Ep 196| Why design thinking should be applied in social innovation problems

If you are someone who is really thinking with your design skills, you can really solve some of the big problems in the society. Or if you are not sure whether your design skills could be even used to solve problems like unemployment, poverty, clean drinking water and all these things, then this is the perfect podcast for you. I am going to give you how your awareness can really grow in terms of applying your design thinking knowledge into solving some of the big problems. What the world is facing. Let's say Sustainable development goals is working. Who is working? So in this podcast we are going to see some case studies and also understand what lessons we can learn being a system design thinker to solve this problem. So take a lot of notes. This is going to be really interesting guys. Okay, it's not a regular podcast. This is something which is special which is coming from my heart and my experience. Using your design skills, how you can become even more aware, how you can really see beyond all this screen building skills and website building application into a next new level. Okay, let's jump in. So having said that, design thinking particular podcast is really impacting 30 plus countries, guys and listeners are really what you call. They're giving a huge engagement ratio and Spotify is able to provide me the report and insight. And now we are spreading in Apple podcast. Also thank you for the overwhelming support and you can share with your friends and community people, whoever you you feel that they needed the help. Okay, right now it's free and, and you can share with the other people as well this piece of information, whatever you're learning. And also my mission is to help 1 million students to achieve the freedom lifestyle of a designer. And also through their creative skills, they have to achieve it even without a degree, even without any design experience. Still students can able to achieve their lifestyle of a designer by following this method. So I'm on a mission helping that through this podcast we are also impacting thousands of students every single day. Okay. So in this podcast we are going to understand how you can integrate this design thinking into solving some of the world's most what you call pressing problems. Okay, See first I'll give you five aspects how we can see design thinking through this lens. Okay, so you need to be little, what do you call? You need to just soak into this information, take a notes and just try to create a small mind map and think upon it. Because sometimes what happens is if you're working in a product industry, if you're working in a service industry, you may be little bored of solving regular problems, right? You may be really Excited to solve some of the big problems. Maybe you want to create more impact. Definitely this information is going to blow your mind. Okay, so the very first information is try to understand the problem. So that's the first methodology of event design thinking. See, many people think like let's say they assume like this could be a problem. Like let's say that could be a problem. Like let's say clean water drinking infrastructure is a problem. So people assume infrastructure is a problem for clean drinking water. But you know what, using a designer's approach, you can even talk to the community people to understand how do they really access a clean drinking water on a regular basis. Maybe infrastructure is not the problem. Maybe it's your assumption. What happens is guys, when you go for a field, when you go for a field study to understand the reality, Reality is always reality. Your assumptions will really get broke. So this is why designer needs to go into the field. We do a project called Indigenous innovation. We try to find indigenous strength craft which is there in our country. It's not been mapped into the, what do you call, formal system. Okay, so while doing that I kind of learned there are so much of problems which is there haunting us. We don't have to design fancy chairs and cars and shoes and beautiful websites, apps. I mean we have much more bigger problem than this. Guys, in my experience, I'm telling it's up to you to really think where you want to position yourself. That's why this podcast I'm recording because there could be some people who are really thinking about it. Okay, see, understanding the problem is the main main aspect. Second is how you can really find out the exact challenge. See, once if you're able to define the problem, only you can able to solve the problem, right? Like let's say it could be a lack of education, you could be framing it that way. But as a design thinker, you can reframe it in a way. How might we make the learning more accessible? See, it's the other way around. Lack of access to education is fine. How might we make it happen? Like let's say instead of banging around the government policies and politicians and the system and all these things, instead of blaming game, why don't we create a problem, why don't we create a solution around it in order to make it with the less resources possible? See, when you really solve a problem for third world countries, it needs to be more in low cost, it needs to be more people centric, it needs to be scalable, it needs to be environmental friendly. If you are able to draw the line. Then your skills could be used to solve some of the big problems what people are facing. Like let's say the third world country people are having huge problems. Good health care system, not available drinking water problem and education problem awareness, disease, death. So it's all huge. Guys, I'll paste you the link of who website, okay? You can just click that and see year wise they have a data for the third world countries, like let's say the low income countries, how much they're suffering because of this kind of problems. So why don't you just think about it. When I went for Germany, I saw a lot of the portfolios in German students and other