Design Futures: April 2021
When we set out to consider the new frontier of education, the world was contemplating — and rapidly responding to — the great unknown. With vaccine distribution ramping up to record highs and many educational leaders planning to resume in-classroom teaching this spring, we are entering a moment when it would be far too easy to ignore the learnings presented to us over the last year and return to the old way of doing things.
With that in mind, we’re sharing some key opportunities for later-stage education — many of which could be directly applicable today. For instance:
- How to leverage existing technology to make it easier for community college transfer students to track their path toward a degree
- Why art education is one of the best ways to teach critical thinking and empathy in “the classroom”
- How we can continue using online tools developed during this time to collaborate effectively with clients and colleagues
- What leaders in design, education, and technology see as critical elements when designing for the Future of Education — and the power of design to change the world
As we move into spring and summer, we encourage our clients, readers, and partners to harness this tremendous moment to power the future of innovation — especially as we balance our excitement about getting back to “normal.”
Looking forward ourselves, the Modernist team has used these past months to closely examine the world of commerce, money, currency and, value — and to inquire what The Future of Money could look like. We are excited to share our ideas and perspectives with you beginning in May.
In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the Future of Adult Learning, the final installment in our Future of Education series.
Featured Videos & Articles
Art Education Matters When Educating the Workforce of the Future
Over and over our team has seen in personal and professional experiences that one of the best ways to build empathy, innovation, and critical thinking skills in children and clients alike is through art. We’re discussing why art education matters on the blog.
Read the article here >
Case Study: MapMyPath
College degrees can help students access new opportunities, find economic stability, and even break cycles of poverty. But the cost of earning a higher educationdegree is skyrocketing, and many students are leaving school with crippling debt. To combat this trend, we worked with Texas OnCourse to design a solution for transfer students. Learn about our research findings and human-centered recommendations.
Read the MapMyPath case study >
“Why Design?” Fireside Chats
Have you seen our “Why Design?” Fireside Chat series? In these one-on-one video conversations with design, technology, and business leaders, we’re discussing how design impacts their industry — and opportunities to evolve the world of learning at all levels. Hear from Dr. Stacy Landreth Grau, Allan Chochinov, Raphael Arar, Austin Dannhaus, and Jonathan Lau.
Watch now >
Pulling Back the Magic Curtain of Design
The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing us to rethink our approach to product requirements gathering and co-design. For our team at Modernist, the combination of client (and designer/researcher) isolation plus new cloud-based design tools are opening up more avenues for how we approach co-creation activities with clients — and it’s getting us to better results, faster. Modernist CEO Matt Franks shares key learnings and advice for remote collaboration on the blog.
Roundtable Discussion
If you haven’t seen our roundtable discussion with leaders in technology, founders of companies working on revolutionizing education at all levels, and a recent graduate from UT Austin, watch it here! Each perspective highlighted stories of the real people who work within education. We hope you are as inspired by these conversations as we were.
Finding Inspiration
Our team’s shortlist of what we’re reading, listening to, and learning from.
Dare to Lead: Success vs. Mastery
Hear from Dr. Sarah Lewis on redefining failure, harnessing the creative process, and the difference between success and mastery in this episode of Brené Brown’s “Dare to Lead” podcast.
Listen now >
The Design of Everyday Things
Don Norman’s guide to human-centered design shows why usability is just as important as aesthetics. “The rules are simple: make things visible, exploit natural relationships that couple function and control, and make intelligent use of constraints.”
Read the book >
A Pick-Me-Up for Parents
Erica Truxler & Kevin Evers talk about how to deal with feeling overwhelmed and generally running on fumes from teaching their kids and working from home for the last year (including hiding from their kids during Zoom calls).
Listen now >
The Evolution of Teamwork
Atlassian CEO Scott Farquhar talks to Azeem Azhar about the evolution of teams and disrupting the future of work on this Harvard Business Review podcast.
Listen now >
Thank you for joining us on this month’s Design Futures journey. Let’s keep imagining what the future can be.
Take a look around our website to learn more and get in touch.
— Modernist Studio
