Engaging in the design thinking process was the highlight of my first week of the CALS 501 learning intensive. Leading up to the activity I was uncertain of how valuable of an exercise it would be, and how it fit into realm of climate action leadership. Approximately 4 minutes later almost all of these reservations were replaced by inspiration, excitement and intrigue.
Slowing down the process of developing an idea and engaging in the interview and reflection process elicited a deeper understanding of the issue in question of waste reduction and brought several key ideas to the forefront of our discussion. By focusing the discussion on our observations of the root causes of waste production, our group came to a similar set of topics. These topics include the burden of tackling this issue, a gender gap, colonialism, disassociation and a lack of waste literacy. Not recycling, composting or landfills.
The design thinking process which encompasses steps to empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test aims to identify the underlying causes of issues, and encourages the thinker to find a unique solution to the problem at hand (Razzouk & Shute, 2012). Cankurtatan and Beverland (2020) discuss the benefits of design thinking in response to the COVID 19 pandemic and allude to the potential of it as a concept to tackle other wicked problems such as climate change. Design thinking slows down the process of defining a problem and puts emphasis on including empathy in the decision-making process. I can see how incorporating indigenous perspectives, as well as individuals who are currently facing climate adaptation challenges, or will the foreseeable future into the design thinking process may foster a more diverse understanding, perspective and potential equitable solutions.
One question I am left with is what the next step is, and how this process can be transcribed into action. I believe this is a valuable tool to explore in the quest to climate adaptation, but I need to learn more about testing and implementation as steps in the process.
Cankurtaran, P., & Beverland, M. B. (2020). Using design thinking to respond to crises: B2B lessons from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Industrial Marketing Management, 88, 255-260.
Razzouk, R., & Shute, V. (2012). What Is Design Thinking and Why Is It Important? Review of Educational Research, 82(3), 330–348. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654312457429