Talking up SenseMaking, Part 1 of 3 Ana Barroso in Conversation with GK VanPatter Part 1: Origins of NextD Geographies
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Ana Barroso: Thanks for agreeing to do this Brazil – New York conversation. Every now and then, while reading a design or innovation related article, I find myself thinking “what would GK say about this?” Humantific has been in the sensemaking/ strategic design business a long time and there are a number of questions that I want to ask you including what you think of this article by Mercin Treder entitled “Why everyone is a designer… but shouldn’t design”.
Before I get to that let me first ask you a more general sensemaking question: For numerous years I have been watching Humantific do sensemaking work focused on the rather fuzzy subject of design / design thinking. How are you able to do that? What is your underlying interest there? How did you create the sensemaking frameworks that you use to decipher and explain the various forms of design/ design thinking that you refer to as Design 1,2,3,4?
GK VanPatter:HiAna.Happytodothisinasharableway.Delightedtoseeyourevvingupyourinterestinsensemaking.UponyoursuggestionIdidtakealookatthe “Why everyone is a designer…” article.Nobigsurprisesthere.
MAKING SENSE OF INNOVATIONourHumantificpracticeisthatsensemakingandchangemakingareinterconnected…thattheeffectivemakingsenseofasubjectwillservetoinformchangemaking.
SomesensemakingorientedreadersmightknowthatyearsagoRichardWurmancreatedanorderingsystemframeworkfororderingsystems.KnownasLATCHitconsistsofLocation, Alphabet, Time, Category, Hierarchy.Theseareuniversalbasicsthatwekeepinmindasweconsiderorderinglogicoptions.
MAKING SENSE OF INNOVATIONIntermsoforderingsystemsthatmightbeapplicableweknewthatcomplexityladdersofnumeroustypesexistedinseveralsubjects.Thecomplexityscaleideahasdeephistoricalrootsandwascertainlynotuniquetoourprojectortodesignecology..☺IfyouGooglecomplexityscalesorcomplexityladdersthousandsofversionscomeupspanningnotdecadesbutcenturies.
Aristotle (384-322BC)iscreditedwithcreatingnumerousinfluentialorderingsystemsincluding“Great Chain of Being”/ ”Ladder of Life” (“ScalaNaturae”),anearlyhierarchy-basedclassificationoforganisms,rankinghumans,animalsandplantsaccordingtocomplexityoftheirstructureandfunction.
ProblemsizescaleframeworksoftenmaptologicdevelopedandrefinedintheAppliedCreativity(CreativeProblemSolving/CPS)communityknownas“Ladder of Abstraction”,todayalsoreferredtoaschallengemapping,strategicchallengeframing,etc.
TheCPS Ladder of Abstraction hasitsrootsinthe1950s.Todaynumerousversionsexistincorporatingmanyrefinementstotheoriginallogic.
Problem Scale, Source:Internet
CPS Ladder of Abstraction 1959-2015, Source: Internet
MAKING SENSE OF INNOVATIONSincethefoundingofHumantific, strategic challenge framinghasbeenintegratedintonotonlyhowweworkwithorganizationalleadersupstreamfrombriefsbuthowwethinkaboutandmakesenseofproblemconstellations.Challenge mapping isitselfaformofupstreamsensemaking.Ofteninrealtimewithmanyconstituentspresentchallengesaremappedfrombroadestatthetoptonarrowestatthebottom.
Working,notfromindividualbriefs(framedchallenges),butratherinthecontextofchallengeconstellationsisfundamentaltonumerousstrategicdesignthinkingpracticestoday.(SeeWho Owns How Might We?)Thisorientationdifferssignificantlyfromthelogicoftraditionaldesign,designthinkinginbotheducationandpractice.Challengemapsarereal-timeversionsofproblem/challenge scale ladders.
Intermsofdesignasasubject,weofcourseknewthatProfessor Richard Buchanan,ahighlyrespecteddesigneducationscholarwithadeepbackgroundinthesubjectofrhetorichadtabledanorderinglogiccalledFour Orders of Design in1991.
