Human Centred Approaches to Systems Transformation
Webinar Host
Jillian Mah
Community Success Lead
Overview
Human Centred Approaches to Systems Transformation
September’s Throne Speech said it best: “COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerabilities in our societies.”
There is, perhaps now more than ever, an urgent push to get a better hold over the social issues affecting our communities. With urgency comes a need for immediate action, actions that can be sweeping in nature. But issues are complex – there is no straightforward, one-size-fits-all solution that will meet the needs of everyone. Taking our cues to “build back better” and leveraging technologies that are accessibly within reach, now is the time to probe problems in more depth, to find effective and longterm solutions
Take-Aways
In this webinar, you will learn:
Participants will explore how applying approaches such as Human Centred Design, Design Thinking and Systems Thinking will foster an environment of continual learning and understanding of people’s needs in order to effectively resolve complex social issues.
Featured Speakers
Kelsey McColgan
Assistant Professor at Mount Royal University
I teach courses spanning from the introductory to senior level, focusing on design processes and research methods, collaborative creativity, effective critique, systems thinking and mapping, data visualization, visual identity systems, interaction design and instructional design. Most notably I redesigned our introductory and capstone courses with a focus on transformative learning experiences and in alignment with an external program review as well as the changing requirements of technical and soft skills needed in today’s working world.
Read
Dr. Lesley Ann Noel
Assistant Professor
Lesley-Ann Noel is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Design Studies at North Carolina State University. She has a BA in Industrial Design from the Universidade Federal do Paraná, in Curitiba, Brazil. She has a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago. She earned her Ph.D. in Design from North Carolina State University in 2018.
Lesley-Ann practices design through emancipatory, critical, and anti-hegemonic lenses, focusing on equity, social justice, and the experiences of people who are often excluded from design research. Her research also highlights the work of designers outside of Europe and North America as an act of decolonizing design. She also attempts to promote greater critical awareness among designers and design students by introducing critical theory concepts and vocabulary into the design studio e.g. through The Designer’s Critical Alphabet.
Read
Kathryn Arnold
Senior Design Researcher
I work with organizations to hone and execute innovation initiatives, and new product development through behavioural design and evaluation. I have a passion for learning, a keen interest in community, and a natural curiosity about people and why they do what they do. Most importantly, I am interested in demonstrating how these behaviours and decision points enhance organizational goals and the broader system and aren't a separate consideration.
Trained with a theoretical grounding in social/behavioural sciences and systems thinking, I work at the intersection of research, evaluation, and user experience design. I utilize my background in qualitative/ethnographic research methods and behavioural theory to uncover important insights that reimagine the delivery of services and client experiences for innovation and transformation.
ReadWebinar Host
Jillian Mah
Community Success Lead
Jillian is a deep listener, a mindful designer, and a forward thinker. She holds a degree in Information Design from Mount Royal University and has experience working on consulting, information strategy, research, and creative innovation teams.
Jillian is passionate about working towards systems change through designing experiences that are meaningful, educational, and empowering. She is intentionally curious, and recognizes that information design is not only about solutions, but also an act that requires awareness, intent, learning, and wonder.
