Examining designer’s own value system through the lens of Posture and Mindset shift introduced in the Transition Design Framework

A critical reflection on how Transition Design shaped my approach applied in the Collaborative Unit

1. Introduction

In these ‘transitional times’ that we are living in, Irwin et. al. (2015) suggested the framework of Transition Design for designers to initiate societal transitions or changes to more sustainable futures in different systems we are involved in. Within the framework, Visions for Transition, Theories of Change, Posture and Mindset, and New Ways of Designing, are the four mutually informing and co-evolving areas that cover the knowledge, action and self-reflection within the design process.

Figure 1. Framework of Transition Living Lab

Having reflected on this framework, the area of Posture & Mindset [RL1] is especially inspiring in reshaping my role as a designer. The transition of Posture & Mindset is a shift in mindset or worldview, which can lead to new ways of interaction with others. It invites me to examine my own value system that affects the design process and challenge the solutions to be more holistic and collaborative. In projects that involved vulnerable social groups such as displaced people, I recognised that examining my own value system is exceptionally crucial.

In this essay, I will discuss how examining my value system has brought a transition in my posture and mindset, and how this informed my practices in the collaborative project with Revoke in the Collaborative Unit of the MA Service Design at the University of the Arts London. This project aimed to design an interactive training workshop introducing one of the roles in the Systemic Design Framework (Design Council, 2024), which is the Connector and Convenor, for displaced people who want to be change-makers in their community.

Figure 2. Four roles in the Systemic Design Team

2. Examining my value system on the designer’s role

Adopting the world-renowned Double Diamond framework for innovation by the Design Council, I was used to start a design project with understanding what the problem is in the ‘Discover’ phase. Then we proceed to define the problem and develop solutions for it. Practising this process has trained me to become a practical problem-solver. I was used to the tools and methods that helped manage and access the design process from the beginning to the evaluation of the final solution. With these practices in mind, in the early stage of designing the workshop for the displaced people, I was tempted to be a problem-solver who tried to look into the challenges of their lives, and then create solutions for them.

Figure 3. The Double Diamond

Transition Design, however, encourages me to examine my value system toward my role as a designer in a design process. I tried to allow a shift in mindset suggested in the Posture and Mindset area and explore possible roles other than a problem-solver when addressing their needs and expectations on the workshop. In the testing workshop, instead of an expert in the design process, I presented myself as a friend who would like to share my learning experiences with the Systemic Design Framework, and work with the displaced people to discuss crazy ideas in the workshop. With this inclusive approach, I connected better with them and this reinforced the learning objective of the workshop — exploring the connection. Moving away from the role of problem solver, Transition Design has helped me re-positioned myself as a facilitator who explores with the displaced people in the workshop.

3. Examining my value system on the perception on displaced people

Displaced people are the ones who experience involuntary displacement and are unable to return to their country of origin due to various issues such as persecution, conflicts or disasters. While they are seeking refuge from foreign countries, they often counter difficulties such as inhumane political processes directed by the government, financial and health needs to sustain their living, culture and language barriers when they try to settle in, and many more. These gave me a perception that they are the people who lack. This caused me to put them in a lower position in terms of the power distribution in society. This tempted me to consider myself as the one with more power to give.

Transition Design has challenged my assumptions and perceptions on the displaced people. My existing perceptions are based on the obvious yet limited information about these people shared on the mass media, and my personal experience restricted my understanding of how people belong to a certain community. To understand their world, I shifted to focus on the stories they want to share, and the values in their personality, skills or culture, which are often neglected yet might be valuable to the communities. In the testing workshop, I shared my vulnerability and my feelings to create a safe space, and I encouraged them to share all kinds of idea which presented their unique thoughts. Creating a space where we are all treated equally helped the displaced people to open up and engage in the workshop. Examining my value system towards the displaced people with the framework of Transition Design has provided me a new lens to explore the values they can bring, and how their power in their unique identities can be leveraged to support themselves as change-makers in their own communities.

4. Examining my value system on the relationship between designers, displaced people and other stakeholders

As discussed previously, designers are often tempted to be problem-solvers and consider themselves to have the power to give. When performing in a system setting, my power as a designer is limited by other relative powers. If the mindset of problem-solving and the perception on displaced people as someone who lacks remain in my design practices, I would only be drawing more stakeholders into a plan to save the displaced people with our own ideas. The responsibility of sustaining the whole system would then fall on the ones who have more power, and this may require constant review of the values it creates for the superior who is carrying on the sustaining role. This power imbalance is somehow hindering the effectiveness of the sustainability of the solutions.

Transition Design argues that solutions will be best conceived within a more holistic worldview. This shift in understanding of the whole system can contribute to more collaborative interaction with others in a more responsible posture. Instead of trying to get rid of the problems, I recognised the importance of exploring the values that could be brought out of the existing system. For example in the workshop we designed, the displaced people would explore their own roles within the celebration they created, and then other connections who could take up other roles. One of the participants in the testing workshop reflected that they now understand that they can ask for help from other people in implementing an idea effectively. Each role can bring a particular value to the system. Reconsidering power distribution in different aspects and building good relationships can actually help create a bigger movement (Design Council, 2024). We are adopting this shift in worldview in the workshop to facilitate the displaced people to become change-makers in their communities, and hopefully, we will see some constant changes in the future. I can see that the relationship between designers, displaced people and others in the system could be co-evolving and forms a relational network of care that is regenerative within the system, without over-exploiting any of the members in it.

5. Conclusion

The approach suggested in the Posture and Mindset area in the Transition Design Framework has introduced examinations on my existing value systems towards myself as a designer, my perception on displaced people and my understanding of the whole system involved. This has given me a posture that is more collaborative and responsible. The design process is not owned by me, but co-created by all the stakeholders involved. I can always explore the Double Diamond by taking the stakeholders with me on board. This new posture reminds me to take good care of all the individuals involved, including myself, rather than trying to save the world on my own. This approach also gave me a new lens to understand existing problems. The problems in the current situation are not necessarily problems in the future. If we are willing to adopt a new way of knowing all the individuals as unique beings, and new ways of co-creating and initiating changes from within the existing system, problems can be signs of opportunities.

Reference

1. Irwin, T., Kossoff, G., & Tonkinwise, C. 2015. Transition design provocation. Design Philosophy Papers, 13(1), 3–11.

2. Design Council, 2024. Systemic Design Framework. Available at https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-resources/systemic-design-framework/ (Accessed: 13 March 2024)

3. Design Council, 2024. The Double Diamond. Available at https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-resources/the-double-diamond/(Accessed: 20 February 2024)