Buchanan stated:
“Design is the human power of conceiving, planning and making products that serve human beings in the accomplishment of their individual and collective purposes…” (1)
MAKING SENSE OF INNOVATION“In approaching design from a rhetorical perspective, our hypothesis should be that all products – digital and analog, tangible and intangible - are vivid arguments about how we should lead our lives.” (2)
“Products represent the formal causes, in the sense of the formal outcome of the design process that serves human beings.” (1)
and “the new design finds expression in rhetoric and dialectic.” (1)
Ofcourserhetoricorderinglogicshavebeenaroundforages!McKeon’s fourpartrhetoricmodelwaslikelyinformedbynumerousearlierworksincluding Francis Bacon’s (1561–1626)threepartmodel;reason,imagination,will,Cicero’s (106BC)fivecanonsofclassicalrhetoric:invention,arrangement,style,delivery,memory,Aristotle’s (330ishBC)threepartrhetoricaltriangleorderinglogic:logos,ethos,pathosandPlato’s (460BC)fourpartrhetoricmodel:delivery,style,organization,content.
For Professor McKeonthenotionthatatypeofthinkingcanbeoris“manifest”indifferentwaysevidentlymadesenseinthecontextofdepictingtheshiftingsandsofrhetoric.
Importingthe“manifesting”orientationDr. Buchananstated:“The four orders of design - manifested in symbols and images, physical artifacts, actions and activities, and environments or systems - represent new fields of cultural study as well as professional practice.” (2)
InProfessor Buchanan‘s Four Orders of Designthemanifestations werethenmappedtothedesigndisciplinelogicthatexistedatthattimein1991.Theresultisatwopartcombinationmanifesting / discipline picture.
Inadditionandwithallduerespect,wefoundthatthetraditionaldesignmethodologydescribedinsidetheframeworkofthe1991Four Orders of Designpresentedaratherantiquatedacademicnotionofhowstrategicdesignpracticesoperate.Themethodologydescribedtherefocusingonaseriesofnestedframedchallengesisnotrepresentativeofmethodologybeingutilizedinleadingstrategicdesignpracticestoday.
Four Orders of Design Model 1991:Dr.RichardBuchanan
MAKING SENSE OF INNOVATIONAdditionallywenotedthehighestorderapplicationfordesignwasdepictedinthe“Four Orders”modelas“Environmental Design”,asindesigningthe“environment/system”inwhichthedesignedactivitiesandproductsreside.Thisisan“integrated product development”(1)viewofhowdesignecologyworks.Suchviewstendtobefoundinsettings(schoolsandcompanies)withproductdesignlegacyorientation.Thisisnottheorientationofleadingstrategicdesignpracticestoday.
TheoftencitedsupportivepaperssuchasTony Golsby-’Smith’s1996paperentitled“Four Orders of Design: A Practical Perspective” mirroredtheconceptualandmethodologicalantiquationstating;“Design is the conceptualization and creation of products.”(3)
WesawthatinacademiccirclesthreeCaseStudieswereroutinelycitedwhenreferencingFourth Order Design. 1.TaxFormsSimplificationProject,2.DMMTransformationProject,3.AustralianTaxOfficeProject.(4)Utilizingchallengeframinglogicwecouldseethatthosecasestudiestranslateintothesethreerelativelystraightforwardchallenges:
Todayinpracticeweknow,fromamethodsperspective,thatproduct,service,interaction,experienceandenvironmentaldesignalljumpofffromaframedchallenge(brief)andthusarepartofDesign 2. Design Scale 3 istheoperatingzonewhereallkindsoforganizationalchallengesexist,notjustproduct,service,orexperiencechallenges.Design 4isthezonewhereextremelydiversesocietalchallengesexist.Fromamethodsperspective, Design 1 and 2aredownstreaminnature,whileDesign 3 and 4startinadifferent,up-streamplace.
Tobebriefweconcludedthatcontrarytomuchoftheexistingacademicliterature:thecontext,geography,scale,methods,framingandlogicofthe1991Four Orders of Designmodeldoesnotmaptohoworwherestrategicdesignpracticeoperatestoday.Therewasaconsiderablemisfitthere.The“FourOrders”frameworkthereforewasnotpracticaltooursensemakingproject.
