Designing Inclusive Communities

Designing Inclusive Communities — page 3 — What Is Design Thinking Design thinking is a problem-solving process that inspires collaboration and community involvement Design thinking begins with empathy Empathy is the ability to understand the feelings and perspectives of other people In design thinking starting with empathy means that design thinkers try to understand the unique perspective of their user or the person who is experiencing a problem before designing a solution that will help them The process aims to solve problems the user experiences in a way that works best for the user not the designer Design thinking can be used to create objects such as tools or devices It can also be used to create systems and processes or ways of doing things Design thinking brings many minds together to create important solutions to problems in communities such as improving the lives of people in need by helping a local shelter 4

Designing Inclusive Communities — page 4 — Failing Forward Design thinkers test their solutions with the users to see how well it works for them Sometimes a design thinker’s solution does not work the first time Design thinkers then change and test their solution until it works well for their user This is called failing forward Failing forward is important in design thinking because the design-thinking process is iterative This means it is done over and over until designers find an idea that works Each iteration or loop through the process helps design thinkers improve their ideas Why Design Thinking Design thinking is often used by businesses to help create products and services that meet customers needs But design thinking can also be used to help people in your community Sometimes design thinking is known as public interest design it is useful for solving problems for the good of others Design thinking works best in groups and teams Luke Anderson Stopped the Gap When Luke Anderson was paralyzed in an accident and lost the use of his legs he learned how hard everyday life is for people who use wheelchairs He was frustrated because he was often unable to go into certain places usually because buildings had steps and no wheelchair-accessible ramps This frustration helped him develop empathy for other people with mobility challenges He realized how people with different physical abilities were affected by the lack of access to certain buildings and places He used this empathy to design the Stop Gap a simple portable ramp that can be easily placed at the entrance of any building that is not wheelchair-accessible Luke now runs an elementary school program that is available to any school that wants to use it Students learn about the importance of accessibility and inclusion and about using empathy to help make their communities even better places to live The students look for non-accessible stores and restaurants in their community and write letters to the businesses offering to help them get a Stop Gap ramp Installing a Stop Gap ramp is a simple way to make buildings accessible to wheelchair users 5

Designing Inclusive Communities — page 5 — The Design thinking Process the design thinking process is a set of steps that design thinkers can follow to support creative problem solving The process helps design thinkers to tackle big problems and develop user centered solutions There are a few different versions of the process but all of them start with empathy by putting the users needs first The design thinking process we will use in this book has six steps Empathize Develop a deep understanding of the user's needs Reflect Evaluate how well the solution met the user's needs Define Identify the user's point of view and define a problem to solve Test Share prototype with user and get feedback Ideate Generate many creative ideas as possible solutions Prototype Build a representation or model of the best idea

Designing Inclusive Communities — page 6 — Community Connections A community is a group of people who live work and play together Inclusive communities give all of its members a place and a voice Achieving this goal requires people to problem solve to remove barriers that can exclude members of a community This book guides you through the design thinking process step by step Case studies In an inclusive community all members can participate Participation is the act of being involved in something Community participation can take many forms including giving one’s time and talent to benefit others or taking part in sports youth groups local celebrations and other events expand your understanding of some of the barriers that can exclude and disconnect community members You will apply the process to develop user-centered ways to connect all of the people in a community Mindset Tips Be Positive Have a positive attitude and be confident in your ability to create solutions that will improve situations Say Yes There are no bad ideas An idea may seem wild or out there at first but it may lead you in new directions Be Brave Don’t let fear of failing stop you from being innovative Take a Break It is helpful to look at a problem with fresh eyes Mix It Up Team up with people you don’t usually work with Different perspectives can energize a group 7

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