Harnessing social networks for sustainability

Social design for
sustainability
Harnessing social networks and design thinking
to achieve sustainable outcomes

Presented by:
Grant Young
Email: grant@zum.io
Twitter: @grantyoung or @zumio

• I'd like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we're meeting today, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin
nation, and pay my respects to their elders past and present.
• In this session I’m going to explore social design for sustainability, looking at some examples of, and the
principles behind, harnessing social networks and design thinking with the aim of achieving sustainable
outcomes
• My presentation and associated notes, which includes links to further information, is available on the Zumio
website – the URL will be listed at the end of the presentation.

• I want to start today by introducing you to Gus the Boxer
• How many of you have heard of Gus?
• Gus says he is the designer for an accessories business. Gus runs the place - he doesn’t have an “owner” per se,
he has his “hoomin” who kinda works for him.

Home Profile Find People Settings Help Sign out

Name Gus the Boxer
Location Fitzroy, Melbourne
GustheBoxer Australia
Web http://www.Gusthe...
Bio rare white boxer dog
interested in red balls, I
work @haul, doing a
calendar for charity -
Following Lists LortSmith.com

667 1,321 52
following followers listed

@valeriekhoo Val when did u Tweets 3,113
become a footy hag ? Favorites
#aflswanskangas
about 3 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone in reply to valeriekhoo Actions
block GustheBoxer
report for spam

Checking out the Melb. Design Market. (@ Federation Square
w/ 11 others) http://4sq.com/4x7Tq0 Following
about 3 hours ago via foursquare

@TimboReid w00f
about 5 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone in reply to TimboReid

@juliancarter Charlie...it's a disgrace.
about 7 hours ago via Splitweet in reply to juliancarter

Ban puppies being sold in pet shops. http://bit.ly/cPZROF
Written, spoken & authorised by Gus the Boxer. Fitzroy.
about 7 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone View all…

RSS feed of
I needed some emergency comms. advice, so I went to see -- GustheBoxer's tweets
> (@ Code Name Max w/ @codenamemax)
http://4sq.com/7NEhOy
3:06 PM Jul 10th via foursquare

• I know this because he talks about his activitiesdog. (@ interests on popular social networking sites like Twitter...
Swimming time for this and Port Melbourne Dog Beach)
http://4sq.com/djbnIT

Further information:
• http://twitter.com/gustheboxer

Email Password
Login
Keep me logged in Forgot your password?

Sign Up Gus the Boxer is on Facebook
Sign up for Facebook to connect with Gus the Boxer.

Gus the Boxer Like

Wall Info Photos Boxes Shop

Gus the Boxer + Others Gus the Boxer Just Others

Gus the Boxer Ban puppies being sold in pet shops.

Written, spoken & authorised by Gus the Boxer. Fitzroy.
I am a rare white boxer dog mad
about red balls. I work @haul http://www.theage.com.au/national/rspca-calls-for-boycott-of-pet-
sitting in the window sleepin shop-puppies-20100710-104vy.html
mostly & designing collars. I
RSPCA calls for boycott of pet shop puppies
have done a charity for
LortSmith.com for dogs not as www.theage.com.au
lucky as moi --> You are here: Home » National » Article
http://GustheBoxer.com/

6 hours ago · Comment · Like
Information
Nick Keats, Susan Lambe, Maryanne Kimpton and 14 others like this.
Location:
29 Best St Maryanne Kimpton Dear Gus we need to help get rid of puppy
Fitzroy, Australia, 3068 farms also, that way it would harder for pet shops to get stock.
Phone: The RSPCA needs to have more authority than they have!!!! From
Milly
03 9486 7810
about an hour ago · 1 person
Birthday:
December 17, 2003
Gus the Boxer I have been very busy this arvo in my role as @haul online
personal shopping assistant.
628 People Like This
http://twitter.com/GustheBoxer
July 2 at 12:48am · Comment · Like

Tania Burford likes this.

Michael Roya Matthew Jade Craven If only one had an unlimited budget :-) Perhaps you

• And Facebook...
Wolfe Sumners Cheyne should advertise this service.
July 2 at 2:29am

• Gus is a bit of a celebrity, you see...
• http://www.facebook.com/GustheBoxer

• Hanging out with famous people, like Giaan Rooney - who posed with Gus for his Rock Star calendar...

