In your country, where do cars drive? On the right-hand side or the left? Have you ever thought about why the steering wheel is where it is? Please reply to me with your answer and read on to find out mine! Systems thinking is often compared with analytical thinking. Analytical…

How we ended up using mosquito nets! — When the world started tackling Malaria, a disease that was killing millions of people, the World Health Organisation rallied to solve the problem. One of the big solutions was mosquito nets. In truth, it was a great idea. Mosquitos were transmitting Malaria to humans. …

Designers aren’t superhumans, even if some feel like they are. We have strengths and weaknesses, hopes and dreams, fears and biases. So what are the secret ingredients of Design? What are the things designers consistently do that help them be successful in tackling complex problems? In this post, we will…

In 2019, I travelled to a few countries to teach and apply human-centred #design, like the Marshall Islands, Kenya, China and Malawi! Here are some lessons I learnt during my time there. 🤯 Human connection is one of the most powerful ideas I’ve come across. …

The Coronavirus pandemic has placed a spotlight on an important topic — behaviour change. All of a sudden, we were asked to stay at home, keep our distances, and wash our hands about 20 times a day. And whether or not your community undertook these behaviours, you know the impact…

Two principles to help you enhance your Design practice — Design is a bit like yeast — on its own, it’s not very helpful. Combine it with other ingredients (disciplines), and it becomes a superpower. For example, think of a typical ‘Design’ project. It might be a digital app, a societal problem, or a behaviour change problem. In all three…

Designing in complex systems is hard, but there are ways to help you understand — The toughest challenges our societies are facing are complex by nature (i.e. they demonstrate the properties of a complex system). Think of the biggest issues facing us — climate change, ageing populations, poverty, healthcare crises, and inequality. These are complex challenges — there is no straightforward answer, otherwise they would…