designers. You know, like there were many designers also from different countries like Korea, Japan, what you call China, German people. So their portfolios are pretty much flooded with particularly the German designers, flooded with lot of shoe designs, lot of what do you call chair design, furniture. They're very crazy about doing that. And some students were like keen automotive styling designers. So I just told them, okay, you just visit India or maybe some other country once. Maybe you will never stop designing. You will never design chairs or shoes or cars in your life. You will come to know there are much more, bigger problems the world is facing. I mean, I made it in a very funnier way. But I had a deep intention of saying that because these designers are growing in their awareness to solve their own problems. They want to solve emotional problem, they want to solve aesthetic problem. That's okay. I mean if I was born in Germany and I was designed for German, what you call government or people or something, I would be also thinking in that way. But being in this shoe, being in this culture, I'm able to empathize on that side. So where are you coming from? What is your culture, how it is really going to impact your design skills and how much problems and impact which you can create. That is what I wanted to leave the thought with you guys. If you're able to think through it, your awareness start growing. And there are many industries in design, like let's say ideo, like let's say frog. Like these studios are really wanting people who are fresh thinkers and fresh perspective. People with different cultural background who want to solve some of the big problems what people are facing. You know what, there are number of case studies which I can give you guys. I'll tell you one case study, okay, See, which is like development of a lifestraw water filter. This saves lot of problem what people are having with respect to clean drinking water. Initially it was Developed for outdoors but it was later changed and I mean it was huge. Guys like the impact what this product has created was low cost. And you know there is something called D Rev. These people have developed a phototherapy device for newborn babies to teach jaundice. You know that blue light device after the newborn is born. It's particularly made for the third world countries and it's very, very low cost and effective. So lot of problems. Particularly if you take. There is a product called Embrace. Okay. It's for low, what do you call it? It's for the babies who are born new and they are lacking in temperature. They wanted to hand wrap this technology. It's a beautiful face changing material. It's a low cost. And see I'm giving you some case studies because you can understand these kind of solutions are low cost, scalable people, centric, environmental friendly as well. So this is the perspective which you can develop by understanding this Once if you're able to understand and get a clarity about it, then you can go for ideas and prototypes. See you can go to a IDO's website, I'll paste you the link in the description as well. You can connect with platforms like NGOs communities and you can find there are a lot of rural healthcare problems also IDEO has solved using their design thinking methodology and framework. In fact they have a 101 field method guide you can download. It's a free material available in the IDEO website and you can read how they have, how they've used their methods and case studies to solve some of the big problems which conventional design, conventional method of solving is not really doing. And fourth you can able to test and iterate it. You can make a lot of prototypes, low cost prototypes. I told you about the phototherapy. They did a lot of prototypes guys. Then they were able to find out the exact need of the people. So after this testing then you can scale your solution as well. The moment if you're scaling it, that becomes most useful for the government, NGOs, private sector. It's widespread adoption will happen. People will use your product like anything. It was designed by Westergard that LifeStraw Design what I've told you, right? So it was initially did for the outside outdoor enthusiast. But since it's been scaled for use in humanitarian crisis like the rural communities who are not having a proper drinking water, everybody got benefited without that with that. So understand the power guys. See in summary, design thinking is not just a human centered process solving problem. It can go beyond solving some of the sustainable development problem. Goals what the who has really set and helping it out. So what is the major outcomes of this podcast? Jagdish? If you ask me that, I'll tell you. There are 10 outcomes guys. Okay, see you can understand this. The first is you can understand the power of design thinking. It's not just a paper pen method or you're just solving some website problem or application problem in a building product. It's a powerful tool to really tackle that. You know what a report by Design Management Institute says Design driven companies who are design thinkers they outperform the S&P 500 by 228 First Nation. It has happened in the last 10 years. Second is human centered approach. You are getting more close to the human centered approach. I gave you the example of LifeStraw water filter, right? So it provides a clean drinking water. Third is iterative process. I told you about the D Rev, the brilliance phototherapy device for low cost. Fourth is creative problem solving. See people who have not thought it before how this can be solved in a low cost setting. So now you are thinking and you are becoming aware of it. So please try to do some little projects around it. Maybe you can do a trial project, you can do a dummy project. If you are inside my program, if you are inside my community, if you are really interested in this, like there is a process called self discovery. I'll make students understand why are they really designing in their life. If I find