The Gus the Boxer 2010 'Rockstar' Calendar features
famous North Fitzroy dog - Gus.

Gus & friends (think Live Aid 'We are the World' 1985 style)
have all donated their time and skills for this project. ALL
profits will go to Lort Smith Animal Hospital in North
Melbourne, Australia.

Gus recomends buying this calendar for yourself, the pet
nutter in your life and don't forget your dog needs a
calendar to keep organised.

If you live in an apartment and can't have a dog, gus will
glady be your virtual dog for 12 months for the low low
price of $25 + postage.

But wait, that's not all, if you are one of the first 100 to buy,
your calendar will be paw-o-graphed by the great dog
himself.

See calendar Preview

0417 538 744 (text me, I don't answer calls) e: gus@haul.com.au

© Gustheboxer.com 2009

• Which you can buy on his website
• The captions for the calendar came, of course, from Gus’ Twitter and Facebook friends
• The money he raises goes to the Lort Smith Animal Hospital
• Gus is the mascot for Fitzroy-based accessories company, Haul...

• http://www.gustheboxer.com/

Search

27.06 iPad CASE IN THE PAPERS
Melbourne's Sunday AGE featured our iPad case as
the 'Object of Desire'.

26.06 PINK MACBOOK SLEEVES
We finally have a few pink billboard macBook sleeves
13", 15", 17" in-store & online.

25.06 FRESH BATCH OF iPad CASE & FOLIOS.
• Their products are designed to be both attractive to their target market and reﬂective of the recycled materials
More iPad case, sleeve & folios are in-store &

from which they are made
• While not particularly “world changing”, I put forward this example of clever marketing by a sustainably-minded
small business as a light-hearted introduction to how social networks are being used in pursuit of sustainability
goals
• These tools, which include Facebook & Twitter, which I’ve just mentioned, and others with names like Flickr,
YouTube, wikis and blogs, among others, are being put to use for a variety of ends, including...

• http://haul.com.au

Email Password

Influence Quirky products that are Have a product idea? We’re taking Find products developed by
currently in development and you submissions for Product 0052 people just like you. Commit to a
can earn cold hard cash! now! Only 1 days left! pre-sale and get a sweet deal!

Browse The Quirky Store

Newest Accessories Toys Housewares Electronics

Go Caddy
Roll With It!

MSRP $65.00 71
$60.00 out of
970

Quirky’s Go Caddy is a versatile rolling cart
that’s perfect for toting around groceries,
laundry, and more! This ain’t your granny’s
cart… we’ve packed this product with tons of
functionality, along with an updated modern
desig ... more

Cloak
• ...product design. Undercover

• Quirky is an example of crowd-sourced product development company – where members of the Quirky
community put forward ideas which are then “influenced” – evolved and refined – by the community.
• Some designs are then put up for sale and a proportion of proceeds are distributed to the person who submitted
the product idea and any relevant influencers.
• This example reflective of a broader DIY mentality that can be witnessed across the web and open source
software communities, where people share information and skills, empowered by online tools.
• Quirky and its ilk seek to leverage what academic and author Clay Shirky calls the “cognitive surplus” - that is the
application of our collective abilities to activities outside of our traditional paid work, often at the expense of
television viewership.

• http://www.quirky.com/

Basic Account: Upgrade Welcome, Grant Young · Add Connections · Settings · Help · Sign Out

Home Profile Contacts Groups Jobs Inbox (2) More... People Advanced

The Australia and New Zealand Sustainability Circle
Discussions MembersAccount: Upgrade
Basic Jobs Search More... Welcome, Grant Young · Add Connections · Settings · Help · Sign Out
Forward this group • Got feedback?

