A lecture in Aalto University introductory course for Master students, August 29th, 2014. About emerging design practices - what is the role of design (and designers) in decision making and democracy, service development and strategic work on sustainability. Slide notes: #10: the value of a visualization is not in the quality of the image (how fancy it is) but how it helps to raise understanding and / or make better decisions. #16: Image from here: http://www.slideshare.net/uudenmaanliitto/lhtkohtia-uudenmaan-strategiseen-suunnitteluun-uudenmaan-liitto-2013-16640429 #18: Participation can become faux democracy. We shouldn’t replace democratic decision making with nice and fancy (though usually really useful and often empowering) participatory projects. Give the real power to the people, encrease the value of real decisions and understanding in the real decision making processes. #20: Recognize the system around you / your client / your brief / anything. Listen to understand on which level of the framework you’re acting / you’re client is. Really typical misunderstanding in sustainability is to put tools (like CO2 footprint) in the level of success. And how do you define success if the system is Ecosystem?

2. Outi Ugas
The Natural Step / Natural Interest Oy
Emerging Design Practices, 29.8.2014 Aalto University

3. EMERGING D E S I G N PRACTICES

4. DESIGN

5. DECISIONS
STRATEGIES
SERVICES
DESIGN

6. DECISIONS
STRATEGIES
SERVICES

7. DECISION MAKING

8. DEMOCRACY

9. VISUALIZATIONS
- for simple decisions
- For complex decisions
- Culture + context sensitive
- Works if it works where it’s needed to work
- Sketches (drawings) better than cool graphics
You as a designer:
- facilitate, ask, take risks
- Image = metaphor = power

10. IMAGES THERE’S
ALWAYS BEEN….
- Tools for increasing understanding
- Tools for shared understanding & goals
- More immaterial the decision is, more
important it is to have good visualizations

11. WHAT DID WE
JUST DECIDE?

12. MULTIMODAL
DECISION MAKING
- Visual
- Auditive
- Spatial
- Tactile
- Gestures
- …

13. UNDERSTANDING
- Visual / auditive / tactile
- Learning by doing
- Gives a solid ground for decision making

14. METAPHORS

15. SERVICE DESIGN -
URBAN PLANNING
- PARTICIPATION

16. URBAN PLANNING
- Decision that has a visual core.
- Would be impossible to do without images
- Everything has a meaning (shapes, colors,
patterns).
- You can change the decision by changing the
design of the images.

17. INFORMATION
DESIGN
/ OPEN DATA
- New applications of location data
- Open data à all the commons should be open

18. PARTICIPATION
≠
DEMOCRACY

19. THE FUTURE
OF ORGANIC
FARMING
STRATEGIES &
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT

20. PLANNING IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS
1. System
2. Success
3. Strategy
4. Actions
5. Tools and measures

21. SYSTEM
é ê
SUCCESS

22. SERVICE DESIGN
FOR SUSTAINABILITY

23. KASVUNVARA
TOOL BOOK
- Service design tool book for small enterprises.
The process based on Natural Step Framework

24. + EXAMPLES
• Siivouspäivä: http://siivouspaiva.com/fi_FI/myyntipaikat.php
• Helsinki Region infoshare: http://www.hri.fi
• InterfaceFLOR case study:
http://www.naturalstep.ca/sites/default/files/case_study_interface.pdf
• HSL Matka-aikakartta (travel time map): http://mak.hsl.fi/index.html
• Kasvunvara e-book: www2.proagria.fi/nettilehdet/kasvunvara/kirja/
More information on The Natural Step:
www.naturalstep.org

25. THANK YOU!