “I am not sure what it really means yet.” I then asked her if should could give me some examples, and she proceeded to describe her in- volvement with the creation of Pie Lab, a case study often mentioned in literature within the context of Social Design that has had positive peer reviews and much press.

Pie Lab

Pie Lab grew out of Project M, a two week intensive design workshop that Amanda attended in 2008 founded by designer, John Bielenberg. The workshop is held yearly

92 during the summer months in Belfast, Maine and the designers that have attended have produced a number of very important Social Design projects over the past few years. There is a substantial fee to attend these workshops and the principle objectives are “to inspire, designers, writers, photographers and filmmakers by proving that their work can have a positive and significant impact on the world.” The exercises are designed to help people “think wrong,” or another interpretation might be thinking “outside the box” (projectmlab.com). Bielenberg steers the course away from linear thinking to divergent thinking (Brown, 2009), through a series of exercises led by a number of prominent designers and design educators he gathers from around the world. They help students define strategies and develop community-based design projects. Designers also learn to become part of a community in a new setting, through exploratory research and visual ethnography. Students identify needs and solve important issues in a field setting, im- mersed in the environment for the duration of the workshop. Upon completion, their efforts have led to employment opportunities and a new mindset for approaching design (projectmlab.com).

Amanda described the course as an “intensive boot camp experience in design,” with a group of other young designers from around the country. They “came up with the idea of a free pie day,” as a way of connecting with the local community in Belfast, Maine. The group made pies, designed posters and curated an event, which was a huge success. “Subsequent pop-up events then took place” and the idea evolved Amanda says. The group eventually found a more permanent location for their endeavor, which they called “The Pie Lab” and it became their identity. In time, Pie Lab in Maine was “referred to as Pie Lab 1.0,” which Amanda plotted on her matrix diagram in the quadrant designer-led/ designing for. She prefaced this by explaining that as the project grew it moved above the horizontal line towards designing with people.

93 3.0

2.0

1.0 Designing For or Designing With

Non Designer or Designer Led

Figure 36. Amanda Buck used the matrix diagram to plot the evolution of Pie Lab since its inception in 2008 to 2012, placing Pie Lab 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 the current situation. Right: Graphic design and making pies helped launch the idea for Pie Lab.

Amanda stressed that the designers attending the workshop were also “influenced by the critiques they had with the design professionals and mentors,” who helped them take the idea of Pie Lab from Maine into the heart of rural Alabama,which they then called “Pie Lab 2.0.” John Bielenberg found support for the group with a non-profit organization, the Health and Education Relief Organization, HERO (herononprofit.org), who were

94 Figure 37. Images from the Project M website: above left, Pie Lab in Belfast Maine. Lower right, pie festivals are now advertised all over Maine.

supporting rural development in Alabama. HERO invited the young designers from the workshop in Maine to come to Greensboro, Alabama and help develop ideas for com- munity redevelopment initiatives there. Amanda recalls, “we all went as a group and using our previous design model we set up a pop-up pie shop that helped to raise funds and engage the community through design and food.” In time, a neglected commercial space was found in the heart of Greensboro with the help of HERO, and transformed into a design studio, pie laboratory and a cafe. Residents gathered there for coffee, pie and various events in which “conversations often evolved into design opportunities.” Amanda said, ‘the designers engaged with the community, while making pies” and they

95 demonstrated entrepreneurial skills that helped residents become entrepreneurs them- selves. In addition, Pie Lab 2.0 was able to secure funding through different grants they applied for that helped launch their small business enterprise (pielab.org).

“It was an unusual combination to have a design studio and a pie shop in the same loca- tion,” Amanda recalls and “for awhile we tried a number of different initiatives with help from HERO, to expand our connections within the community. A Youth Build Program, combined classes for small business enterprise development with baking and making. Teachers from the local schools, volunteered to talk about developing cash flow and helped residents with setting up a business plan.”

Figure 38. Images from the Pie Lab website: Pie Lab 2.0 in a renovated location on the Main Street in Greensboro, Alabama.

96 Eventually the young designers, who created Pie Lab 2.0 “ran out of funding to support themselves, although the shop was sustainable” Amanda explained, “we all had to find jobs.” As is often the case, Social Design plants seeds of opportunity, and if it is success- ful the community takes ownership, which Amanda indicated was the case with Pie Lab in both Maine and Alabama. On the matrix diagram (Figure 36) Amanda, situated “Pie Lab 3.0” in the quadrant, non designer/designing with, saying that she was “not sure how the initiative would be sustainable,” but the community was still adhering to the essence. After more than a year, there had been “an important period of growth” for her as a de- signer. She indicated the experience had made her “self-critical, flexible, sensitive to oth- ers and objective.” Amanda remains committed to Social Design and did leave the area. She was asked to become the senior designer for “Obama for America, 2012,” where she continues to take on socially responsible projects through her own studio in Chicago.

What is significant about the Pie Lab case study are a couple of key factors that were part of the design development process. The ideas initially came out of community meals and conversations everyone had around the table immersed in the local environ- ment in Maine. Food and a communal space were important. Pie making and design with the community were rooted in stories that were prompted by memories the group had as kids in high school, and Pie Day was often a way to raise money for a good cause at school. It is in a cultural context and in history that we can draw from the past, which often sheds light on something new. Once the idea of Pie Lab was transferred to Greens- boro, Alabama, the community was engaged with design and in the restoration of a loca- tion. This involved Participatory Design methods, giving the population a voice, consid- ering their needs and teaching them about design in the process. Finally, the designers lived amongst the community and worked with them. They observed and discussed issues that were pertinent to their everyday lives and this guided their creative abilities.

97 The similarities and approach to design and community parallel Project H, although the process grew out of graphic design and visual communications, rather than architecture and .

When asked about sustainability, Amanda was unsure. Although over time Pie Lab and the cafe became an important hub in Greensboro, she wonders if “the design studio will continue to combine design and pie now that we are gone.” Many of the designers who “brought the project to life have moved on to other opportunities.” Pie Lab 1.0 is very different from Pie Lab 3.0, which is essentially now owned by the community and is an example of a sustainable small business enterprise development model. It is function- ing without support from HERO or other donors. Like Project H, the Pie Lab story has received much attention in the press and Amanda hopes over time, as there is less talk about the project, that it will continue to be a place of inspiration for the community.

When comparing how Amanda Buck plotted the evolution of Pie Lab on her he matrix diagram (Figure 36) with other case studies, it was possible to draw some parallels with what was documented for the Design Center case study (Table 5, page 68). The pattern of movement over a twelve year period with the Design Center in Tajikistan is similar, leading to a conclusion that ownership is in the hands of the community where it should be if it is to be considered sustainable. As Bernard Canniffe said in his interview, “de- sign can help launch a project but later the designer should become part of the commu- nity and it should be community driven.”

4.2 Bernard Canniffe

Another experienced design professional working in Social Design is Bernard Canniffe. He has an extensive portfolio of projects and is currently the Chair of the Design De-

98 partment at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). He has been an advo- cate of Social Design for many years as an international speaker and design activist. He previously working at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where he devel- oped numerous partnerships and he spoke at length about specific ventures developed with the John Hopkins Research Institute, while he was there. “He co-founded Piece Studio in 2008, a collaborative, multidisciplinary Social Design studio and has been one of the principal advisors for Project M ” (piecestudio.com). He attended the Stir Sym- posium at The Ohio State University in 2011 as a consultant, discussing new forms of Graphic Design Education and submitted a paper with Brian Wiley called, “Designing with and for Communities: Breaking Institutional Barriers and Engaging Design Stu- dents in Meaningful and Relevant Projects.” The premise for the paper was to re-evalu- ate the way in which design education is currently delivered, “from a linear transmission model stemming from an academic institution through the instructor to the student.” He proposed the need to abandon this “isolationist model, that separates students from the real world, to a model that forces design academic institutions to engage with the com- munity. Academia must teach students how to ask the right questions and offer solutions through design that will have an impact. “By sharing design and having conversations with communities, you give them the potential to innovate and self-actualize, becoming entrepreneurs” (stir.osu.edu).

The current Masters Degree program at MCAD offers a Graduate Research Laboratory in Design as a “type of incubator for ideas rather than a typical classroom experience.” Professors act as facilitators and students are asked to “self-initate” ideas and projects that are meaningful to them that derive from the community in which they live. At the same time the syllabus is designed to “engage the community with what goes on in a design school.” This is an important message that resonates with the point made earlier,

99 Figure 39. Image of the Halal Hotdogs cart on the move, captured from the website of Somali photographer, Mohamud Mumin.

to engage with the outside community and educate them in the process, while raising the value of design. Cheryl Heller at the School of Visual Arts in New York, who spoke at the AIGA conference also reiterated this approach taken for their design students. Dur- ing the interview session, Bernard described a few Social Design projects, some initiated through academia and others through his design studio.

The Halal Hotdogs Project was launched by graduate students from MCAD. The idea, Bernard said, “was based on the hypothesis that food could be a tool for community en- gagement and cultural acceptance.” It was targeted specifically towards the large Somali population living in Minneapolis. Their solution was a “mobile hand-drawn food cart, designed with culturally appropriate surface , that was mobile and could travel to local Somali and non-Somali events and engage diverse communities.” The “beauty of Minneapolis is that there are over 50 Fortune 500 companies based in the vicinity and it has a very diverse population of ethnic minorities.” As a result, “the students were able to look into very different communities and search for ways of bringing them together.” Bernard described the Halal Hotdogs Project as a successful case study because “it has become a business and income generating opportunity for the Somali population.

100 Through the project meaningful partnerships were established with diverse community leaders. The students took into consideration Islamic law with appropriate methods for slaughtering meat, similar to the concept for Kosher practice.” More importantly Bernard said, “it helped dispel fear and some of the dominate narrative that all Somali youth are destined to turn against America and the west to fight Jihad.” The hotdog is an American cultural tradition that the Somali’s embraced. This concept has helped spawn additional projects that many of the graduates at MCAD are now developing as professionals, pro- viding them with much needed employment.

Another intriguing Social Design challenge that Bernard Canniffe is working on with a multi-disciplinary team through his design studio in Minneapolis, is developing strate- gies to help the Lakota Indians, who live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota (re-member.org). The development team is expanding and currently consists of an architect and furniture designer, a documentary photographer and a graphic designer, all working with leaders in the Lakota community (see www.ted.com/talks/aaron_huey). He describes this endeavor as perhaps “one of the most difficult challenges of my career working in sustainable community development.”

“The reservation would like to grow hemp to use for making building materials to construct housing in harmony with the environment” Bernard explained, as have many indigenous cultures around the world. “As a culturally appropriate method of construc- tion, this has the potential to provide much needed relief from the trailer homes and parks in which many of the Native Indian population currently live.” The conditions are horrific and often desperate. However there are many obstacles, “one being US gov- ernment and State regulations.” Bernard emphasizes, “the ultimate goal for the Lakota people is to own the copyright for manufacturing the materials, so that they can then sell

101 these products to other communities or building contractors throughout the United States as an important income generating opportunity.” After my discussion with Bernard I looked into the topic of “hemp building materials and found that these materials are be- ing sold in Canada, Australia, South Africa, Ireland the United Kingdom and Europe. I Designing For or Designing or With For Designing Designing For or Designing or With For Designing

Non Designer or Designer Led Non Designer or Designer Led

Figure 40. Pine Ridge Indian Reser- Figure 41. Defining Social Design. The vation & Halal Hotdogs Projects. designer is part of the community.

Figure 42. Hemp building and construction materials are very mailable.

