The coronavirus pandemic has changed the world. Businesses are scrambling to serve their customers in a new reality. Many companies are looking for new ways to provide value over digital channels and having to do so in a context of great uncertainty. We’re not returning to the pre-pandemic world. Many of the changes we’re making now will be with us for a long time. This moment is an inflection point, a unique opportunity to shift the ways we work and create value. As designers, we must ask: What is our role in bringing forth new realities? How might new solutions better serve human needs? These slides were part of a presentation delivered at This is HCD San Francisco on May 28, 2020

1. Jorge Arango
jarango.com/speaking
Design in the
Post-pandemic World
This Is HCD SF — May 28,2020

2. Jorge Arango | Design in the Post-pandemic World | May 28. 2020
That time we didn’t go to Disneyland.
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MydaughterAdaisturningteninJune.
InJanuary,shetoldusshewantedto
celebrateatDisneyland.SoIreserved—and
paidfor—avacationat theresort.
Beforeallhellbrokeloose.

3. Jorge Arango | Design in the Post-pandemic World | May 28. 2020 4
Graph: https://bit.ly/3gHL4Do

4. Jorge Arango | Design in the Post-pandemic World | May 28. 2020
Three stages of changes wrought by the
pandemic.
1. Immediateimpact
>1.6minfected;>100kdeaths;healthcaresystemsunder
greatstress;>14% unemploymentrate;entireindustries
decimated,the restworking and/orstudyingfromhome
2. Transition toa“newnormal”
Gradualreopening; possible furtherwaves;hybridof
remoteand in-person work; U.S.election
3. Thepost-pandemicworld
?…Butwe’llowe a lotof money
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5. Jorge Arango | Design in the Post-pandemic World | May 28. 2020
The crisis is a major shock to our societies,so we can expect long-lasting
shifts in our values and practices.
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IN-PERSON REMOTE
PRIVACY SAFETY
INDIVIDUAL COLLECTIVE
CENTRALIZATION DECENTRALIZATION
EFFICIENCY RESILIENCE
BELIEFS DATA

6. Jorge Arango | Design in the Post-pandemic World | May 28. 2020
We can also expect other major
disruptions in the future.
–Anotherpandemic
–Climatechangedisasters
–Politicalinstability
–Wars
–RogueAI
–Etc.
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Photo: https://bit.ly/3caNRBg

7. Jorge Arango | Design in the Post-pandemic World | May 28. 2020
These situations manifest VUCA,an acronym used by the U.S.Army War
College to describe the geopolitical landscape after the Cold War.
Volatility
The challenge is unexpected
or unstable or may be of
unknown duration, but it’s
not necessarily hard to
understand; knowledge
about it is often available.
Uncertainty
Despite a lack of other
information, the event’s
basic cause and effect are
known. Change is possible
but not a given.
Complexity
The situation has many
interconnected parts and
variables. Some information
is available or can be
predicted, but the volume or
nature of it can be
overwhelming to process.
Ambiguity
Causal relationships are
completely unclear. No
precedents exist; you face
“unknown unknowns.”
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Source: Harvard Business Review,Jan-Feb 2014

8. Jorge Arango | Design in the Post-pandemic World | May 28. 2020
VUCA makes it difficult for people and
organizations to act skillfully.
–Welackclarityabout what’shappening
–Wedon’tknow howtogainthatclarity
–Manyfactors affect outcomes
–Conditionschange fast
–Wecan’tpredict the results of ouractions
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COMPLEXITY
AMBIGUITY
VOLATILITY
UNCERTAINTY
– +How much do you know about the situation?
–+Howwellcanyoupredicttheresultsofyouractions?
Source: Harvard Business Review,Jan-Feb 2014

9. Jorge Arango | Design in the Post-pandemic World | May 28. 2020
What is required to act skillfully in
these conditions?
“TheVUCAworldisnot unyielding:
Volatilityyieldstovision.
Uncertaintyyieldstounderstanding.
Complexity yieldstoclarity.
Ambiguityyieldstoagility.”
– Bob Johansen, Leaders Make the Future
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10. Jorge Arango | Design in the Post-pandemic World | May 28. 2020
This is what designers do.
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Source: Damien Newman,The Design Squiggle

11. Jorge Arango | Design in the Post-pandemic World | May 28. 2020
What skills should designers hone so we can add more value in the
post-pandemic world?
–Systemsthinking
Understanding cause-and-effectrelationshipsandhowdifferent
configurationslead to differentoutcomes;knowingwhen,where,
andhowtointervene skillfully;modelingfuturebehavior
–Strategic awareness
Understanding howyour role serves yourorganization–and
society,byextension; knowing the differencebetweenpolitics
andgovernance; aiming for long-termvalue
–Clearcommunication
Activelistening;grokkingaudienceneeds;conveyingabstract
ideasinunderstandable way;mastering differentmedias
–Researchandsynthesis
Qualitativeandquantitativeprobingof on-the-ground
conditions;modeling
–Collaborativeiteration
Rapidprototypingat differentlevelsof fidelity;abandoning
preciousnessinfavorof agility;restrainingtheego
–Flexibility
Adoptinga“beginner’smind”attitude;fosteringcuriosityand
playfulness;committingtolifelonglearning;abandoning
“comfortzones”
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12. 13
Photo: https://bit.ly/2zve93U
“We are called to be the
architects of the future, not
its victims.”
– R. Buckminster Fuller