Home Profile Contacts Groups Jobs Inbox (2) More... People Advanced
Start a discussion or share something with the group... Updates: Last 7 Days

Attach a link Social Innovation eXchange (SIX) Group Share Marian Gruber started a
discussion:
Basic Account: Upgrade
Members Jobs Search More... GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE Forward this group • Got feedback? Add Connections · Settings · H
Welcome, Grant Young ·
Discussions
My Activity (GRI) SUSTAINABILITY
Home Profile Contacts Groups Jobs Inbox (2)
REPORTING PROCESS WORKSHOPS: More... People
Would the group like these new discussions? or share something with the group... all new discussions »
Start a discussion 2 of 9 See Updates: Last 7 Days
AUGUST & SEPTEMBER; SYDNEY AND
MELBOURNE.
Attach a link
Corporate Responsibility days agoShareAustralia
6
Network comment
Add Brodie McCulloch started a
Two March A&NZSustain events open to public selling fast Meet discussion:
Richard Bolt Secretary Victoria DPI , Melbourne on March 24th and Members Discussions Jobs Search More... When it comes to Social
7 people have joined the group, Forward this group • Go
hear... My Activity ago
• 4 months Innovation...every State is different |
including Bree Sutherland, Doug
Open Forum | Independent public policy
Boddy and Melissa Neighbour
See www.anzsustain.com like these new discussions?
Would the group Start a discussion or share15 See all new discussions » Updates: Last 7 Days
1 of something with the group... think-tank, blogs & forums |
23 days ago
openforum.com.au - openforum.com.au
Like Attach a link Share Francis Wilkins comment
SF +Pass Comment More
Acumen and SOCAP10 Present: SOCIAL ENTERPRISE FROM Gareth Johnston startedisa “I mention the Social Innovation eXchange in this
What is it that you like and
article but it really the help people quickly...”
SCRATCH SOCENTFROMSCRATCH.EVENTBRITE.COM • 1 month ago discussion: about networking? Either fa
Most Popular Discussions My Activity "Lion Nathan's days ago 1 comment
4 Indigenous
face or online.
[Jun 17, 2010] - [Hub SoMa - 901 Mission Street - San Francisco, CA... Community Partnership" 25th June
Nicolas de Potter commented on: 2 minutes ago 2 comments
James Cameron speaks to The Australia and New group like these new discussions?
Would the Zealand Sustainability www.anzsustain.com 1 of 17 See all new discussions »
23 days ago Add comment Hello from Louise, SIX Coordinator
Circle 5 people have joined the g
4 days ago 1 comment
There a few tickets left for cocktails with James Cameron next Thursday Comment
Like Pass evening. More
seeking EOI from the nations leading sustainability managers to including Eleanor Glenn, K
vanderVoort and Daniel Y
participate in an interactive roundtable. geoff.gourley@isis.com.au» • 3 daysSee all updates
RSVP to events@anzsustain.com if you would like to attend Simon Tucker has promoted 3 hours ago
Gareth Most Popular Discussions ago Louise Pulford to manager of
Stop Following Best regards Social Innovation eXchange (SIX) Peter Taliangis |Real Est
What is the relashionship between power and social change? Ads by LinkedIn Members
Group Agent|93139100 started a
Gareth posted 1 month ago 4 days ago discussion:
Like Pass Free Lipstick
Comment More
posted 1 month ago Perth based? Visiting Perth
Nick Adlington 9 days ago • Yep, that pretty much nails it for me. If one person or a Purchase $25 in products and receive a Moving to Perth? Breakfast Network
See all updates »
collection of people can somehow fuse aspects of power (especially »
See more when ... » free lipstick of your choice.
23rd July. RSVP and details below -
Follow Susana Most Popular Discussions dates for the rest of 2010.
International Translation
See all 8 comments »
"Lion Nathan's Indigenous Community Partnership" 25th June that you like and loathe about networking?15038 and ISO 9001 by LinkedIn Membersday ago
What is it Either face to face or
Ads
1 Add comment
Award-winning EN
www.anzsustain.com online. certified All languages, All media.
posted 21 days ago Cash Management Training See a
• Of course, by deﬁnition social networking sites are built upon actual social networks – people date with
Anika McManus, Sustainability Leader, Lion Nathan Details:
25.06.2010 Bring your treasury skills up to connecting with
each other.
• The Linked In professional networking site supports business people connecting with their peers, and the site
hosts groups where people can exchange information and support each other around a variety of topics.
• On-screen I’ve highlighted just three examples of groups within Linked In focused on sustainability, CSR and
social innovation here in Australia:
• The A&NZ Sustainability Circle: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=2379226
• Social Innovation eXchange: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=117523 -- AU VERS?
• and Corporate Social Responsibility Network, also known as “CORNA”: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?
mostPopular=&gid=2787647

Email Password
Login
Keep me logged in Forgot your password?