102 also noted that a number of agricultural states in the US are looking into the potential of growing hemp as well. It makes a good deal of sense to encourage the Lakota Indians to develop the potential in keeping with their native traditions, as they have done in Cana- da. It would provide much needed relief, and in addition it would acknowledging some of the ethical issues overlooked for so many of the early American native cultures.

Bernard Canniffe plotted both the Halal Hotdogs Project and the Pine Ridge Indian Res- ervation on the matrix diagram (see Figure 40), in the left hand quadrants of the diagram away from designer-led, which initially surprised me. As he explained, it became clear that the goal was not for any of these projects to be led or owned by designers for their own benefit. In another interview with Andrew Shea and published in his book, Bernard Canniffe was quoted as saying, “as designers we take our craft seriously, but it is one part of many, where all parts are equal. I believe it is important that we think of social workers as designers, community leaders as designers, teenagers as designers” and I would add the elderly and not just the youth as so many designers have emphasized in cases I have researched. Concluding the interview with him, he offered a final explana- tion for how he would define Social Design (Figure 41) by saying, “it is a bottom up approach to design, driven by and for a community. It is not driven by and for the de- signer. It is participatory and I see the community and the designer sitting at the ‘grown up table’ where each has an equal voice.”

4.3 Thomas Ockerse

As a professor of graphic design at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Tom Ock- erse brings an extraordinary cultural perspective to the discussion of Social Design by describing himself as a “teacher, designer, artist, poet, theorist, writer, publisher, lectur- er, consultant, collaborator, parent and grandfather.” His humanist approach to life and

103 design is evident in his work. His quest through design education “seeks to offer what will truly sustain students in life: processes to help cultivate their intelligence so as to become truly integrated individuals, able to deal with life as a whole” (risd.edu).

From our interview session I learned that Professor Ockerse had immigrated to the United States in 1957 as a Dutch citizen from the Dutch East Indies, his family having “survived prisoner of war camps in World War II. He had a passion early on for drawing, swimming and skating,” which led him to “pursue his higher education at The Ohio State University for both sport and Commercial Art.” He has made an important career through Design

Education and practice. When I asked him to define the meaning of Social Design, Pro- fessor Ockerse said, “it is essentially a fundamental design problem; to enable and make connections through our common humanity.” He then shared some crucial criteria that he delivers to his students, “so that they become socially responsible citizens through design.”

1) Design; the human experience through interactions. 2) Build Awareness; encourage different points of view. 3) Contextual Thinking; paradigm shifts and the interaction between relationships. 4) Language; The ‘golden section and the golden rule,’ systems that make meaning.

Humanity Magazine was an endeavor that Professor Ockerse described specifically in the context of Social Design that was participatory in nature. “It brought design, typog- raphy poetry, light and language together with the hope of achieving a conversation with the world” through design. He has involved students from RISD in this project over the years and engaged “other partners in the process of developing the publication.” The guiding principle, to converse with the public incorporated many partners and contribu- tors through a the collaborative process which has been sustained over a long period.

104 Designing For or Designing With Designing or For Designing

Non Designer or Designer Led

Fig 43. Layouts from“Humanity Magazine,” Fig 44. Thomas Ockerse definines a concept for conversations with the world. Social Design on the matrix diagram.

The unique and wholistic perspective Professor Ockerse shared fits into the discourse of Social Design as a way of being, “I view design not merely as ‘making’— rather, as ‘making appear.’ My interests are to encourage a process that can generate visual design needs and help build relationships. This embraces the growing paradigm shift from the reductive to the holistic. In this shift relationships are contextually sensitive and able to integrate the dynamic networks of mind, form, sensibility and spirit with life and na- ture’s energies.” His words were inspirational and made a lasting impression.

When we began to discuss the matrix diagram to help define Social Design, Professor Ockerse plotted his marks in the center of the two axis and said, “they should radiate outwards, like our human condition.” He concluded our conversation by quoting Abstract

105 Expressionist, Paul Klee, to accompany his diagram. “ The art of mastering life is the pre- requisite for all forms of expression, whether they are paintings, sculptures, tragedies, or musical compositions. Social Design opens the conversation through our common hu- manity.” This is what he illustrated on his diagram emanating from the center outwards.

4.4 Robert Sedlack

Robert Sedlack agreed to meet with me at the AIGA Gain, Design for Social Value Conference, October 2012, where he was invited to hold a professional workshop enti- tled, “Implementing Social Change,” which I attended. The description for this workshop read, “the current model for ‘design for social good’ is highly dependent on contributions of time, resources and skills. Although honorable, this model is not sustainable, with less than five percent of design-based social change concepts reaching fruition.”This was an interesting statistic and an important quote referencing the same variance that was highlighted earlier in the chapter, between “Design for Social Good” and “Design for Social Impact.” Sedlak and his partner Andréa Pellegrino of Pellegrino Collaborative, spoke about the Together+ case study as a successful model of Social Design (http://to- getherplusza.squarespace.com). It involved a campaign to combat xenophobia in South Africa and unify a South African community that specifically highlighted the steps taken to “move a socially-minded project from concept to implementation.” The presenta- tion I attended before the interview began with a very powerful statement: “there are more refugees in South Africa displaced because of the apartheid than any other place in the world.” The design challenge came from a request made to the Design Depart- ment at The University of Notre Dame from an alumnus, Paul Horn. He was working in Johannesburg, South Africa addressing social issues in education and “needed help to develop an Anti-Xenophobia campaign that would target local students Kindergarten through twelfth grade through a curriculum program.” The project idea, as Sedlack and

106 Pellegrino described it in the workshop, “needed funding and resources, so connections and key partners were essential.” Initially these were established, through the University of Notre Dame, Center for Social Concerns, Pellegrino Collaborative (www.pellegrino- collaborative.com), and a local South African non-profit, Kgosi Foundation in Botswana. “Establishing the right kind of partnerships as a first step for a social design initiative,” they indicated was crucial. The next phase in the design development process was “mak-

Fig 45. The Together+ project, conducted with students of design from Notre Dame, developed a campaign to unite a South African community divided by Xenophobia. Leaflets, children’s books, an identity system were all projects that brought the commu- nity together that came out of exploratory design research.

107 ing connections “on the ground” and then connecting design students at the University of Notre Dame, which was accomplished using Skype technology at an introductory stage.” Applying for “grants took time” but funding was eventually provided by the Univer- sity with the stipulation that it was to “engage an interdisciplinary group of students and researchers” to send them on location to South Africa. The goal was to “immerse students in the social situation, that would better equip them to help develop strategies, while working with the local population.” The students came up with a variety of proj- ects. The outcomes were a school book for the young children illustrated by them, a film

documentary, puppets that were sold as part of a small business enterprise. Information + Designing For or Designing With Designing or For Designing

Non Designer or Designer Led

Fig 46. Images from the film produced as Fig 47. Robert Sedlack defined a product for the Together+ campaign to Together+ and Social Design help unite a community in South Africa. on the matrix diagram

108 booklets, T-shirts and poster’s targeted refugees and their rights as citizens. A number of walls in the community were repainted with the logo Together +, reinforcing the campaign identity and reinforcing the community efforts (Figure 45).

After the presentation was over, I sat down and spoke with Robert Sedlack, who ex- panded on the activities and significance of the Together+ campaign from an academic perspective. Perhaps “the video we produced was the most important element in com- municating the story and for acquiring the funding we needed for the project” he said. The “inclusion of a photographer as part of our team, to visually document the process was pivotal for outreach and engagement.” From this experience students learned, “you don’t need to understand a language to understand a design.” The local community was “very involved in the campaign with us and it has been successful at raising an awareness of the problem, while providing learning opportunities and small enterprise solutions. Our students continue to engage with the community as part of our graduate program.”

Similar to the projects being implemented at MCAD, it is too early to tell what the long term sustainable impact will be on the community, given the number of effected citizens but it has had a positive impact and support so far. It is important to note that this case study in Social Design does share some commonalities with the previous case studies mentioned. ”Immersion and having the right conversations were key to finding solutions that resonated with the community,” Robert explained and he did place a lot of emphasis on finding the right partners to support the initiative and securing funding to launch an idea and make it sustainable.”

When asked to position the Together+ campaign on the matrix diagram (Figure 47), Robert placed the case study squarely in the middle at the top of the vertical axis de-

109 signing with people. In contrast he positioned the term Social Design just below the horizontal axis designing for people and in the direction of designer-led. When I asked him what the differences were he said, “many Social Design projects make designers feel as though they are ‘doing good,’ and I am sure they are but the long term impact is not there. Too many of these projects are just not sustainable community initiatives.” He also indicated that this was why he placed a lot of value on developing partnerships, using the Pellegrino Collaborative as an example. “They now conduct workshops to help designers, social entrepreneurs and people understand the steps it takes to achieve sus- tainability.” In his parting comments, Robert quoted the works of writer Victor Margolin (mentioned in Chapter 2) saying, I always share this with design students interested in Social Design before they get involved: “you need to think about taking an existing situ- ation and turning it into a preferred situation.” It is not about what “we think is appropri- ate,” it is about understanding the intrinsic needs of those you are trying to help.

4.5 Summarizing Their Words

In summary, all four experts interviewed pointed to very similar principles of engage- ment through Social Design. Robert Sedlack and Bernard Canniffe made a distinction between “Design for Social Good” and “Design for Social Impact,” referencing sustain- able community development as the main differential. All the participants referenced the importance of exploratory research in the early phases of a design challenge to under- stand the human context, which followed a Participatory Design approach for connect- ing with communities and “giving them a voice.” Providing small business enterprise opportunities was also a common theme in achieving sustainability and both Bernard Canniffe and Amanda Buck highlighted food and events as a way to build relationships through the design process.

110 Fig 48. Word frequency information graphic defining Social Design.

As a final step once all the interviews were completed, key words mentioned by each participant were extracted from the audio recordings and saved into a Word document. In order to provide a better understanding for how the participants were defining Social Design and their related case studies, I copied their combined terms from the Word file into an online tool used for generating word frequencies. The results produced an infor- mation graphic (Figure 48), which illustrates the terms most frequently used by all four participants for this research study. The top twelve terms that can be entered into the discourse for Social Design ranked in order are listed below:

1) Design 5) Cultural 9) System 2) Social 6) Conversation 10) Skills 3) People 7) Business 11) Change 4) Community 8) Research 12) Development

I did not expect to see Cultural, Business and Systems listed in the top hierarchy for Social Design. It does connect with “Design Thinking” processes mentioned in Chapter 1.

111 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS

“I have come to believe that Social Design defines a new kind of designer: one who is inherently pragmatic and results-oriented, simultaneously humble and ambitious, and fundamentally optimistic and forward looking. This implies at once an attitude and an approach to life: as such this can help designers frame how they want to live in the future and contribute to the needs of a larger society.” - William Drentell, 2012

5.1 Research Summary

The goal of this study was to explore the meaning of Social Design through design research, investigate appropriate methods for fieldwork study within this context, and seek ways in which design can bring about sustainable community development. In the process of conducting the research, some key elements leading to sustainability were identified that helped to create a “Design Model for Sustainable Community Development.” Through in-depth research of three Social Design case studies and interviews conducted with design experts, key methods were identified, providing insights for designers who might consider working in this emerging sector, while adding to the discourse of Social Design.

5.2 Conclusions

This study was important for a number of reasons. It affirms the paradigm shift in the design profession from designing for people to designing with people and engaging them through a design process. It highlights Exploratory Research and Ethnography as

112 a practice for understanding cultural and social settings to record perspectives, through observation, using visual ethnography and journals for documenting while working in the field. This is an essential first step in any design process. The study also places an emphasis on Participatory Design methods for conducting research, using tools to engage with communities that gives people a voice and ultimately ownership of solutions. This can lead to sustainable community initiatives, as one off projects or as part of an integrated strategy for community development and urban revitalization, as was identified through projects of the Aga Khan Development Network and the case studies reviewed.