this kind of a social innovation, answers are coming. I'll pick those students, I'll give them social problems and that becomes a great asset in their portfolio as well. So I'll monitor them, I'll help them, I'll guide them. Because it takes three weeks for them to really soak into the project and do it properly. Okay. McKinsey found that McKinsey study found that 84 percentage executives agree with innovation. And that's the key growth factor for any company. You know that's a creative problem solving approach. Fifth is system thinking. So you can understand the importance of thinking broad interconnectedness. What is there in between the system policy, infrastructure, government, politicians, individuals, people. So that's how you can able to find out more gaps and fill using your design skills. Okay. And you can find a collaborative approach and you can understand the scalability is important. See the moment. If you're talking about common problems, social innovation problem, your product needs to be scalable. You can't make a very complex product like let's say if you're, if you are developing a app, can't Be so complex means it can't be scalable. Also people will not use it for that long. So understand this kind of an impact case. And also low cost. And the eighth is local context sensitivity. So you need to understand what are the people's relevant need. How do you really empathize? And ninth is policy engagement. See, you will have to understand the policymakers also. I'll paste you another link. Also guys, in Germany, in UK there is something called Policy design lab. Not only politicians or policymakers make the policy in German and other countries, guys, designers also really play a vital role. Because designers normally they integrate the technology, they integrate the law and policies and they integrate the cost, budget and financing with the financing team. They also think about the people using the design thinking methodology. They also think about the environmental factor before designing any product. How everybody can get a win, win, win, win win out of it. This is the most most important point, what I said you guys, if you want you can recollect it. When you can rewind and watch it, listen it. Because if you're not drawing a parallel around all the people and making a sustainable solution, I would say in terms of mapping the stakeholders with politicians, with finance, planning with infrastructure, with technology, with people, with environment, what happens is that policy is not going to be foolproof. Governments really understand the importance, guys. That's why they bring designers to the policy lab to do it. It would take much years for a country like India to really go into that level or the third world countries to go into that level. But as a designers we can drive that change. That's the, that's one another reason also this particular information is being recorded as a podcast for you because design thinking for change. Design for change. This program is going to be the start for it. Okay? A study by the World bank found that effective policies and institutes are very crucial for sustainable development. And the tenth important factor is long term sustainability. See, you are getting so much of benefit, guys. It's not only that you're solving some problem, it's also about the sustainability. Socioeconomic environmental improvements are happening. And the last but not the least important factor is you empower yourself and the community through your design. You inspire other people also to become more designers. Because when they see this simplicity in the solution, what you're building, people will get empowered. You'll create a social positive change. And UN estimates that achieving a sustainable development goal could unlock 12 trillion dollar industry by 2030. Understand guys, how many people will get job, how many people will get infrastructure, how many economic improvements will happen and the quality of the life and the life expectation will grow high internally across the world. People may live up to 100 years, 130 years. So that much of technologies, that much of AI, that much of what you call healthcare industries, that much of data science, that much of machine learning software, that much of design thinkers and everything will be collaborated in order to make this 12 trillion dollar economic growth happening by 2030. So I hope you will be able to see the big picture guys. It's not about design thinking. It's not only about human centric approach. It's not about iterating process, creative problem solving, system thinking, collaborative scaling, low cost policy, long term sustainability. It's about integrating this and how do you become aware the moment if your consciousness become more aware towards thinking like this, you will never be the same designer again sitting in the front of your disguise. I hope this would have gone deep into you. Okay, so thank you so much for listening to this podcast. If you really wanted to make your awareness grow, I would highly suggest you guys have a conversation with me in just 30 minutes. You will see a huge difference in the way in which you see design will change. A lot of people did more than 12,501 to one personal call with the people. I understand how people really have problems. I understand and help them through one or two good information which can really flip their career which they'll be figuring out for five, 10 years and still not knowing what are the clear things. People who engage in this podcast and write about their honest feedback, I give them a gift for one to one call. Also I cannot give it for everybody but I can select few listeners consistent. Okay, thank you so much guys. And if you need my mentorship support, you can write to that email. We're always called by our team and if we found you are also really serious, we'll take you to that program. If you find this podcast useful, give me a best star rating in Apple and Spotify. Thank you guys. Take care. All the best Sat.