Sign Up Ernst & Young Careers - Australia is on Facebook
Sign up for Facebook to connect with Ernst & Young Careers - Australia.

Ernst & Young Careers - Australia Like

Wall Info Apply Now Events Student Experienced

Filters
Ernst & Young Careers - Australia There’s no substitute for getting to
know us in person, so make the most of the RMIT Vacation Work Expo. It’s
an ideal opportunity to discover more about Ernst & Young, and our
Vacationer Program and Career Compass Program.

Applications open 19 July 2010 and in Melbourne close at 12:00 noon
Vacationer Program - 18 August...
See More
RMIT Vacation Work Expo
Get to know Ernst & Young Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 12:30pm
Australia. Write on our Wall or Storey Hall, RMIT City Campus, Swanston Street, Melbourne
start a discussion with other
people interested in getting to about an hour ago · Comment · Like · RSVP to this event
know Ernst & Young.
Richard Blanch likes this.

14,098 People Like This
XuanLy Nguyen Dear Ernst & Young,

I heard saw from your website you are opening the grad program again in
Brisbane. I am really excited for that. When doing the application, i really
D-lal Al-r Michael Ankur Puri
don't know how to answer those behavioural online questions at its best.
Vorster Is there any recommendation how to write answer for those questions?

Thank You
Friday at 6:19am · Comment · Like · Flag

Matthew Travis Forbet Ernst & Young Careers - Australia There’s no substitute for getting to
Avery Wallace Mateo
know us in person, so make the most of the University of Technology
Sydney Vacation, Internship & Volunteer Fair. It’s an ideal opportunity to
discover more about Ernst & Young and learn more about our Vacationer
• This networking extends to recruitment – here we see Ernst & Young’s graduate recruitment efforts on Facebook.
and Career Compass Programs. Stop by and say hello!

• They use this space primarily in support of their graduate program. They announce new intakes and career
nights, as well as answer questions about the application process. They also provide videos highlighting the
culture of the company and what it’s like to work there.

• http://www.facebook.com/eycareers

Image: mdezemery @ Flickr – http://www. ickr.com/photos/mdezemery/295687769/
A deeper trend?
• But while these examples might be interesting in their own way, perhaps this is just a fad?
• Myself and others believe that these networks are representative of a deeper shift in the way people, businesses
and civic institutions connect with one another, resulting in deeper socio-political implications.
• In his book “Here comes everybody”, Clay Shirky describes how these technologies reduce the “transaction cost”
of organising, which is changing the organisational models we use to co-ordinate collective effort.
• Ezio Manzini notes these changes too, suggesting these technologies are an important component of social
innovation and sustainability, helping to facilitate the connection of small & local communities into larger, more
open & distributed networks.
• So, what’s some examples of the types of connections that can be made?

Image: mdezemery @ Flickr – http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/mdezemery/295687769/

• Take Kiva, which enables entrepreneurs in developing countries to access credit sourced from lenders in other
nations.
• Kiva enabling business owners to take out small, low-interest loans to fund the expansion of their business – an
approach known as “micro-credit”.
• While the average loan size < $400 USD, Kiva reports that they have distributed loans to a total of more than
$148 million USD, with a delinquency rate of <2%
• These technologies are also impacting government policy development...

• http://www.kiva.org/
• http://www.kiva.org/about/facts/

about future melbourne | contact us Search Go

Log In or Register

Discussion Edit Print version

Future Melbourne Wiki > FMPlan > WebHome
Home

The Plan

Table of Contents

Introduction

Vision

People Latest Press Releases

Creative + City of Melbourne & City of Sydney Share
Major Planning Award, 31 Mar 2009
+ City of Melbourne takes home prestigious
Prosperous planning award, 30 Oct 2008
+ Melbourne to become one of world's top 10
Knowledge most liveable & sustainable cities, 30 Jul 2008
more media releases
Eco-city

Connected Recent Changes

Strategic Growth Areas ConnectWithAGroup
DaleBowerman 11 Jul 2010 - 03:59
Headline Targets S3Resources
SarahLowcock 10 Jun 2010 - 11:11
Monitoring & Review ContactUs
SarahLowcock 26 May 2010 - 09:09
Print Plan
PoliciesAndGuidelinesDiscussio...
DaleBowerman 30 Apr 2010 - 12:26
Participation ResidentialSustainableMobility...
• ...with initiativestosuch as the Future Melbourne wiki project, produced and managed by CollabForge for the City of
Guide participation
PhilL 09 Apr 2010 - 12:09

Melbourne to provide an additional engagement option for citizens to contribute to the City’s 2020 sustainability
plan
• The site enabled a level of participation much greater than that achieved using more traditional consultation tools.
• These tools are also having an impact on organisational transparency...