5.2.1 Methods & Tools

There are some basic principles for understanding the difference between Ethnography and Participatory Design approaches, that impact the choice of methods and tools for designers working in the field. In their paper, Ethnography:“ Positioning Ethnography within Participatory Design,” Jeanette Blomberg and Helena Karasti highlight the following core principles: “Ethnography focuses on everyday settings that follows the view that to understand the world you must encounter it first hand, gathering information in the settings where activities of interest take place. Participatory Design is guided by a mutual respect for different knowledge gathered from other domains. This is acquired by developing

Ethnography Participatory Design

• Everyday settings • Respect for different knowledge • Holistic view • Opportunities for mutual learning • Descriptive understanding • Joint negotiation of project goals • Members points of view • Tools and processes to facilitate design

Table 8. Principles of Ethnography and Participatory Design. (Blomberg & Karast, 2012).

113 tools and processes used to negotiate project goals” (Blomberg and Karasti, 2012). As became evident from the case studies that were evaluated in this thesis, both Ethnography and Participatory Design were embedded at various stages of the design process and it became clear both are essential for ideation and connecting with communities. This has also been referred to as “Design Ethnography.” Joachim Halse, a design researcher in Denmark has submitted papers on the topic. He made the following statement that is “provocative and puts into questions where the boundaries lie” (Bloomberg and Karasti). “Forget sending Anthropologists into the field to collect data. And forget about stand-alone ideas and individual inventors” (Halse). Innovation, Halse and others argue, “emerges from creating new connections in the networks of people.” Emily Pilloton referred to this as building “Social Capital,” and having taken courses in Ethnography and Participatory Design at OSU, I came to similar conclusions and would submit that design research for social sustainability must combine both these approaches.

5.2.2 Designer as Facilitator

Another area that became apparent from this research study was the role of the designer in sustainable community development. Designers are rarely thought of as leaders in the development sector, and yet their skills and training make them suitable candidates for working in interdisciplinary groups, building strategies, conceptualizing and engaging with people in ways that can build capacity. Both case studies, Project H and the Design Center in Tajikistan proved this point and Bernard Canniffe inferred this, when referencing the many Social Design projects he has undertaken throughout his career. In a new role, designers see themselves “as facilitators able to trigger new ideas” (Manzini, Rizzo, 2011). Certainly the responses recorded and plotted on the matrix diagram by Bernard Canniffe and Robert Sedlack support this statement. They emphasized the

114 importance of being part of the discussion, while provoking conversations that yielded important insights that benefitted communities.

5.2.3 Engaging Participants

The specific tools that were described by participants for conducting design research in a field setting differ from those used in a commercial environment, where supplies and technology are easy to come by. In a response issued by Muneera Spence for the Design Center case study in Tajikistan, she described the importance of using a cultural artefact as a probe that initiated discussion. It was a way of “bridging cultural differences,” so that stories emerged that helped each participant understand the other and brought context to the discussion group. She also mentioned the importance of using imagery and the making of collages to express an impression or intent. Similarly, with the Design Matters case study, the first steps in the collaborative process were through collage making with the tool kits prepared by the students at OSU. The results from these activities helped connect different groups of people. Participatory Design is “democratic by nature and as an approach it uses methods that helps to define goals that are jointly negotiated. If participants engage in an open and free environment, there is a sense of shared commitment and all participants benefit in some way” (Blomberg and Karasti, 2012).

Often, during the process of collaborative exercises and co-creating, opportunities become apparent. As noted through the case studies and in discussions with participants, the entrepreneurial aspects and opportunities that arose through the design process were made visible. This is a critical component for establishing sustainability within a community, that remains even after a designer may have moved on to other projects, as was demonstrated through Project H and reiterated by Amanda Buck for Pie Lab. It provides the socioeconomic impetus required for communities to support themselves. The Design

115 Center was formed on the premise that the students could become entrepreneurs, which they accomplished even though the NGO status prohibited them from moving forward as a independent initiative. In time, the unique skills they acquired helped many of the students become design professionals and provided them with a means to start their own businesses and consultancy’s, while training others in the process.

5.2.4 A Design Model for Sustainable Community Development Through literature, case study inquiry, interviews with design experts and analysis of the matrix diagrams, a model for identifying sustainability through design emerged.

Initially twelve key categories were identified by reviewing the Project H case study development process and extracting key elements using stick-notes (Figure 49). This was compared with the responses and stories that were generated for the Design Center at AKHP in Tajikistan. The interviews with participants of the Design Center and Design Matters case studies provided information that helped to narrow down the essential twelve elements from Project H to nine categories, as documented in Chapter 3, page

Figure 49. Extracting the design process for the Project H case study from the audio recorded at the AIGA: Gain for Social Value Conference, October, 2012, using sticky notes.

116 60. Further discussions held with design experts verified the essential categories and their input helped to narrow the focus even further to six key criteria for considering sustainability through a design process. They are the following:

1) Participatory Design The approach, methods and tools 2) Mentoring People Transferring skills and knowledge in the field 3) Physical Common Space A safe place for people to gather, ideate and make 4) Living in the Environment Immersion in the field to understand human needs 5) Opportunity Entrepreneurship and business development

6) Continuity Engagement and support to sustain ideas

A DESIGN MODEL FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Participatory Design Living in the Mentoring Environment People design

Opportunity Common Space to Gather Continuity

Table 9. The design model for sustainable community development combines six critical elements of engagement.

117 This model suggests that for sustainable community development to occur, it is essential to engage in a social setting by living in that physical environment (not necessarily permanently). It also suggests that it is critical to establish a common space to gather that is “safe,” as indicated by participants for the Design Center at AKHP case study, and comments made by design experts, for exchange, ideation, interaction and knowledge transfer to take place. Through a Participatory Design approach that incorporates ethnography and human-centered design methods and tools, respect, empathy and trust can be established that allow participants to become owners of their ideas and solutions in a social context. Once these foundations for a Social Design initiative are achieved in a community, ownership is assured and opportunities are manifested. Many of the ideas that are generated from collaboration can be innovative, which increases the potential for small business enterprise development and socioeconomic solutions to take root, which can provide income generating opportunities and self-reliance.

“Keeping the thread alive,” is the way one participant described sustainability through design. Infusing new ideas keeps the “spirit of an initiative” current and supports expansion into new areas of opportunity. Continuity as a critical component for a Social Design initiative can be provided in person or through technology. Web-based tools, for example Skype, are increasingly used to maintain relationships and have conversations for further development. Emilly Pilloton, for example, continues to bring students to Bertie County in North Carolina, as way of engaging new students in design that provides continuity through a vested interest with community. From my own experiences at the Design Center, continually showing an interest in developing other designers’ capabilities over twelve years helped to nurture the benefits of design in a developing country. Mentoring was also an important aspect noted for building capacity. This incorporated knowledge transfer and working with people on design-based projects.

118 Social Design Development Model for Sustainability Developed by Robin Reed 11|2012

Participatory Mentoring Physical Living in the Opportunity Continuity Sustainability Design People Common Physical Space Environment

CASE STUDIES

Project H/Bertie County

Design Center/AKHP

Design Matters/OSU ?

Table 10. Research case studies were plotted using the Design Model for Sustainable Community Development.

In every case studied, and described by design experts, mentorship appeared to be an essential element for building sustainability and developing personal relationships, which was at the heart of understanding the social needs of people. Establishing these foundations must be done in a field setting with an open mindset. Technology can not replace the face-to-face nature of learning and creating together but it can help to develop technical skills.

5.2.5 Applying the Design Model for Sustainable Community Development

Project H and the Design Center at the Aga Khan Humanities Project are examples that have positively impacted communities and suggest sustainability. Each of these cases met the six criteria defined by the Design Model for Sustainable Community Development. It is important to recognize that Project H, The Design Center at AKHP (as well as Pie Lab, mentioned by Amanda Buck in Chapter 4), were all cases made

119 possible by philanthropic organizations through the development sector. Projects initiated through academic institutions are more difficult to position within sustainability because many of them are relatively new. Data suggests that Design Matters would fall into the definition of responsible design as shown in Table 10.” Support for these types of programs often fluctuates based on internal academic structures as discussed by Robert Sedlack, and therefore opportunity and sustainability are more difficult to achieve. The Design Matters Service Learning Course at OSU, the Halal Hotdogs Project, initiated by graduate students through MCAD in Minneapolis, and the Together+ Campaign in South Africa, from the department of graphic design at the University of Notre Dame are all in the early stages of development. It is too soon to determine the impact these initiatives will have but it is clear that continuity and immersion within the communities is necessary for a successful long-term outcome.

Another important connection that was identified through the design-based case studies researched and discussed, was the notion of food for community engagement. This was highlighted by Bernard Canniffe, Amanda Buck and Rafique Keshavjee and considered when identifying the importance of a physical space to meet and gather. Data suggests that it is often in these key spaces, or social settings, that knowledge transfer takes place, ideas emerge and lasting relationships are formed. Designers should consider spending time immersed in a culture to make essential connections within a community and this will enrich their own knowledge-base to draw from and help society.

5.3 Lessons Learned

Throughout this research study the matrix model served as an important tool to elicit responses during interview sessions and helped design experts define Social Design. It also provided a way of positioning and interpreting the paradigm shift in design practice,

120 from designing for to designing with people using a Participatory Design approach. Without this tool, it would have been difficult to recognize the paradigm shift in design which is moving towards a human-centered approach, and even more difficult to compare case studies. It was critical for defining meaning and intent and served as a way to gather qualitative data that could be visualized and measured.

5.4 Implications for the Future

Throughout my research I have documented and accumulated many articles on the topics of alleviating poverty through social entrepreneurship, collective creativity and social innovation. Many academic programs are beginning to focus on ethnography and fieldwork study, using targeted interviewing and collaborative groups to better understand human needs. This appears to be the trend, however these approaches differ from Participatory Design and Design Research, in part because they stem from different domains. Focus groups can provide qualitative data but often the goal is to understand specifics that do not generate new ideas. Professionals from the commercial sector, and often in the sciences are encouraged as analytical thinkers, which “harnesses rigorous quantitative data to determine truths, often questioning the validity of intuitive thinking, the art of knowing without reasoning, that derives from experience.” Designers use “Design Thinking, that sits in the middle of these two areas, offering solutions that are both quantitative and qualitative in nature” (p.5-6, Martin, 2009). Roger Martin stresses through his book “The Design of Business” that a designer’s abilities should be considered when developing or building any business or organizational structure.

Foremost, it was evident through this research study that Design Research methods and tools are critical for innovation in business and for building a better future through Social Design. As part of the design discipline, designers must enter into “conversations” and

121 make “connections” amongst people. This provides them with a greater understanding for civil society and can engage populations, so that they might become masters of their own destiny. In time, I suspect Design Schools will reevaluate their curricula to include experiential learning models that incorporate exploratory research and fieldwork study, so that students are prepared to work in the emerging sector of Social Design. There is new opportunity in this arena and by using their unique skill sets, designers can begin to raise the value of design, so often misunderstood by people outside the sector. Designers can be the “change leaders” people want and need today.

