When traditional approaches FAIL
Yestereve we journeyed over to OCAD for what may have been a disappointment. Fortunately, possibility was on our side, and we were presented with a life altering talk, delivered with humility and candour.
The talk was Out of Poverty: When Traditional Approaches Fail. It was at OCAD, hosted by the Art & Design Society of OCAD, and the Book sold out.
Dr. Paul Polak, founder of International Development Enterprises, a global non-profit organization that has helped 17 million people in developing countries escape poverty. His new book, Out of Poverty: What Works When Traditional Approaches Fail, exposes the flaws in Western efforts to alleviate poverty and offers effective alternatives. Dr. Polak’s talk will preview the highly anticipated Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum touring exhibition, Design for the Other 90%.
The Talk
Beginning with questions from the audience, was a sign that this was no ordinary design talk. His mantra of go, ask, learn, found its way into his very attitude. Starting from what we wanted to know more about, he was able to keep the audience involved.
Another great moment was when one gentleman asked something to the effect of:
How does what your doing address the existing structure of the global currency trade, and the conditions which have indebted these countries to international corporate interests such as the world bank? How does this solve the larger crises of external interests flooding local economies with cheap goods, and forcing governments to invest in opening borders only to be crushed by western business interests?
First response:
Would you like to take a breathe?
Second response:
I don’t know.
Third response:
Those larger issues are not things I can handle. I’m not sure how to solve those problems. I know how to do what I am doing, and that’s my starting point. Do you know what to do about those larger questions? Do you have an answer?
Gentleman:
Ummm, no.
This is really great. This honesty and openness is the attitude we should all adopt. Larger problems such as the macro-economic situation of the global lending organizations is not a problem which will be solved by one person, or even one method. Global problems have many heads, and to be tackled we must put our own many heads together. We must use the tools we know to empower those who are not yet able to focus on global problems. Once we get them out of a hand-to-mouth existence then we will have millions more heads on this problem. Likely, these global problems will become less significant as the affected ones become more free, and by that nature more responsible.
It reminds me of a quote that Alan seems to love, from a movie I’ve never seen and probably never will:
You think you can drive a car, and change the world? It doesn’t work like that.
–Dad
Maybe not, but its the only thing I know how to do, and I gotta do something.
–Speedracer
The Lessons
From process, to application, to result, Dr. Polak covered the different areas of focus and what it really takes to make design work. Though his learning has come from the world of less, his lessons address all the principles of design at its best. Small is beautiful, and cheap is beautiful, but most of all, and when you cover those two, useful is beautiful.
Take a tip from the Doctor, here’s your new prescribed process:
Go (to the place of concern) > Talk (to the people of concern) > Learn (from these people)
If you really think about it, this process brings us to one place where Designers seldom work; in context. The revolutionary methods of design for the other 90% is contextual and measurable.
Another pointer was to start testing immediately. If you have an idea, give it to 25 people, get them to use it. They will tell you what’s wrong with it. They know how to make it better. You just have to make the first one, and work with the people to better it.
Metrics are another key to the success of IDE and surely will be fundamental to his new project D-rev. Here’s something to sink your teeth into, a measure of success:
A measurable Impact should affect 1 million people, in the next 3 years, have a 1 year return on investment
It would seem beyond the explicit process of go, talk, learn, there is also an implicit process. This one picks up on our previous moving, talking, learning, and works with it to further the design:
Get in Context > Make (Something for people to use) > Measure (How well it worked)
The further we stand from our context, the less accurate our vision will be. The less we attempt to make things work, the lower our chances are for success. The fewer things we measure, the less of an idea we will have of what happened when all is said and done.