• http://www.futuremelbourne.com.au/
Thanks to Melissa Tagget and Dale Bowerman from City of Melbourne for their assistance in this case study.

• ...with sites like WikiLeaks providing an avenue for whistleblowers to anonymously publish documents, some of
which have already had signiﬁcant political and media impacts
• Notable examples are the recent leaking of video showing evidence of a US Military attack that killed 12 civilians
in Iraq, including two Reuters journalists
• And closer to home, the site was host of a leaked ACMA “blacklist” that informed debate on the Government’s
internet censorship plans
• NGO and other advocacy groups are also using these tools to effect change...

Links:
• http://wikileaks.org/
• ACMA blacklist: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/
Australia_secretly_censors_Wikileaks_press_release_and_Danish_Internet_censorship_list,_16_Mar_2009
• Iraq video: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/soldier-charged-over-iraq-video-leak/story-
e6frg6so-1225889127062

Home About iTox + iWaste .mAct ProCreate iPush

We love Apple. Apple knows more about "clean" design than anybody, right? So why do Macs, iPods,
iBooks and the rest of their product range contain hazardous substances that other companies have
abandoned? A cutting edge company shouldn't be cutting lives short by exposing children in China and
India to dangerous chemicals. That's why we Apple fans need to demand a new, cool product: a
greener Apple.
Greenpeace International | Get full story | Blogs
What's new NOW? It's all streaming in live at the iBuzz page.

Breaking News: Steve Jobs announces change in policy

Africa (EN) Italy

Africa (FR) Israel

Argentina Japan

Australia Pacific Lebanon

Austria Luxembourg

Belgium (NL) Mexico

Belgium (FR) Netherlands

Brazil New Zealand

Canada (EN) Norway

Canada (FR) Papua New Guinea

Chile Philippines

China (EN) Poland

China (SC) Portugal
Nestlé, maker of Kit Kat, uses palm oil from companies that are China (TC) Russia
trashing Indonesian rainforests, threatening the livelihoods of local
• As the recent Greenpeace campaigns targeting Nestle and Apple demonstrate...
people and pushing orang-utans towards extinction.
Colombia Slovakia

• Nestle’s sourcing of palm oil from suppliers linked to the destruction of gorilla habitat came under scrutiny with
Greenpeace producing a dramatic video, campaign site and associated Facebook page for the campaign. Nestle
didn’t do itself any favours, handling its response to both the video on YouTube and community interaction on
Facebook poorly. But the campaign ultimately resulted in Nestle updating its policy in response to Greenpeace
and the community’s demands.

English Français Deutsch Italiano Português !"##$%& Español + Submit Photos »
View More Photos »

ABOUT ACTION RESOURCES MEDIA ROOM PEOPLE SIGN UP FOR UPDATES

What is 350? LATEST UPDATES: The 350 Team is in the mountains of Vermont to strategize about the future of the climate movement...

Last year, millions of people from nearly every
country on the planet were united by a
common purpose: to build a powerful global
movement to solve the climate crisis.

The slideshow on the left is just a sampling of
the more than 25,000 photos of people
uniting in a global call for 350, the safe upper
limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

October 24th, 2009 was called "the most
widespread day of political action in the
planet's history," with more than 5200 events
in 181 countries. We increased pressure
throughout the Copenhagen climate talks: we
lobbied inside, we protested outside, and we
organized thousands of candlelight vigils with
partners around the world.

But now the Copenhagen climate talks have
come and gone, and we don't have the fair,
ambitious, and binding treaty this global
movement--and the latest science--demands.

But this is not over: 2010 will be a crucial
year for the growth of the movement--and for
its evolution. Please join us.