122 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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123 Beck, Ernest. “Project: IDEO.org” Change Oserver. 11 Mar. 2011. Web. Benyus, Janine M. Biomimicry, Innovation Inspired by Nature. New York: Harper Collins, 1997. Print. Berger, Warren. Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Your Life, and Maybe Even the World. Toronto: Random House Canada, 2009. Print. Berman, David B. Do Good: How Designers Can Change the World. Berkeley, California: AIGA, 2009. Print. Bernard, H. Russell. Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. Walnut Creek, California: AltaMira, 2002. Print. Bianca, Stefano. Cairo Today: Revitalizing a Historic Metropolis. Torino, Italy: Umberto Allemandi, 2006. Print. Blomberg, Jeanette, and Helena Karasti. “Ethnography. Positioning ethnography within Particpatory Design.” Routledge International Handbook of Participatory Design. NY; Routledge, 2013: (86-109). Print. Blossom, Eve. Material Change: Design Thinking and the Social Entrepreneurship Movement. New York: Metropolis, 2011. Print. Boden, Margret A. Creativity and Art, Three Roads to Surprise. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print. Boylston, Scott. “Designing Design into Society.” Change Observer (2012). 11 Sept. 2012. Web. 4 Oct. 2012. Brown, Tim, and Barry Katz. Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation. New York, New York: Harper Business,

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124 Brown, Tim, and Jocelyn Wyatt. “Design Thinking for Social Innovation.” Stanford Social Innovation Review. Winter (2010). Web. 21 Nov. 2011. Change Observer. “Designing Design into Society.” Design Observer. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. Clarke, Alison J. Design Anthropology: Object Culture in the 21st Century. Wien: Springer, 2011. Print. Coleman, Roger. Design for Inclusivity: A Practical Guide to Accessible, Innovative and User-centred Design. Aldershot: Gower, 2007. Print. Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1996. Print. De Monchaux, John, Preserving the Built Heritage, Tools for Implementation. Salzburg Seminar, University Press of New England, 1997. Print Duarte, Nancy. Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2010. Print. Dwell. “Interview: Emily Pilloton of Project H.” Editorial. 2 June 2009. Dwell Media, June 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. Ember, Carol R., and Melvin Ember. Anthropology. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1977. Print. Emerson, Robert M., Rachel I. Fretz, and Linda L. Shaw. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago, 1995. Print. Frascara, Jorge. Design and the Social Sciences: Making Connections. London: Taylor & Francis, 2002. Print.

125 Fullan, Michael. Change Leader: Learning to Do What Matters Most. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2011. Print. Gaydos, Benjamin. [Ethno]graphic Design. Thesis. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2007. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. Gilmore, James H., and Joseph B. Pine. Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School, 2007. Print. Gobé, Marc. Brandjam: Humanizing through Emotional Design. New York: Allworth, 2007. Print. Govindarajan, Vijay, and Chris Trimble. The Other Side of Innovation: Solving the Execution Challenge. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School, 2010. Print. Gray, Carole, and Julian Malins. Visualizing Research: A Guide to the Research Process in Art and Design. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate, 2004. Print. Gray, Dave, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo. Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers. Beijing: O’Reilly, 2010. Print. Greenbaum, Joan M., and Morten Kyng. Design at Work: Cooperative Design of Computer Systems. Hillsdale, New Jersey: L. Erlbaum Associates, 1991. Print. Hussain, Sofia, and Elizabeth B.-N Sanders. “Fusion of Horizons: Co-designing with Cambodian Children Who Have Prosthetic Legs, Using Generative Design Tools.” CoDesign. First Article (2011): 1-37. Taylor & Francis. Web. IDEO. Human Centered Design Toolkit. Canada: IDEO, 2011. Print. IDEO. Method Cards: 51 Ways to Inspire Design. San Francisco, IDEO, 2003. Print.

126 Institute for Participatory Design. Institut Fur Partizipatives Gestalten. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. Justice, Loraine. Sustaining Cultures through Design Education. DesignEd Asia Conference 2007. Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2008. Print. Jodidio, Philip. The Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme: Strategies for Urban Regeneration. Munich: Prestel, 2011. Print. Ladino, Paola, Mala Parikh, Giselle Carr, and Mary McBride. “A Conversation with Bruce Mau.” Catalyst Strategic . The Program of Pratt Institute, Fall 2011. Web. Laurel, Brenda. Design Research: Methods and Perspectives. Cambridge, Massachuetts: MIT, 2003. Print. Lehrer, Jonah. Imagine: How Creativity Works. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Print. Leonard, Jennifer, and Bruce Mau. Massive Change. London: Phaidon, 2004. Print. Liedtka, Jeanne. “Designing for Growth: A Design Thinking Toolkit for Managers.” Columbia Business School, New York: Columbia Business School Publishing,. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. Littrell, Mary Ann., and Marsha Ann. Dickson. Artisans and Fair Trade: Crafting Development. Sterling, VA: Kumarian, 2010. Print. Lockwood, Thomas. Design Thinking: Integrating Innovation, Customer Experience and Brand Value. New York, NY: Allworth, 2010. Print. Lupton, Ellen. Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond . New York: Princeton Architectural, 2011. Print.

127 Maeda, John. Redesigning Leadership: Design, Technology, Business, Life. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 2011. Print. Maeda, John. “Adding Art and Design to Science Education Would Put a Bit of Humanity Back Into Innovation and Lead to the Most Meaningful Kind of Progress.” Seed Magazine. 27 Dec. 2010. Web. 15 Jan. 2011. Manzini, Eizo, and Francesca Rizzo. “Small Projects/Large Changes: Participatory Design as an Open Participated Process.” CoDesign 3-4 7 (2011): 199-215. Taylor & Francis, 2001. Print. Margolin, Victor. “Building a Design Research Community.” Design Plus Research: Proceedings of the Politecnico di Milano Conference, 22 May. 2000. Print Margolin, Victor. “A Social Model of Design: Issues of Practice and Research.” Design Issues 18:4, April 2002. Print Martin, Bella, and Bruce M. Hanington. Universal Methods of Design: 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions. Beverly, Massachusetts: Rockport, 2012. Print. Martin, Roger L. The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the next Competitive Advantage. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business, 2009. Print. Martin, Roger. “Thinking About Thinking.” Rotman Magazine Winter (2008): 3-8. Web. 15 Jan. 2011. McDonough, William A and Michael Braungart, . “Cradle To Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things”. New York: North Point Press. 2002. Print. Micklethwait, John, and Adrian Wooldridge. A Future Perfect: The Challenge and Promise of Globalization. New York: Random House. 2003. Print.

128 Muller, Michael John. “Participatory Design: The Third Space in HCI.” Participatory Design Conference Proceedings 1 (2011): 1-31. Print. Open Eye Group. “Strategy for Greater Good”. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. Papanek, Victor J. Design for the Real World; Human Ecology and Social Change. New York: Pantheon, 1972. Print. Pilloton, Emily. Design Revolution: 100 Products That Empower People. New York, New York: Metropolis, 2009. Print. Pink, Daniel H. Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us. New York, New York: Riverhead, 2009. Print. Pink, Daniel H. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-brainers Will Rule the Future. New York: Riverhead, 2006. Print. Prahalad, C. K. The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profits. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Pub., 2010. Print. Robinson, Ken, and Lou Aronica. The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. New York: Viking, 2009. Print. Robson, Colin. Real World Research: A Resource for Users of Social Research Methods in Applied Settings. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley, 2011. Print. Sachs, Jeffrey. The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. New York: Penguin, 2005. Print. Sanders, Elizabeth B.-N., and Bosse Westerlund. “Experiencing, Exploring and Experimenting in and With Co-Design Spaces.” Nordic Design Research Conference (2011). Web. 21 Nov. 2011.

129 Sanders, Elizabeth B.-N, and Pieter Jan Stappers.“Co-creation and the New Landscapes of Design.” CoDesign (2008): 1-16. Print. Sanders, Elizabeth B.-N. “Design Research in 2006” Design Research Quarterly. . Vol.1,1 September (2006). Web. 21 Nov. 2012. Sanoff, Henry. Participatory Design; Theory & Techniques. Raleigh, NC: Bookmasters, 1990. Print.

Sawyer, Kieth and Stacy DeZutter. “Distributed Creativity: How Collective Creations Emerge From Collaboration.” Psychology of , Creativity,and the Arts 3.2 (2009): 81-92. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. Sawyer, R. Keith. Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print. Schuster, Mark J., De Monchaux, John, Riley, Charles A. Preserving the Built Heritage, Tools for Implementation. Salzburg Seminar, University Press of New England. Hanover and London, 1997. Print Schwartz, Dona. “Visual Ethnography: Using Photography in Qualitative Research.” Qualitative Sociology 12.2 (1989): 119-53. Print. Shaughnessy, Adrian. How to Be a Graphic Designer without Losing Your Soul. New York: Princeton Architectural, 2005. Print. Shea, Andrew. Designing for Social Change: Strategies for Community-based Graphic Design. New York: Princeton Architectural, 2012. Print. Simmons, Christopher. Just Design: Socially Conscious Design for Critical Causes. Cincinnati, Ohio: How, 2011. Print.

130 Sinclair, Cameron, and Kate Stohr. Design like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises. London: Thames & Hudson, 2006. Print. Simonsen, Jesper, and Toni Robertson. Routledge International Handbook of Participatory Design. New York: Routledge, 2013. Print. Smith, Cynthia E. Design for the Other 90%. New York: Smithsonian, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 2007. Print.

Smith, Cynthia E. Design with the Other 90% Cities. New York: Smithsonian, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 2011. Print. Sonnenburg, Stephan. “Creativity in Communication: A Theoretical Framework for Collaborative Product Creation.” Creativity and 13.4 (2004): 254-62. Web. Spradley, James P. Participant Observation. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980. Print. Stanford Graduate School of Business, SEED Institute. Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies. Stanford University. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. Stanford Social Innovation Review. “Informing and Inspiring Leaders of Social Change.” Web. 10 Nov. 2012 Stanford Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability. Stanford University, 12 Nov. 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. Steffen, Alex, and Carissa Bluestone. Worldchanging, Revised & Updated: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century. New York: Abrams, 2011. Print.

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133 APPENDIX A: THESIS RESEARCH FORMS CASE STUDY 2 & 3: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP & TRANSITARTS/OSU

Department of Design Robin Reed - DesJardins The Ohio State University MFA Candidate 2012, Design Researcher 100 Hayes Hall 266 Thurman Avenue 108 North Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43206 Columbus, Ohio 43210-1318 USA

+1 (614) 292-6746 phone +1 (740) 412 8314 +1 (614) 292-0217 fax [email protected] [email protected] email [email protected] https://design.osu.edu/ Skype: robindesjardins

DESIGN, FIELD STUDIES, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT HOW DESIGN RESEARCH METHODS CAN BE APPLIED TO FIELDWORK AND ENABLE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

CASE STUDIES: Design Center, UCA & TransitArts/OSU Service Learning

Research Intent: Conducting Qualitative Design Research through Case Studies

As an MFA Degree Candidate in the Department of Design, I am conducting final research for my thesis and I will be developing two case studies that were initiated by designers. The Design Center, now part of the University of Central Asia (UCA) has been chosen as the subject of this inquiry.

As the principal designer at The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) from 1995 through 2007, I was involved with the Aga Khan Humanities Project in 1999 through 2001, directed by Dr. Rafique Keshavjee. I would like to be able to document the evolution of the Design Center to understand exactly what role the Design Center now plays in your academic community. The study will take the form of informal interviews with key personnel and students of the project through Skype or telephone , which will be audio recorded followed by a brief survey that would be sent by e-mail via the researchers Google survey account.

If you are willing to participate, please find attached a letter of consent, required by our university that will be delivered to each subject willing to participate and confirmation by e-mail would be appreciated. I look forward to engaging all those interested in this development process and hope that this will provide new insights that will benefit us all.

Robin Reed - DesJardins

1

Research Intent: Sent to participants by email.