CertainlywecouldseethatBuchanan’sunderlyingintentionin1991wastopointoutthat;“We are in the middle of a revolution in design thinking…” (5)ItseemslikelythatFour Orders of Design reflectedhowtherevolutionmusthavelookedfromhisscholarly,ratheracademicperspectivein1991.Since24yearshavepassed,itisnotsosurprisingthatthenextgenerationpracticecommunityisoperatingtodayinaratherdifferentuniverseandwithdifferentmethods.
MAKING SENSE OF INNOVATIONWhetherintendedbyBuchananornotthemagicallymanifestingschoolofthoughtseemtoalignmorewiththemythologyofdesignasaformofmagicthinkingratherthanwiththeactualitiesoftheorientation,tools,methodologyandskillsindicatedintheNextDresearch.Inessencetherewasnoresearch,scienceorevidencebehindthedesignasmagicthinkingdepictions.Whatwesawwasthatthefalsenarrativeofmagicthinkingwasoftenbeingusedtodeflectwhatwasfromourperspectivestraight-forwardproblemfindingandproblemacknowledgingrelatedtomethodologydeficienciesinstrategicdesigneducationtoday.
ForthosesoinclinedDr. Buchanan’s Four Orders of Designframeworkisstilloutthereandwecertainlyrecommendthatanyoneinterestedinthesubjectshouldreadthepapersfromthatperiod.(seeexamplesbelow)Ifthatlogicandarchitecturemakessensetoreaderstheyshouldgothatroute.
In NextD Geographieswearenotmappingmanifestationstodisciplinelogicbutratherchallengescalelogictoimplicationsfromamethodsperspective.Wecombinedthenotionofarisingcomplexityscalewithanincreasingchallengescaleandtheninterconnectedittomethodologydifferences.NextD Geographies ischallengescalefocusedandassumesamultidisciplinaryworld.
MAKING SENSE OF INNOVATIONOncewehadlaidoutthe NextD Geographiesframeworkitwasnotdifficulttolayeronthevariousfindings.Thiswasnotjustaboutacknowledgingdifferenceinchallengescale.Ultimatelyweidentifiedadozenmethodrelatedshiftsunderwayinpracticeandnotyetpresentindesigneducation.Theseincluded:Shiftfromtinyscaletolargescalechallenges,fromlowcomplexitytohighcomplexity,fromdefinedtofuzzy,frominternalizedprocesstoexternalizedprocess,fromdownstreamtoupstreamstartingpoints,fromtacticaltostrategic,fromstrangemakingtosensemaking&changemaking,fromthinking&doingtothinking,doingandenabling,fromprescriptivetoorchestrative,fromintertribalcommunicationtocross-disciplinarycommunication,fromdeliberateexclusiontodeliberateinclusion,frommagicthinkingtoskill-to-scale,etc.AlloftheseinsightsweresharedwiththousandsofNextD subscribers.
TheorientationandskillchangeimplicationsinFigure1alone,presentedpriortothearrivalofthebigdataera,willkeepdesigneducatorsbusyforthenexttenyears.AddintothemixtheDesign Thinking Made Visible research(6)thatweundertookinparalleltotheNextD Journal conversationsanditbecameratherclearthatmuchmethodologyrenovationworkneedstobedoneindesigneducation.
TobebriefwhatallofthatmeansisthatFour Orders of DesignandNextD Geographies notonlydepictsignificantlydifferentuniversesbutassumedifferentmethodologies,differentskillsets,theformerbeingnarrower,lessdetailedandlessmethodologyorientedthanthelater.
MostsignificantlyNextD GeographiesapproachescommunityproblemfindingandproblemacknowledgingvastlydifferentlyfromhowFour Orders of Designisbeinginterpretedtoday.NextD Geographies stepsupandbitestheproblemacknowledgingbulletwhileFour Orders of Design hasunfortunatelybeenreducedtoachangeavoidancescheme.Fromourpractice-basedperspectivehavingdiversityofsensemakinglensesforpractitioners,educatorsandotherdisciplinestomakeuseofispositiveandconstructive.
