As a joke, we once asked Chat GPT “what is social design?” We got a surprisingly apt answer, but isn’t it strange that we’re asking an AI chatbot to explain our own field of work to us?? Of course, on one side it was just for fun, but we also noticed that for many people, the term “social design” raises more questions than it provides answers. After all, what exactly is social design? And what can you use it for? How can we explain this without getting caught up in academic terms or philosophical considerations? We are going to try answer these questions below.
Today, when we ask Chat GTP what social design is, the answer is as follows:
Social design refers to designing systems, processes, and structures with the aim of promoting social improvements and addressing problems in society. This field integrates principles of design thinking and social sciences to create solutions that are not only aesthetic and functional, but also have a positive impact on society as a whole.
If you ask us, social design is mainly about the question “What is really necessary?” What is involved in a particular (social) issue, who is involved and how. How can we, with our skills as designers and (design) researchers, make a positive impact on this issue - making the world more inclusive, sustainable and beautiful for us all?
Research
Our clients often come to us because they have an idea of the problem and the opportunity for improvement, but get stuck on the question of what to do next. People are often looking for research experts to identify the problem and make recommendations.
We would never be able to design what is really needed if we did not do extensive research first. One of the most important things is involving our client's target group. These are often vulnerable groups, which we need to deal with sensitively. We need their vision and lived experience, we need to know what are their values andneeds, what are they up against and how can we make a difference? In our research, we therefore always speak extensively with the target group, but also with the surrounding network, for example family, (medical) therapists or system experts.
In addition to target group research, we also look at existing scientific research,knowledge that is already available, whether there are other initiatives that have been used to address similar problems and what can we learn from them. We are looking for structures and connections that we would not be able to make without collecting all these insights. We are looking for that one insight that can shift our perspective, and that of our client. That's where often the magic happens, an eureka moment. If we look at an issue slightly differently, we suddenly see a lot of new opportunities. The real out-of-the-box thinking!
Co-creation
When we know where the problem really lies, the solution often suddenly feels very logical: “Why didn't we come up with this sooner?” But that is precisely what results from co-creation: the cooperation between Ink Social Design, the client and the target group is sacred. We are here to offer new perspectives. We can do this because we have a diverse team, from behavioral scientists and design researchers, to actual designers.
Based on our research, we determine the most valuable directions. These are actually rough proposals for a possible end product. Together, we decide which direction(s) we are going to take. Once the direction has been determined, co-creation remains one of the most important tools for achieving a good end product. We stay in constant conversation with the target group to mirror every step in the design process. Are we really designing what the target group needs? Big questions play a role in this: does this way of contacting someone else feel comfortable for our target group? But also small questions: what use of color has the desired effect on our target group?
We also look at our client: are there the right resources available to bring this project to life? How can we ensure that we actually create the intended impact?. Ensuring the feasibility of a project is a responsibility that we all feel at Ink Social Design and one of the reasons that we often work with our clients for long periods of time.
What can you do with it? The final product
So what do we actually design? Chat GPT answered “systems, processes and structures”. But the reality is that it can be anything. Because the desired impact comes first, so it is not about the end result or a shiny design. From a service design, where, for example, we ensure that people in financial need are linked to the right assistance tools (Geldfit), to a digital environment such as the YOU app, which we developed to give young people more autonomy over their health. Or a very tangible result, as is the Bouw Box design for ABN AMRO - a box of blocks with a special message for all expectant parents who work at ABN AMRO. The outcome is always form-free; we do not know in advance what the end result of an assignment will be. This freedom ensures that we can always design what is really needed.
And then, in fact, comes the real work. How do we ensure that a new idea also has a measurable impact in practice? Our design process always ends in a prototype. We are going to test it extensively. The target group is involved again, as are the stakeholders and the client. We gather feedback, measure results, and go back to the drawing board. The practice can be unruly, which is why prototypes are so important. This way we ensure that the implementation of the intervention is feasible and that the impact is guaranteed. And that is social design.