134 EXPERTS DEFINING SOCIAL DESIGN

Department of Design Robin Reed - DesJardins The Ohio State University MFA Candidate 2012, Design Researcher 100 Hayes Hall 266 Thurman Avenue 108 North Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43206 Columbus, Ohio 43210-1318 USA

+1 (614) 292-6746 phone +1 (740) 412 8314 +1 (614) 292-0217 fax [email protected] [email protected] email [email protected] https://design.osu.edu/ Skype: robindesjardins

DESIGN, FIELD STUDIES, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT HOW DESIGN RESEARCH METHODS CAN BE APPLIED TO FIELDWORK AND ENABLE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Thesis Framework: Social Design

Research Intent: Conducting Qualitative Design Research through Expert Interviews and Case Study Development.

As an MFA Degree Candidate in the Department of Design, I am conducting final research for my thesis. The aim of this research study will evaluate the definition of “Social Design” within the framework of Design, Field Study and Sustainable Development. Drawing from interviews with design practitioners, literature and case studies in design, architecture, urban planning, business innovation, social entrepreneurship, ethnographic research and generative design research methodologies, the study seeks to expand the discourse on “Social Design” or “Design for Social Good” (Pilloton, 2009). It will also highlight approaches designers can use for fieldwork study and define metrics for success in the future. Within design education, insights will provide an understanding for how designers will need to be educated in order to tackle the challenges they face in the future.

Attached please find a letter of consent, required by our university that I would ask you to read. A simple email, confirming your willingness to participate and have your comments published is all that is required by the Office of Responsible Research Practices (ORRP). I look forward to engaging all those interested in raising the value of design and hope that this will provide new insights that will benefit us all.

Robin Reed - DesJardins

1

Research Intent for Design Experts: Sent to Participants by Email

135 CASE STUDY 2

Department of Design Robin Reed - DesJardins The Ohio State University MFA Candidate 2012, Design Researcher 100 Hayes Hall 266 Thurman Avenue 108 North Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43206 Columbus, Ohio 43210-1318 USA

+1 (614) 292-6746 phone +1 (740) 412 8314 +1 (614) 292-0217 fax [email protected] [email protected] email [email protected] https://design.osu.edu/ Skype: robindesjardins

DESIGN, FIELD STUDIES, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT HOW DESIGN RESEARCH METHODS CAN BE APPLIED TO FIELDWORK AND ENABLE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

CASE STUDIES: Design Center, Aga Khan Humanities Project, UCA

Semi-Structured Interview, To be audio recorded

• Please describe the Design Center at AKHP to the best of your knowledge • What was your role with in the development of Design Center? • Was the AKDN community engaged with the Design Center and how? • Was the external community engaged with the Design Center and how? • Has this Design Center provided an important service for the community it was designed to serve? • Has the community (students & clients) gained anything from the collaborative experience and if so how? • Has the Design Center been sustainable? • What were the key methods and tools employed to educate students in design? • What was learned from the experience? • Can you describe the experience of working with designers? • What reflections can be shared with others interested in the project?

Estimated time: 30 mins.

Follow Up Survey Questions: Will derive from themes and patterns that come out of the semi-structured interviews, still to be determined, and will use Google Docs, Survey. http://www.google.com/insights/consumersurveys/home 1

Research Questions for the Design Center/AKHP: Sent to participants by email.

136 CASE STUDY 3

Department of Design Robin Reed - DesJardins The Ohio State University MFA Candidate 2012, Design Researcher 100 Hayes Hall 266 Thurman Avenue 108 North Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43206 Columbus, Ohio 43210-1318 USA

+1 (614) 292-6746 phone +1 (740) 412 8314 +1 (614) 292-0217 fax [email protected] [email protected] email [email protected] https://design.osu.edu/ Skype: robindesjardins

DESIGN, FIELD STUDIES, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT HOW DESIGN RESEARCH METHODS CAN BE APPLIED TO FIELDWORK AND ENABLE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

CASE STUDIES: TransitArts/OSU Service Learning

Semi-Structured Interview, To be audio recorded

• Please describe the TransitArts/OSU collaboration to the best of your knowledge • What were the key methods and tools employed? • What was learned from the experience? • Was the community engaged in the project? If yes, how? • How has the collaboration helped raise funds needed to restore 1251 Bryden Road? If yes, how? • Do you think that this program will be sustainable over time ? • Can you describe the experience of working with designers? • What reflections can you share with others interested in the project?

Estimated time: 30 mins.

Follow Up Survey Questions: Will derive from themes and patterns that come out of the semi-structured interviews, still to be determined, and will use Google Docs, Survey. http://www.google.com/insights/consumersurveys/home

1

Research Questions for TransitArts/OSU: Sent to participants by email.

137 EXPERTS DEFINING SOCIAL DESIGN

Department of Design Robin Reed - DesJardins The Ohio State University MFA Candidate 2012, Design Researcher 100 Hayes Hall 266 Thurman Avenue 108 North Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43206 Columbus, Ohio 43210-1318 USA

+1 (614) 292-6746 phone +1 (740) 412 8314 +1 (614) 292-0217 fax [email protected] [email protected] email [email protected] https://design.osu.edu/ Skype: robindesjardins

DESIGN, FIELD STUDIES, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT HOW DESIGN RESEARCH METHODS CAN BE APPLIED TO FIELDWORK AND ENABLE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Thesis Framework: Social Design

Semi-Structured interview questions, To be audio recorded

• How would you define “Social Design” and how has the meaning evolved over time? • Can you talk about projects or case studies that you have been involved with that fit into your definition? • What was learned from the experiences? • Was there a broader community engaged in the design process, and if so how? • What are the key methods and tools that you think are essential for designers working in this arena? • What reflections can be shared with others who want to understand the impact of “Social Design”?

Estimated time: 30 mins.

Follow Up Survey Questions: Will derive from themes and patterns that come out of the semi-structured interviews, still to be determined, and will use Google Docs, Survey. http://www.google.com/insights/consumersurveys/home

1

Research Questions for Design Experts: Sent to participants by email.

138 CASE STUDY 2

Department of Design Robin Reed - DesJardins The Ohio State University MFA Candidate 2012, Design Researcher 100 Hayes Hall 266 Thurman Avenue 108 North Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43206 Columbus, Ohio 43210-1318 USA

+1 (614) 292-6746 phone +1 (740) 412 8314 +1 (614) 292-0217 fax [email protected] [email protected] email [email protected] https://design.osu.edu/ Skype: robindesjardins

Conducting Qualitative Design Research through Case Studies: Design Center, AKHP/UCA Consent Form: 8.24.2012

Dear Participant,

As an MFA Degree Candidate in the Department of Design, I am conducting final research for my thesis and I have decided to develop two case studies that have engaged designers. The Design Center, now part of the University of Central Asia is the subject of this inquiry and I would like to ask your willingness to participate in this research.

The research required to develop this case study will involve a semi-structured interview by tele- phone or Skype, which will be audio recorded, followed by a brief survey and questionnaire. This research study will evaluate the role of the designer to find out what key methods and processes were employed to engage the community and if the project can be considered “social design” and a sustainable development initiative.

The information gathered and recorded through one-on-one interviews and a brief survey will be shared with you, the participant if desired, The Ohio State University, Department of Design and kept confidentially by the researcher, to be destroyed after a period of 5 years. Since the re- searcher has previously been a participant in this case study complete confidentiality is assured. The researcher may wish to publish her findings and share her research, which requires your consent.

If you are willing to participate, confirmation by email would be appreciated and will be shared with my thesis committee in the Department of Design and The Ohio State University, Office of Responsible Research Practices (ORRP). If you have any further questions, you may contact me directly or feel free to contact Ms. Sandra Meadows at ORRP: +1-800-678-6251.

I look forward to engaging you in this development process and hope that this will provide new insights that will benefit us all.

Robin Reed - DesJardins

1

Research Consent Form for the Design Center/AKHP: Sent to participants by email.

139 CASE STUDY 3

Department of Design Robin Reed - DesJardins The Ohio State University MFA Candidate 2012, Design Researcher 100 Hayes Hall 266 Thurman Avenue 108 North Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43206 Columbus, Ohio 43210-1318 USA

+1 (614) 292-6746 phone +1 (740) 412 8314 +1 (614) 292-0217 fax [email protected] [email protected] email [email protected] https://design.osu.edu/ Skype: robindesjardins

Conducting Qualitative Design Research through Case Studies: TransitArts/OSU Service Learning Consent Form: 8.24.2012

Dear Participant,

As an MFA Degree Candidate in the Department of Design, I am conducting research for my thesis and I have decided to develop two case studies that have engaged designers. The Tran- sitArts/OSU Service Learning Initiative, conducted through the Department of Design is the subject of this inquiry and I would like to ask your willingness to participate in this research.

The research required to develop this case study will involve a semi-structured interview in person, which will be audio recorded, followed by a brief survey and questionnaire. This re- search study will evaluate the role of the designer to find out what key methods and processes were employed to engage the community and if the project can be considered “social design” and a sustainable development initiative.

The information gathered and recorded through one-on-one interviews and a brief survey will be shared with you, the participant if desired, The Ohio State University, Department of Design and kept confidentially by the researcher, to be destroyed after a period of 5 years. Since the researcher has previously been a participant in this case study complete confidenti- ality is assured. The researcher may wish to publish her findings and share her research, which requires your consent.

If you are willing to participate, confirmation by email would be appreciated and will be shared with my thesis committee in the Department of Design and The Ohio State University, Office of Responsible Research Practices (ORRP). If you have any further questions, you may contact me directly or feel free to contact Ms. Sandra Meadows at ORRP: +1-800-678-6251

I look forward to engaging you in this development process and hope that this will provide new insights that will benefit us all.

Robin Reed - DesJardins Particpant Name: (Print & Sign)

1

Research Consent Form for TransitArts/OSU: Sent to participants by email.

140 DESIGN EXPERTS: DEFINING SOCIAL DESIGN

Department of Design Robin Reed - DesJardins The Ohio State University MFA Candidate 2012, Design Researcher 100 Hayes Hall 266 Thurman Avenue 108 North Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43206 Columbus, Ohio 43210-1318 USA

+1 (614) 292-6746 phone +1 (740) 412 8314 +1 (614) 292-0217 fax [email protected] [email protected] email [email protected] https://design.osu.edu/ Skype: robindesjardins

Conducting Qualitative Design Research on Social Design: Expert Interviews Consent Form: 9.14.2012

Dear Participant,

As an MFA Degree Candidate in the Department of Design, I am conducting final research for my thesis in design. As an expert working in the field of design, I would like to ask you to participate through a brief interview and share your definition and experience on the topic of Social Design. The study will involve a semi-structured interview in person, by Skype or tele- phone, which will be audio recorded and may be followed by a brief survey questionnaire.

The information gathered and recorded will be shared with you, the participant if desired. The data collected will be kept by me, the researcher, and shared with The Ohio State University, Department of Design. All data gathered will be destroyed after a period of 5 years and complete confidentiality is assured. Data will be stored on DVD and kept with the researcher but does require your consent.

If you are willing to participate, confirmation by email is sufficient acknowledgement and this will be shared with my thesis committee in the Department of Design and The Ohio State Uni- versity, and the Office of Responsible Research Practices (ORRP). If you have any further ques- tions, you may contact me directly or feel free to contact: Ms. Sandra Meadows at ORRP: +1-800-678-6251.

I look forward to engaging you in this research study and hope that this will provide new insights that will benefit us all. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Robin Reed - DesJardins

1

Research Consent Form for Design Experts: Sent to participants by email.

141 APPENDIX B: THESIS RESEARCH PROCESS INTERVIEWS & COMMUNICATION: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP & DESIGN EXPERTS

Research was conducted via Skype for all participants who were not locally based. Shared screens made it possible to discuss the matrix diagrams.

