Design Thinking and International Relations: A Powerful Combination for Solving Global Challenges
Design Thinking + International Relations = Impact & Innovation
As a graduate in international relations, I was trained to tackle complex global challenges such as climate change, poverty, inequality, and conflict. It wasn’t until I picked up design thinking that I realise I found a very effective tool for solving these issues.
So here’s the powerful combination that I am suggesting:
(Effective) Design Thinking + (Expertise in) International Relations = (Positive) Impact & Innovation.
If you’re thinking about solving global challenges like me, let’s explore how the principles of design thinking can be applied to global challenges, drawing on your expertise in international relations to create impactful and innovative solutions.
Understanding Design Thinking
“Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.”
— Tim Brown, president and CEO, IDEO
Before diving into how design thinking can be applied to global challenges, it is important to understand what it is. Design thinking is:
👉🏼 a problem-solving approach that emphasizes empathy, experimentation, and creativity
👉🏼 a human-centered process that starts by understanding the needs and wants of the people affected by the issue
👉🏼 a five-stage process of empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test
Applying Design Thinking to Your Work
Now that you know what’s in your design thinking toolkit, what are the practical steps in applying them to global challenges?
1️ Empathize: Start by understanding the needs and wants of the people affected by the issue. Conduct interviews, surveys, and focus groups to gather insights.
2️ Define: Define the problem statement based on the insights gathered during the empathy stage. Identify the root causes of the issue and the stakeholders involved.
3️ Ideate: Generate as many ideas as possible to address the problem statement. Encourage wild ideas and brainstorming.
4️ Prototype: Build low-fidelity prototypes to test the ideas generated during the ideation stage. Use materials that are easily available.
5️ Test: Test the prototypes with the people affected by the issue. Collect feedback and refine the solution.
Solving Global Challenges with Design Thinking
Design thinking can be applied to a wide range of global challenges. There are organizations that have used design thinking to create innovative solutions in areas such as poverty, climate change and conflict.
Poverty is a complex issue that requires a comprehensive approach. Design thinking can help create innovative solutions that address the root causes of poverty. By empathizing with the people affected by poverty, we can better understand their needs and create solutions that work for them. Here’s how Aravind Eye Care did it in India.
India has vast population which suffers from cataract and providing health care for poor in India is a wicked problem. Aravind Eye Care used design thinking to develop a scalable model that provides affordable and high-quality eye care services to rural communities in India. They did so by empathizing with the people affected by the lack of access to affordable eye care. They ideated possible solutions, built prototypes and tested them with the people, and refined their solutions based on people’s feedback.
Their low-cost surgical procedure reduced the cost of eye surgery without compromising on quality, and the organization has now served over 40 million patients and performed over 6 million surgeries, making it one of the most successful models for affordable eye care in the world.
Climate Change is another global issue that seeks our understanding of the people most affected by it and help create effective solutions to combat climate change.
An organization in Kenya, M-Kopa Solar applied design thinking to provide affordable and reliable solar energy to rural communities in Kenya. They understood the needs of the rural communities through interviews, surveys, and focus groups to identify the root causes of the issue, including a lack of access to affordable financing and the need for a sustainable and scalable business model.
M-Kopa Solar ideated on possible solutions, developing a pay-as-you-go solar power system that allowed customers to pay in installments over time. They refined the solution based on feedback and developed a scalable model that has now served over 1.4 million households, making it one of the most successful models for affordable solar energy in the world.
Design thinking even found its way into conflict resolution. A peace-building organization in Colombia, Rodeemos el Diálogo (Embrace Dialogue) applied design thinking to promote dialogue between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels by empathizing with both sides and building trust.
They defined the problem statement as finding a way to promote dialogue that would lead to a lasting peace agreement, and identified the root causes of the conflict to be a lack of trust, communication, and understanding between the two sides.
Rodeemos el Diálogo established a platform for dialogue and engagement that allowed both sides to exchange ideas, concerns, and proposals in a safe and constructive environment. They continued to refine the solution based on feedback and eventually developed a scalable model that led to the signing of a historic peace agreement in 2016.
The above examples are the epitome of bringing a new level of creativity and innovation to complex issues through applying design thinking. Having an expertise in international relations can also help you understand the broader context of the issue, as well as the political and cultural factors that might influence the effectiveness of your solutions.
Ultimately, by combining the principles of design thinking with your expertise in international relations, you can help create new solutions that have a positive impact on the world.
Make a Difference with Design Thinking and International Relations
Design thinking is a powerful tool for solving global challenges. It encourages collaboration, empathy, and experimentation, which makes it a perfect fit for tackling complex global issues. If you have an expertise in international relations, you are well-positioned to bring a unique perspective to the design thinking process. By combining the two, you can make a real difference in the world.
I’ll leave with you a quote from Don Norman, the Grandfather of UX Design. His advocacy to use human-centered design principles to solve global problems was my inspiration for this article.
“The challenge is to use the principles of human-centered design to produce positive results, products that enhance lives and add to our pleasure and enjoyment. The goal is to produce a great product, one that is successful, and that customers love. It can be done.”
— Don Norman
Join me to create solutions that are more comprehensive and effective for global challenges!
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