It's super easy to create digital content now, but that means we're drowning in low-quality stuff. Everyone's glued to their devices, scanning boring, formulaic articles. There's way too much generic content out there, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and disconnected. We need originality to think and engage meaningfully, or we'll just keep swiping ..read more

Our dependence on digital navigation tools like satnav maps may disconnect us from the broader landscape. Human-centered design, though important, falls short in addressing complex systemic issues. Embracing a shift towards design for living systems may offer better solutions. Relying solely on digital technology may lead to a loss of context and agency, demanding a redesign of design itself ..read more

Perspective-taking is the intentional act of changing the frame in which you view things. We can design for it and, if we’re fortunate, we can these perspectives to design us. It’s midsummer in the Northern Hemisphere, and it is often a time when things slow down, which allows me to gain a different perspective on ..read more

What happens when evidence is everywhere and available to everyone? If we all have the same guides to the same destinations, what does that mean for where we are going and is it where we want to go? In this latest article in my series looking at evidence in 2024, I look at what it ..read more

Artificial intelligence is now mainstream, and as it grows in use cases, learning, and spread, the amount of data it generates and uses will grow exponentially. What does this mean for evidence when all of this is created in environments where even its creators might not know how it’s generated? In this second article in a series on the state of evidence in 2024 I look at the example of artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is everywhere — or at least it feels that way. Generative AI tools are growing in popularity and availability, allowing people to create content, review existin ..read more

When we recognize the diversity in our nervous systems, the problems with most organizational planning models become more evident, and we can start designing them for humans, not ideas. If you work with more than one other person — and how many of us don’t? — you encounter diversity. When we design systems to improve our work, we design them to fit a singular model with certain traits in mind that are intended to transcend diversity. We do this in the hope of finding a system that works enough for everyone involved. It rarely turns out as we’d hoped. One of the great myths is that there is a ..read more

Impact is the ultimate outcome for any social change initiative yet it’s also the most elusive and poorly defined of our evaluation metrics in practice. How do we change this? In this first post in a series, I bring us into the world of understanding impact. Non-profits are in the business of making a positive difference in spaces that are ignored or neglected by other institutions society. Whether it’s a lack of governmental support, business investment, or shared infrastructure, non-profits work to fill those gaps through channeling social enterprise and innovation, charity, community mobil ..read more

A modern, global culture supported by technology has disconnected us from the rhythms of the natural world. The winter solstice reminds us of them. I’m writing this in that liminal space of the calendar between Christmas and New Years. It’s just after the winter solstice when things are the darkest in my part of the world and often the greyest. This year is no different, except for it being an El Niño year amplified by climate change which translates into a wet, green holiday season instead of one that looks closer to the picture above. I’m writing this from the Northern Hemisphere so keep th ..read more

Welcome to the Censemaking Methods Series where today we look at how to apply principles to guiding evaluation and strategy. This builds on our previous lessons on Principles-Focused Evaluation and the building blocks that underpin the approach. What are principles and why do they matter? Principles are anchors between values and strategy that allow for decision-making in turbulent times. They are your guides when confronted with uncertainty that connect your values to actions in a manner that points you toward your ‘true North’ when you are disoriented. In this post, we’ll look at how t ..read more

In this latest in the Censemaking Methods Series we look at the Prototype Death Rate, a metric for assessing innovation productivity. When an idea has matured enough in our design process, it’s time to create a prototype. This is a tangible or digital ‘mock-up’ of the concept that serves as its first real-world representation. Before launching the final version, a prototype allows us to scrutinize its functionality, identify bugs or flaws, and understand its strengths and shortcomings. It also allows us to find out what’s working, what’s needed, and where the design isn’t meeting needs. A key ..read more