142 INTERVIEWS & COMMUNICATION: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP & DESIGN EXPERTS

Materials were prepared in advance for each interview session and recorded using a Sony audio recorder. Audio recordings were an MP3 format.

143 INTERVIEWS & COMMUNICATION: TRANSITARTS/OSU

Research was conducted face-to-face and at various locations in Columbus where Transit Arts students performed. Confirmation was often agreed to by instant messaging and by email. Permisson was given to use photos taken by the researcher.

144 INTERVIEWS: DESIGN EXPERTS

A.

B.

A. Design experts at the AIGA Gain: Design for Social Value Conference, were audio recorded and one in-depth interview took place on location with Robert Sedlack. B. Emily Pilloton’s talk provided the story to understand the design development process for Case Study 1: Project H.

145 APPENDIX C: CASE STUDY 1 TRANSCRIBING AUDIO FOR PROJECT H, P1

Thesis Title: DESIGN, FIELD STUDIES, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT HOW DESIGN RESEARCH METHODS CAN BE APPLIED TO FIELDWORK AND ENABLE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Case Study: Project H

Speaker: Emily Pilloton, Architect, Product Designer Location: AIGA Social Value Conference, Sand Francisco, CA Date: October 9th, 2012 Audio: 12100904

Describing Project H

Quotes:

“Was working as an architect and product designer, designing door handles I realized just how irrelevant design had become”.

“Public architecture can be such an important factor in changing our culture”.

“Learning through a design sensibility, applied core subjects, industry-relevant construction skills, students developed the creative capital, critical thinking and citizenship necessary for their own success and the future of their communities.”

"We need to go beyond 'going green' and to enlist a new generation of design activists”.

Defining Social Design: Process Descriptors

Political Drama Broken Schools Social Injustice Economic Decline

Story, Serendipity, Adventure, Aspiring, Inspired, Sustainable, Opportunity, Culture, Design, Intent, Photographs, Non-profit, Journey, Political Drama, context, Ideas,

1

146 CASE STUDY 1 MAPPING AUDIO FOR PROJECT H: LOOKING FOR PROCESS & THEMES

A.

B.

A. Extracting the design process from the audio recorded at the AIGA: Gain for Social Value Conference, October, 2012. B. Second step, extracting themes from case study to compare with case studies 2 & 3.

147 CASE STUDY 1 TRANSCRIBING AUDIO FOR PROJECT H, P2

Key Word Descriptors

Conversations, Grants, Money, Youth, Solutions, Delicate, Ethnographic, Build, Rigorous, Research.

Steps in the Design Process for Project H Defining the Design Process for Project H Important for Sustainable Community Development Defining the Design Process for Project H

1) Need 2) Conversation 3) Invitation 4) Learn the History 5) Context / Field Setting 6) Observations 7) Ideation 8) Plan of Engagement 9) Projects 10) Fieldwork with students and community 11) Evaluation 12) Shift in Designer Mindset 13) Immersion: Live with the Community 14) Community Engagement 15) Design Education: High School Curriculum 16) Learning with Students 17) Summer Program 18) Students inspired 19) Sense of Ownership & Hope 20) Sustainability 21) Community Outreach 22) Partners 23) Socio-economic Development 24) Opportunity Opportunity

Publication, Design Revolution: 100 Products That Empower People, Metropolis, 2009 For Project H, twenty four steps were identified through design that achieved sustainable community development. 2

148 CASE STUDY 1 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR PROJECT H DESIGN 8 7 21 22 Plan of Partners Outreach IDEATION Community Engagement PEOPLE 9 6 20 23 Projects Developed Development Observations Socio-economic SUSTAINABILITY CONTEXT 5 19 24 Hope 10 Context Sense of Community Ownership & Students and Fieldwork with FIELD SETTING OPPORTUNITY D CULTURE 4 11 18 EVALUATION Learn the History Students Inspired 3 12 17 mindset Invitation Shift in designer Summer Program EXPLORATION 2 13 16 Learning Community Live with the IMMERSION with Students {Conversation} 1 14 15 NEED Community High School Engagement esign Seeds Design Curriculum D Mapping the Design Process for Project H

149 APPENDIX D: CASE STUDY 2 DESIGN CENTER/AKHP

AKHP

AGA KHAN HUMANITIES PROJECT

The Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), headquartered in The project raises important Dushanbe, Tajikistan, promotes pluralism of ideas, cultures and issues and questions designed to people by supporting the development and implementation of encourage attitudes of openness innovative humanities curricula, drawing upon Central Asian and and tolerance for diversity in broader global contributions to the humanities. Currently opinion and tradition. The operating in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, AKHP was curriculum developed is broad established in 1997 in response to the need for Central Asians to and interdisciplinary, covering draw upon the rich traditions of their societies to foster tolerance, art, languages, poetry, rites and and civic values. customs of everyday life, dance, music, values and the under- INTERDISCIPLINARY HUMANITIES standing of human nature. CURRICULUM

In cooperation with leading Central Asian scholars and academics, AKHP has developed a broad interdisciplinary humanities curriculum for undergraduate students. This process involved rigorous testing and piloting of educational innovations on site, and intensive training for over 50 teachers to ensure accurate delivery of the material. The AKHP university course encompasses literature, philosophy, history, the social sciences, music, architecture, drama, poetry, folklore, and the natural sciences. In 2004, AKHP will finalise eight semester-long courses which draw upon historical and contemporary material. These courses encourage attitudes of openness and curiosity about other Curriculum peoples, as well as tolerance for diversity in opinion and tradition. Produced by students from the AKHP pilot project in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. PARTNERING WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ASIA

AKHP will work closely with the University of Central Asia (UCA), the world’s first university dedicated exclusively to education and research in mountain regions and societies. As part of the UCA Institute of Education, AKHP will prepare faculty and students for teaching and studying in a liberal arts research environment, develop students’ analytic and writing skills, and support quality course design, teaching and assessment.

27

Page 27 of the AKDN Brochure. Description of the Aga Khan Humanities Projects

150 CASE STUDY 2 RESEARCH PROCESS SEGMENTATION: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP 12102601/602/603.MP3 12093001/002/003.MP3 12102802/803.MP3 12104011/402/403.MP3 1209601/602.MP3 12101901/902.MP3 12092204.MP3 A,Q A,Q A A A A A A Q Q Design Researcher Skype, Email, Facebook Telephone Email, Skype, Email Skype, Email Skype, Email, Facebook Skype, Email, Facebook Skype, Email Email Email ParticipantObserver Communication Method Communication Audio/Questionnaire 1 2 3 1999-2003 1999-2003 2003-2006 2006-2012 Research Fellow/AKHP Research Director/AKHP Director/UCA Director/AKHP Student, Manager/AKHP Student/AKHP Design Professor Faculty/AKHP/UCA Faculty/AKHP/UCA Design Professional/AKTC Role at AKHP/DC at AKHP/DC Role Phase of Development Design Center , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia (UCA)

Phase 1 Kyrgyz Republic Switzerland Kyrgyz Republic Tanzania Kyrgyz Republic Russia Qatar Tajikistan Tajikistan USA Current Location Current

Evolution

DC9.PS DC10.RR DC5.MR DC6.AR MS DC7. DC8.SM DC1.MC DC2.SA DC3.ND

DC4.RK

Process Segmentation 10. 6. 7. 8. 9. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Participant Code ID Phase 2 Phase 3 Phased Participant list and audio recording reference.

151 CASE STUDY 2 PARTICIPANT DATA SHEETS: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - DC1.MC Project Duration: 1998-2012 DC 1.MC STUDENT Descriptive Gathered from Audio Terms Defining Social Design Eyes, Big New Ideas,Creativity, Exchange, Endeavour, Humanity Capacity, Connect, Together, Trigger, Collaborative Experience Learned to work with designers withWorking was important together and people to reaching of way Unique us with for and Create ” - Matrix Mapping Tool Quotations: “ Right from the beginning when AKHP started to produce design and offer a courses for students in graphic design it felt we like were flying to Mars. The whole thing was so Some new. of our curriculum developers at first wereskeptical becausecould they not predict what would become of this great en Students worked directlydeavor. with the texts they had composed and the following week faculty would read these texts It fully illustrated to their classes”. was immediate an and extraordinary an exchange collaborative experience between the designers and the writing scholars/faculty the curriculum.” “It would be good to see more of these kinds of projects, where creativity and development walks side side by and creativity triggers something new. MC 1 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Bishkek, & Students Faculty for Coordinator Curriculim 2000-2002 10.26.2012 Skype, Written Questionnaire Email, 12102602/603 Staff Member, Staff Member, , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia Design Center , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Phase 1999-2003

Non Designer or Designer Led

Designing For or Designing With Designing or For Designing DATA SHEET: DATA Participant: Location: Role: Time Frame Interview Date: Method: Audio File: Another

152 CASE STUDY 2 PARTICIPANT DATA SHEETS: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - DC2.SA 3 Project Duration: 1998-2012 DC 2.SA Phase 2006-2011 DIRECTOR Descriptive Gathered from Audio: Terms Defining Social Design Environment,Creative,Transform, Profitable, Society Ingenuity,Contribute, Spark, Enable, talent for • Incubator • Hive of activity • Creative spirit a dream • Have people of young • Ingenuity own their it • Make Questions Answered: Key case study this consider a sustainable you Would development initiative?community “YES” “Social be called Design” could this Do think you with noteven are iffamiliar you definition? the “YES” 2 Phase 2003-2006 Matrix Mapping Tool Quotations: “I initiated a pilot test to see if the Design Center could function without support from AKTC.... what was even more surprising to me was that they started to turn a profit!” “I saw the Design Center as incubator an for talent. There was a spark within the Design Center and I thought that be they could have self-sufficientand turned into a very profitable business.” “People talk about a culture of dependency often with assistance from aid agencies but here is one example that could point you where to, with very minimal effort – really just putting a roof their over head and giving them and idea, people young can take that idea, transform it it and their make own and begin to contribute to the development of their 1 Managing Director AKTC,Managing SA USA AKHP Director, 2003-2006 Telephone Email, 10.1.2012 Switzerland Geneva, 12093001/002/003 , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia Design Center , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Phase 1999-2003

Non Designer or Designer Led

Designing For or Designing With Designing or For Designing DATA SHEET: DATA Role: Time Frame Method: Interview Date: Location: Audio File Participant: Nationality:

153 CASE STUDY 2 PARTICIPANT DATA SHEETS: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - DC3.ND 3 Project Duration: 1998-2012 DC 3.ND Phase 2006-2011 DIRECTOR Descriptive Gathered from Audio: Terms Defining Social Design Environment,Creative,Transform, Profitable, Passion, Artefacts, Service, Development, Collaboration • Active design service demand • Enormous of texts• Development visuals and • Designers provide options • Process oriented, working together Questions Answered: Key case study this consider a sustainable you Would development initiative?community answered Not “Social be called Design” could this Do think you with noteven are iffamiliar you definition? the answered Not - - ” 2 Phase 2003-2006 Matrix Mapping Tool Quotations: inherited“ We AKHP and the ‘Design Center’ from AKTC, there were no mechanism set for up income generating opportunities. The demands at the mo ment are far to great from UCA. “Building capacity through design has never been thought of or really considered. UCA would need a vested interest beyond to go just the technical as pects of a service organization - something broader comprehensive.” more and “ Within UCA there certainly development are many opportunities and perhaps internships could be set withup design students. After speaking with I’d you to like know more about Social Design.” 1 Director of Research UCA,Director Research of ND Canada AKHP Oversight of Director, 2007-2012 Telephone Email, 10.29.2012 Kyrgyzstan Bishkek, MP3 12091601/602 , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia Design Center , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Phase 1999-2003