See all the 350 photos on Flickr »
Africa | S.Asia | E.Asia | Europe | N.America |
S.America | Australia & NZ | Pacific

Submit Photos from an Action »

Check out our Media Room » Oct 24: Watch the video from the See the inspirational video from the
International Day of Climate Action » December 11-13 vigils »

350 Updates I AM READY for an ambitious, fair, and
binding global climate deal. I call on world
leaders to pass climate policies based on
sound science and strong enough to get us

• http://350.org/ is anotherBolivia keeps sights on an ambitious, fair,of individuals, outside of the traditional boundaries of
back to 350.
In 2010, example of the mobilisation

NGO institutions, to achieve environmental outcomes
• Leveraging strong community support for a carbon emissions target, the campaign invited participants to come
up with their own way of expressing support for keeping CO2 levels beneath the 350 ppm target
• Organisers did not specify much detail - a day of action and providing the infrastructure to co-ordinate and
promote events
• And with more than 5200 events in 181 countries - this demonstrates one of the key tenets of social media –
giving up control for inﬂuence...

Message

More Control More In uence

• In traditional media approaches we’re used to “controlling the message” and trying to get that message out to as
many people as possible, usually at great expense through advertising and media spend
• In this model, we can exert more control over the conversations closer to us – our own blogs, press releases,
websites, advertising and the like
• However, an interesting thing occurs as those messages disseminate out into conversations between peers
• The less control we have over the conversation, the more inﬂuence those conversations have in an individuals
decision making
• I want to take a moment to explore why is this so...

Image: victoriapeckham @ Flickr - http://www. ickr.com/photos/victoriapeckham/164175205/
The power of “someone like me”

• International PR ﬁrm Edelman runs an annual survey asking participants about who they trust for their
information - the media, scientists, politicians, their friends and family, and so on.
• Over the past few years, “someone like me” – people that we personally relate to - rank high in our level of trust.
• Intuitively I think we get this - if we’re after a recommendation on a restaurant or music, we are likely to trust our
friends. Well, the ones we think have good tastes anyway.
• Research into behaviour change also re-enforces the role of peers and social norms in effecting change.
• This can be seen in Les Robinson’s research into sustained voluntary behaviour change, which highlights the role
of peers as both a catalyst for, and as an important factor in achieving ongoing, behaviour change.
• This is important because, while often the emphasis of sustainability discourse is focused on the technical
aspects, such as “eco-efficiency” and “eco-design”...

Image: victoriapeckham @ Flickr - http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/victoriapeckham/164175205/

• ...increasingly we also need to encourage and enable changes in behaviour to achieve sustainability goals
• For example, Levis determined that about 50 percent of the energy consumption of a pair of their jeans occurs
after they are purchased - hot water use in washing and the use of electric clothes dryers being signiﬁcant
contributors
• Changing such behaviours requires thinking beyond the delivery of a product and into use, factoring in cognitive
biases and heuristics, concepts that are being examined in behavioural economics.

Label image + further information:
• http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/with-new-consumer-care-tags-levi-strauss-aims-to-reduce-
its-carbon-footprint/

Jeans image: http://www.levis.com.au/

• In summary...
• These trends have been growing for years – they’re not just a passing fad
• Customers are redeﬁning their relationships with business and institutions, seeking more meaningful
engagement with both
• This is triggering a rethinking of how we organise our resources to respond to customer needs, both inside
organisations, where interestingly, these same social tools can assist
• And outside, changing how we engage our customers to create value together – moving from models where
“consumers” passively receive products and services, to what Ezio Manzini calls “enabling solutions”
• Traditional approaches to organisation, product design and delivery are not well equipped to deal with this shift.
• For the remainder of this talk I want to focus on what I believe is an invaluable method for supporting this re-
alignment...

Image: foxspain @ Flickr – http://www. ickr.com/photos/foxspain/3293845578/
Social design

• Also known as “human-centred design”, “design thinking”, or “service design”, among other terms
• This method asks the question: what if we involved the people we’re serving in the design process?
• What if, rather than considering our customers as just someone to spread our message or buy our stuff, we
instead treated them as experts of their own domain that can contribute to solving their own challenges?
• Today I want to explore some of the elements of social design, illustrated by examples of successful application
of these concepts. The ﬁrst of these is...