Arough football analogytothecommunityresearchfindings,sensemakingstorywouldbeasituationwherethegoalpostshadbeenmovedinthemiddleofafootballgame.We did not move the goal posts.Thepostsweremovedbythemarketplace.By2005themarketplacehadmovedtheeverydaychallengesinwhichleadingstrategicdesignorientedfirmsarenowcalledupontoengageandareengaged.
Someeducatorsseemedtobemoreawareoftheshiftthanothers.Somewereveryinterestedinengagingwithus.Othersinsistedthatthegoalpostshadnotbeenmoved.Someseemedtobeoffendedthatpracticeleaderswerepointingthisout.Somesoughttoremaininisolationontheiracademicdiscussionlists.SomeacademicscontinuetoreferenceFour Orders of Design asanallencompassing,nottobechallenged,holygrail.Manyhadbeenslowtoadapttothegoalpost/methodologychanges.Asaresultsomeweredownrighthostiletowardsthemessageandthemessengers.Somearejustnowin2015finallyacknowledgingthegoalpostsmovement.Thisispartofwhathashappenedonthebumpyroadbetween2003and2015.
ThekeytounderstandingthevariousreactionstoNextD Geographies isthatitcontainschange driversabsentfromthe1991magicallymanifestingFour Orders of Design. NextD Geographies seekstomoreclearlyexplainwhatischangingintherealworld,inpractice,whatispresentindesigneducationaswellaswhat’smissingspecificallyfromamethodsperspective.
WelearnedalotaboutourowncommunityfromtheNextDesign Leadershipsensemakingexperience.Amongotherthingswhatwefoundwasthatnoteveryonewasreadyformoreclarityaroundthissubjectofdesign,designthinking,designeducation.Clarity and sensemakingarenotthegoalsofeveryoneoperatinginacompetitivemarketplaceandthatnowincludesthegraduatedesignschoolsandtheirleadersresponsiblefortimelyadaptationleadership.
MAKING SENSE OF INNOVATIONAspracticeleadersseekingtohiredesignschoolgraduatesitwasoftenratherpuzzlingtoseethedefensivereactionfromdesigneducationleaderstoacallforchangeinthedirectionofstrategic upskilling.Whatwefoundwasthatnewgenerationpractitionersandstudentswelcomedmoreclarityaroundthesubjectwhileoldergenerationpractitionersandeducatorsfoundtheclaritythreateningtotheirtraditionalways.
The NextD storyisnotjustaboutthegoalpostsmoving.Italsoemcompasseswhattodoaboutitfromstrategy,methods,skillsandleadershipperspectives.Itwasandisaformofcommunityleadershiptakingplacebypracticeleaderswithoutpermissionfrominstitution-baseddesigneducationleaders.
MAKING SENSE OF INNOVATIONWhatisratherhumorousnowistoseesomeofthesamedesigneducationleaderswhoposturedthemagically manifesting modeforadecadenowseekingtourgentlyrepositionthemselvesasevidenceexpertsandindustryleadersinamovementbeingframedas“evidence based design”. Forveteransofthisarenathat’sarealheadspinner.Itisabsolutelynecessarytohaveasenseofhumorinthisbusiness..☺
SincelaunchingNextD Geographies(7)andthevariousinterconnectedmodelswewentontocompletetheDesign Thinking Made Visible Project (postedonIssuuasavirtualbook)(6)andthebookInnovation Methods Mapping: Demystifying 80+ Years of Innovation Process Design(soontobepublished)(8).Ourfocusonadvancingmethodsrelatedknowledgecontinues.
Question 2.Ana Barroso: One of the layers of findings you apply to the NextD Geographies framework has to do with the toolboxes that are increasingly more complex and cross disciplinary on Design 3 and 4. What skills does it take to conduct a visual sensemaking process? Do you believe a non-designer, without formal academic training, can make a good 3.0 or 4.0 design thinker or sensemaker? Can you describe the process of capacity building Humantific does in its innovation capacity programs?