Non Designer or Designer Led

Designing For or Designing With Designing or For Designing DATA SHEET: DATA Participant: Nationality: Role: Time Frame Method: Interview Date: Location: Audio File

154 CASE STUDY 2 PARTICIPANT DATA SHEETS: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - DC4.RK

3 Project Duration: 1998-2012 DC4.RK DC4.RK Phase 2006-2011 Descriptive Gathered from Audio: Terms Defining Social Design Engagement, Participatory, Commitment, Engender, Capacity, Skills, Instinct, Environment, Pluralistic, Creative, Design, Vision, Societies, Input, Humanities • Affect design through thinking humanities the • Critical through thinking own their it • Make model • Peer-to-peer you they will evaluate and • Learn from them Questions Answered: Key case study this consider a sustainable you Would development initiative?community “YES” “Social be called Design” could this Do think you with noteven are iffamiliar you definition? the “YES” DIRECTOR - - - ‘think’ 2 RK Phase 2003-2006 dents, them gave you skills design, in mentored you and worked with them and planted the idea that they could actually be a business money.” and make “Between the two of us, we set a multiplier up effect that has lasted years.” 12 over “What happened is that the writers began to differently because they could see the design poten tial of what they were trying In other words, to say. the designers became more and more intellectuals and the intellectuals became more design oriented.” “The mot exciting potential for design is when you societies massive in change have and the in develop worlding there are new arenas.” Matrix Mapping Tool Quotations: did something amazing“ You with a group of stu 1 Senior Advisor to the Provost at , University, Aga Khan at Provost Advisor the to Senior USA AKHP Director, 1998-2003 SkypeEmail, 10.14.2012 Mobasa, MP3 12101501 12101401/402/503/ , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia Design Center , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Phase 1999-2003

Non Designer or Designer Led

Designing For or Designing With Designing or For Designing DATA SHEET: DATA Participant: Nationality: Role: Time Frame Method: Interview Date: Location: Audio File

155 CASE STUDY 2 PARTICIPANT DATA SHEETS: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - DC5.MR

3 Project Duration: 1998-2012 DC5.MR Phase 2006-2011 STUDENT Descriptive Gathered from Audio: Terms Defining Social Design Skills, Teach, Need, Seed, Technology, Capacity, Shared, Visual, Communicate, Development, Knowledge, Mentor People, Training, Expression, Entrepreneur, department were a self-sustaining • We outside• Think box the people• • Self-made • Expand traditional beyond boundaries our learned to be entrepreneurs • We Questions Answered: Key case study this a sustainable consider you Would developmentcommunity initiative? “YES” “Social be called Design” could this Do think you with definition? the not familiar are you if even “YES” - RK 2 Phase 2003-2006 Matrix Mapping Tool Quotations: “ The idea of turning our design group into a de sign center was the seed had you planted early on. I wanted to provide a full service and printing, while developing our capacity as Design Center.” think I would received have I don’t the respect I got fromwithout other NGO’s the training and education I got from and you Muneera Design.” in people all In Tajikistan care about is skills your and the work They done. really have you do not care if a diploma have you design. in This is a very different example than the in and US Designers Europe. here get fresh ideas and learn from the internet.” to be have part“You of a team and I would encourage so I could see thethem designers to play, skills.” Phase 1 Phase Phase 2 Phase Phase 3 Phase 1 MediaProduction & Design Manager, Communications, UCA, Communications, Manager, & Design MediaProduction Tajik/Russian Student 1998-2003 SkypeEmail, 09.16.2012 Kyrgyz Republic Bishkek, 209601/602.MP3 , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia Design Center , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Phase 1999-2003

Non Designer or Designer Led

NAME: Mikhail Romanyuk NAME: - AKHP/UCA Center Design CASE STUDY: 17 Sep 2012 DATE: Designing For or Designing With Designing or For Designing DATA SHEET: DATA Role: Time Frame Method: Interview Date: Location: Audio File Participant: Nationality:

156 CASE STUDY 2 PARTICIPANT DATA SHEETS: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - DC6.AR

3 Project Duration: 1998-2012 DC6.AR DC6.AR Phase 2006-2011 STUDENT Descriptive Gathered from Audio: Terms Defining Social Design Participatory, Experience,Multi-cultural, Communi- Connecting, Story, Seeing Cultures, cation, Humanity, with• Working teachers opportunity• Amazing more to learn • Wanted visual materials for • Search stories across cultures • Translated Questions Answered: Key case study this consider a sustainable you Would development initiative?community “YES” “Social be called Design” could this Do think you with noteven are iffamiliar you definition? the “YES” - 2 Phase 2003-2006 AR day thingsday I began to see differently.” of“One the main things I learned at the Design Center attention was to pay details to small because the biggest thing be can created from the smallest details.” “Design not can happen without people on both sides. Design is making for people, with people’s participation, two like hands.” Matrix Mapping Tool Quotations: shared with“ We students from other universities and they became excited and asked us if we could open a special design class in at their universities.” brought design“You to our life and that changed my inner world taught and how I looked You at nature. ofme a way seeing things. The most ordinary every 1 Tajik/Russian Student 1998-2003 SkypeEmail, 10.19.2012 Russia Moscow, 12101901/902.MP3 Designer Furniture Representative , Representative Furniture Designer , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia Design Center , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Phase 1999-2003

Non Designer or Designer Led

Designing For or Designing With Designing or For Designing DATA SHEET: DATA Participant: Nationality: Role: Time Frame Method: Interview Date: Location: Audio File

157 CASE STUDY 2 PARTICIPANT DATA SHEETS: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - DC7.MS

3 Project Duration: 1998-2012 DC7.MS DC7.MS Phase 2006-2011 DESIGNER Descriptive Gathered from Audio: Terms Defining Social Design Conversation, Collaboration, Connected, Spark, Principles, Ideas, Stories, Bridging, Community, Differences, Experience,Exchange, Meaning Thoughtfully Internationalized new place to look in Courage Respecting other each StyleThinking Grids Organizational Culture Questions Answered: Key case study this consider a sustainable you Would development initiative?community “YES” “Social be called Design” could this Do think you with noteven are iffamiliar you definition? the “YES” - - 2 Phase 2003-2006 MS ness of what they had to offer. There was no conflict There thatin place. was really a whole spectrum of cultures working together for a purpose. “ They were willing all to transcend their political differences that were imposed on them. And the students and they we willing all to collaborate. Edu cation is really the magic there.” were“We are fundamentally all different the in way we think but we are so all fundamentally similar in us.” concerns what “I think the reason it is sustainable is because it was a safe place to out for good ideas.” Matrix Mapping Tool Quotations: “ I also think the Design Center was a unifiera in sense because everyone was focused on the positive 1 Design Department Chair, VCU - Qatar, - Qatar, VCU Department Chair, Design USA Educator Design 1998-2003 SkypeEmail, 09.22.2012 Doha, Qatar 12092204.MP3 , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia Design Center , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Phase 1999-2003

Non Designer or Designer Led

Designing For or Designing With Designing or For Designing DATA SHEET: DATA Role: Time Frame Method: Interview Date: Location: Audio File Participant: Nationality:

158 CASE STUDY 2 PARTICIPANT DATA SHEETS: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - DC8.SM, DC9.PS 3 Project Duration: 1998-2012 DC8.SM + DC9.PS Phase 2006-2011 FACULTY Descriptive Gathered from Audio: Terms Defining Social Design Partners, Profes- Engaged, Collaboration, Language, Develop Cross-Cultural, Interdisciplinary, sional, • Creative projects connected to everyday life • Active participation ethics and values • Remember Questions Answered: Key case study this consider a sustainable you Would development initiative?community “YES” “Social be called Design” could this Do think you with noteven are iffamiliar you definition? the “YES” 2 Phase 2003-2006 SM | PSDevelopment -Faculty Manager Matrix Mapping Tool Quotations: “ . The Design Center has implemented many creative projects with AKDN , for example design of the exhibitions, fairs, documents and materials that are related with the activities of AKDN agencies at large as well of as all the AKHP texts and books. They also ” have “Designers think and ask questions differently in details and common they have ground with the spe- cialists working for the project (about general in way meaningskey of message my the in text and so on.” pedagogy“ AKHP’s uses not only and interdisciplin- ary approach and cross-cultural with students in the but class also different languages for describing cultural, religious and social practices. The designers helped us cross the barriers.” cultural 1 Director, Aga Khan Humanities Project - Humanities Aga Khan Director, Tajikistan Tajikistan, & Faculty Scholars 1998-2012 QuestionnaireEmail, 1024.2012 Dushanbe, Tajikistan None , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia Design Center , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Phase 1999-2003

Non Designer or Designer Led

Designing For or Designing With Designing or For Designing DATA SHEET: DATA Role: Time Frame Method: Interview Date: Location: Audio File Participants: Nationality:

159 Participatory, Developed, Engagement, Innovative, Compelling, Explore, Peer, Peer-to Critical Thinking, Multiplier, Impact, Opportunity, Sustainability Document, Photograph, Technology, Skills, Development, Teach, Knowledge, Ideas, Communicate, Visual, Expression,Entrepreneur, People, Training, Mentor, Capacity, Sustainable Publish,Training, Amazing, Seeing, Learn, Communicating, Knowledge, Experience, Professional. Sharing, Demonstrate, Images, Illustrate, Visual, Language, Life Support, Information, Gather, Teach, Image, Conversations, Sparks, Powerful, Create, Meaning, Ideas, Principles, Cultures, Purpose, Unifier, Collaborative, Learning, Internationalization Collaborate, Implement, Engage, Document, Provide, Service, Skills, Partner, Civil Society, Develop Real-Life, Collaborate, Implement, Engage, Document, Provide, Service, Skills, Partner, Civil Society, Develop Real-Life, Mentor, Share, Professionalism, Visual, Communication, Collaborate, Learn, Educate, Ideas, Entrepreneurship, Community, Systems, Thinking, Conceptualize, Implement, Capacity, Sustainability Change, People, Influenced, Seeing, Approach, Capacity, Ideas, Sustainability Ownership,Incubator, Talent, Enable, Entrepreneurial,Spark, Ideas Youth, Options, Collaboration, Internal, Service, Active, Resource Design Center Impact Descriptors

CASE STUDY 2 Y Y NS Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

PARTICIPANT Sure /No/Not Yes RESPONSES: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - PART 1 Would you consider consider you Would DCthe a Sustainable Development Initiative?

? Strategy/Thinking Training - - T S P,T P P P,T P,T P,T P,T P,T P,T P,T P, S, E, T P, Education Print/Web - Research - - What doesdo What DC the currently E P R ? Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Yes /No Yes Has the DC the played Has importantan role broader the in community with

Capacity Researcher Employer Employer Employer Designer Designer Educator Faculty/Employer Faculty Mentor Worked Y N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Designers Role: Yes /No Yes 2 3 1999-2003 1999-2003 2003-2006 2006-2012 1 Time Frame Design Center , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia (UCA)

Phase 1 at AKHP at

Position Fellow/AKHP Research Director/AKHP Director/UCA Director/AKHP Student, Manager/AKHP Student/AKHP DesignProfessor Faculty/AKHP/UCA Faculty/AKHP/UCA Design Professional/AKTC ID Timeline

Participant Responses Participant DC1.MC DC2.SA DC3.ND DC4.RK DC5.MR DC6.AR MS DC7. DC8.SM DC9.PS DC10.RR Phased Phase 2 Phase 3

160 CASE STUDY 2 PARTICIPANT RESPONSES: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - PART 2 Change, People, Influenced, Seeing, Approach, Capacity, Ideas, Sustainability Ownership,Incubator, Talent, Enable, Entrepreneurial,Spark, Ideas Youth, Options, Collaboration, Internal, Service, Active, Resource Participatory, Developed, Engagement, Innovative, Compelling, Explore, Peer, Peer-to Critical Thinking, Multiplier, Impact, Opportunity, Sustainability Document, Photograph, Technology, Skills, Development, Teach, Knowledge, Ideas, Communicate, Visual, Expression,Entrepreneur, People, Training, Mentor, Capacity, Sustainable Publish,Training, Amazing, Seeing, Learn, Communicating, Knowledge, Experience, Professional. Sharing, Demonstrate, Images, Illustrate, Visual, Language, Life Support, Information, Gather, Teach, Image, Conversations, Sparks, Powerful, Create, Meaning, Ideas, Principles, Cultures, Purpose, Unifier, Collaborative, Learning, Internationalization Collaborate, Implement, Engage, Document, Provide, Service, Skills, Partner, Civil Society, Develop Real-Life, Collaborate, Implement, Engage, Document, Provide, Service, Skills, Partner, Civil Society, Develop Real-Life, Mentor, Share, Professionalism, Visual, Communication, Collaborate, Learn, Educate, Ideas, Entrepreneurship, Community, Systems, Thinking, Conceptualize, Implement, Capacity, Sustainability Design Center Impact Descriptors

161 Y Y NS Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Yes /No/Not Sure /No/Not Yes Would you consider consider you Would DCthe a Sustainable Development Initiative? ? Strategy/Thinking Training - - T S P,T P P P,T P,T P,T P,T P,T P,T P,T P, S, E, T P, Education Print/Web - Research - - What doesdo What DC the currently E P R ? Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Yes /No Yes Has the DC the played Has importantan role broader the in community with

Capacity Researcher Employer Employer Employer Designer Designer Educator Faculty/Employer Faculty Mentor Worked Y N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Role: Designers Yes /No Yes 2 3 2006-2012 2003-2006 1999-2003 1999-2003 1 Time Frame Design Center , Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia (UCA)

Phase 1 at AKHP at

Position Research Fellow/AKHP Research Director/AKHP Director/UCA Director/AKHP Student, Manager/AKHP Student/AKHP DesignProfessor Faculty/AKHP/UCA Faculty/AKHP/UCA Design Professional/AKTC ID Timeline

Participant Responses Participant DC1.MC DC2.SA DC3.ND DC4.RK DC5.MR DC6.AR MS DC7. DC8.SM DC9.PS DC10.RR Phased Phase 2 Phase 3 CASE STUDY 2 Data Map: Design Center, Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia PARTICIPANT RESPONSES: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - MATRIX DIAGRAM PHASE 1

Phase 1

1999-2003

MS MR RK SM, PS MC

AR

KEY: Case Study Evaluations

Designing With People & Designer Led

Designing For People & Designer Led

Non Designer Led & Designing With People

Non Designer Led & Designing For People

Responses Plotted for Phase 1: 1999-2003.

162 CASE STUDY 2 Data Map: Design Center, Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia PARTICIPANT RESPONSES: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - MATRIX DIAGRAM PHASE 2

Phase 2

2003-2006

MR KEY: Case Study Evaluations

SM, PS

SA Designing With People & Designer Led

Designing For People & Designer Led

Non Designer Led & Designing With People

Non Designer Led & Designing For People

Responses Plotted for Phase 2: 2003-2006.

163 CASE STUDY 2 Data Map: Design Center, Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia PARTICIPANT RESPONSES: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - MATRIX DIAGRAM PHASE 3

Phase 3

2006-2012

ND

MR

SM, PS

KEY: Case Study Evaluations

Designing With People & Designer Led

Designing For People & Designer Led

Non Designer Led & Designing With People

Non Designer Led & Designing For People

Responses Plotted for Phase 3: 2006-2011.

164 CASE STUDY 2 Data Map: Design Center, Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), University of Central Asia PARTICIPANT RESPONSES: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP - MATRIX DIAGRAM 12 YEARS

All YEARS

1999-2012

Trend towards working with people

Phase 1

1999-2003 4

Phase 3 2006-2012 4

4 4 SUSTAINABILITY Model Through Design Phase 2 2003-2006 KEY: Stakeholders

Designing With People & Designer Led

Designing For People & Designer Led

Non Designer Led & Designing With People

Non Designer Led & Designing For People

Responses plotted on the matrix diagram for all phases: 1999-2011. Indications show a movement from designing with to designing for and in phase 3 back into the zone working with people. This follows Design Model for Sustainable Community Development.

165 CASE STUDY 2 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS: DESIGN CENTER/AKHP DESIGN 8 7 21 22 Plan of Partners Engagement Developed for Design System SUSTAINABILITY AKHP Curriculum PEOPLE 9 6 Hope 20 23 Taught Sense of Outreach Community IMMERSION Ownership & Observations Design Skills CONTEXT 5 19 24 10 Context EVALUATION Design Studio Space Created FIELD SETTING OPPORTUNITY CULTURE 4 11 18 Formed Design Group Learn Together Learn the History Faculty & Students 3 12 17 Invitation Thinking Like Entrepreneurs Students Inspired D EXPLORATION 2 13 16 Created Collaboration Design Center {Conversation} Faculty & Student 1 14 15 NEED IDEATION esign Seeds & Thinking Taught Design Foundations D Mapping the Design Process for AKHP DC

166 APPENDIX E: CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT LIST: DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU

Key Stake Holders Audio/MP3 File # Date

Directors/Educators

1. TAOS.3 JC 12092402 09.24.2012 2. TAOS.14 LW 12092103 09.21.2012 3. TAOS.13 SM 12091701/702/703 09.17.2012

Past Students

4. TAOS.2 CJ 12092504 09.24.2012 5. TAOS. 9 DG 12092502/503 09.25.2012 6. TAOS.10 KH 12092501/502 09.25.2012 7. TAOS.8 ED 12091201/202 09.12.2012 8. TAOS. 11 KK 12091302 09.14.2012 9. TAOS. 12 FS 12092201/202/203 09.22.2012 10. TAOS. 1 AB 12092405 09.24.2012

Mentors 11. TAOS. 7 NC 12092403/4 09.24.2012 12. TAOS. 4 JOC 12092402 09.24.2012

Community 13. TAOS. 5 HC 12092601/602 09.27.2012 14. TAOS. 6 OA 12092601/602 09.27.2012

167 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 1 AB

TAOS. 1 AB

168 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 2 CJ

169 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 3 JC

170 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 4 JOC

171 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 5 HC

172 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 6 OA

173 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 7 NC

174 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 8 ED

175 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 9 DG

176 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 10 KH

177 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 11 KK

178 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 12 FS

179 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 13 SM

180 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT : DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU - TAOS. 14 LW

181 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT RESPONSES: DESIGN MATTERS - MATRIX DIAGRAM 2010 People & Designer Led & Designer People Students OSU Students TA Students Directors/Educator Mentors Community People People With & Designing on Designer Led Designing With Designing With Led & Designer People Designing For N People People For & Designing Designer Led Non KEY: Stakeholders KEY: Year 1 2010 DG SM KH CJ JC LW NC JOC

182 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT RESPONSES: DESIGN MATTERS - MATRIX DIAGRAM 2011 People & Designer Led & Designer People Students OSU Students TA Students Directors/Educator Mentors Community People People With & Designing on Designer Led Designing With Designing With Led & Designer People Designing For N People People For & Designing Designer Led Non KEY: Stakeholders KEY: Year 2 2011 CJ FS ED DG HC OA JC NC LW SM KH JOC

183 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT RESPONSES: DESIGN MATTERS - MATRIX DIAGRAM 2012 People & Designer Led & Designer People Students OSU Students TA Students Directors/Educator Mentors Community People People With & Designing on Designer Led Designing With Designing With Led & Designer People Designing For N People People For & Designing Designer Led Non KEY: Stakeholders KEY: Year 3 2012 NC KK KH AB HC OA JC DG CJ LW JOC SM

184 CASE STUDY 3 PARTICIPANT RESPONSES: DESIGN MATTERS - MATRIX DIAGRAM 210-2012 People & Designer Led & Designer People Students OSU Students TA Students Directors/Educator Mentors Community People People With & Designing on Designer Led Designing With Designing With N People & Designer Led & Designer People Designing For People People For & Designing Designer Led Non KEY: Stakeholders KEY: 2010-2012 TransitArts/OSU Design Matters-Service Learning Initiative

Matrix Diagram: Responses plotted on the matrix diagram for all years. Indications show a volatile movement from year to Responses plotted on the matrix diagram for all years. Indications show a volatile movement from year to year. Overall trend falls into the zone, working with people. OSU students found course to be oriented towards, designer-led & designing for. OSU community with

185 CASE STUDY 3 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS: DESIGN MATTERS -TRANSITARTS/OSU DESIGN 8 7 Shared IDEATION Design Skills PEOPLE 9 6 Develop Formed Directives Ideas Based on Design Groups CONTEXT 5 10 Exchanges Participatory Design Activities Visits & Location CULTURE OPPORTUNITY 4 11 D Together {Conversation} Building & Making SUSTAINABILITY 3 OSU 12 Context FIELD SETTING Build Freindships Students Inspired ? EXPLORATION 2 13 Invitation Learn Together Mentors & Students 1 14 15 NEED Together esign Seeds EVALUATION Students Present D Mapping the Design Process for Matters OSU

186 APPENDIX F: DESIGN EXPERTS INTERVIEWS: SOCIAL DESIGN & CASE STUDY EXAMPLES PLOTTED USING THE MATRIX DIAGRAM

Amanda Buck discussed Pie Lab as a Social Design initiative.

187 DESIGN EXPERTS INTERVIEWS: SOCIAL DESIGN & CASE STUDY EXAMPLES PLOTTED USING THE MATRIX DIAGRAM

Bernard Canniffe discussed Hala Hotdog & Pine Ridge Indian Reservation as a Social Design initiative.

188 DESIGN EXPERTS INTERVIEWS: SOCIAL DESIGN & CASE STUDY EXAMPLES PLOTTED USING THE MATRIX DIAGRAM

Bernard Canniffe defines Social Design .

189 DESIGN EXPERTS INTERVIEWS: SOCIAL DESIGN & CASE STUDY EXAMPLES PLOTTED USING THE MATRIX DIAGRAM

Tom Ockerse defines Social Design .

190 DESIGN EXPERTS INTERVIEWS: SOCIAL DESIGN & CASE STUDY EXAMPLES PLOTTED USING THE MATRIX DIAGRAM

Robert Sedlack defines Social Design and plots case study Together +.

191 DESIGN EXPERTS INTERVIEWS: SOCIAL DESIGN & CASE STUDY EXAMPLES PLOTTED USING THE MATRIX DIAGRAM From interviews with Amanda Buck, Bernard Canniffe, Thomas Ockerse and Robert Sedlack, a word From interviews with Amanda Buck, Bernard Canniffe, Thomas Ockerse and Robert Sedlack, a word frequency information graphic was generated defining Social Desi gn.

192 APPENDIX G: DESIGN MODEL FOR EVALUATION SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

? Sustainability Continuity Opportunity Living the in Physical Environment Physical Common Space Developed by Robin Reed 11|2012 Mentoring People Participatory Design Project County H/Bertie Design Center/AKHP Design Matters/OSU Social Design Development Model for Sustainability

CASE STUDIES Research case studies were plotted using the Design Model for Sustainable Community Development.

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