Image: foxspain @ Flickr – http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/foxspain/3293845578/

Social design

Take your customer’s perspective

• Taking your customer’s perspective... which asks us to explore our challenges from the perspective of our
customers, as opposed to the more common approach of applying an organisational or technical lens
• Our aim is to understand the motivations and barriers to customers using our services, and seek out
opportunities to better support their needs
• This approach may be applied to improve an existing offering, as service design agency Live|Work did with UK-
based car-sharing service Streetcar...


02:06 07 Jul 2010

About Us | Join | Locations | Pricing | For Organisations | FAQs

Register for the Club

Book a Car

Member Login

Find your nearest
Enter your postcode

Go

Or click here to browse all
UK locations >>

About Us | Join | Media | Contact | FAQs | Terms & Conditions

Streetcar Limited - Registration No. 04525217 Registered in England and Wales.
VAT registration number 832 4283 39 Registered Office: Melbury House 51 Wimbledon Hill Road Wimbledon SW19 7QW

• Live|Work note that their goal in working with Streetcar was to create a “customer experience had to be better
than that of buying and owning your own car.”
• In seeking an understanding the customer’s perspective, they found that the biggest barrier was simply that
customers found the service difficult to comprehend
• So their response focused on communications – to explain the service more effectively via a simple 4 step process
• Streetcar has gone on to become the largest car share service in Europe
• In this example, social design is used to reﬁne an existing offering...

• http://www.livework.co.uk/our-work/Streetcar

• ...the Hippo Water Roller, in contrast, is an example of considering a user’s requirements to develop an innovative
new product.
• In many countries traditional water collection involves carrying 20 litre buckets of water from the local reservoir
to the village.
• This burden falls significantly on women and children, and can cause significant health issues.
• The Hippo is pretty self-explanatory - not only does it reduce the burden on the person carrying the water, it
increases the volume of water that can be transported to 90 litres
• This product doesn’t try to change the system, it just looks at the challenge from a user’s perspective and seeks
to find alternative ways of responding.
• Sometimes, however, the best solutions can only be found by [Zooming out for context]...

• http://www.hippowater.org/
• http://www.hipporoller.org/

Social design


Zoom out for context

• ...Zooming out for context
• This principle challenges us to take a step back and understand the context of use, not just the speciﬁc activity.
• For example, rather than simply considering how to make a more sustainable /car/, we might instead consider
the systems of /mobility/ that require cars in the ﬁrst place.
• In doing so, we may uncover non-obvious ways of meeting customer needs with potential to stand out from the
competition.


• A Better Place is a great example of this principle at work
• Long charge times and low range are often highlighted as being a key barrier to the uptake of electric vehicles
• Rather than thinking about how to improve electric car technology, they sought to overcome these barriers by re-
thinking the “fuel tank” and service stations in the context of electric vehicles
• Developing an innovative system of battery swapping approach and supporting infrastructure

Social design



Research

• One great tool we can use to understand your customer’s perspective and this broader context is to undertake
design research, speciﬁcally structured to facilitate a “deep dive” into the world of the people we are wanting to
engage
• While this research might include more traditional methods of quantitive surveys and focus groups, there is a
growing recognition within the business and design communities of the role ethnographically-inspired
observational research techniques can play
• One such example of this process being applied to sustainability is...


Low Carb Lane

• ...Live|Work’s “Low Carb Lane” project, as featured in Design of the Times in 2007.
• This project saw members of the Live|Work team spending more than a year with the community of Castle
Terrace in the UK.
• This deep research uncovered numerous challenges, as well as opportunities to overcome them – with solutions
ranging from the technical...
• ...an “energy dashboard” to make visible real-time of energy use and savings achieved by the energy efficiency
measures. This dashboard was reﬁned over time with input from the community.
• To economic – creating what they called “SaverBoxes” to support more capital intensive energy efficiency
measures – providing installation and products at no up-front cost, funded instead through the savings gained
from increased efficiency
• To the social – establishing a co-operative energy company
• I want to quickly present another example of research providing subtle, but powerful, learnings to support
behaviour change that revolve around...

• http://www.dott07.com/go/lowcarblane
• http://www.livework.co.uk/our-work/low-carb-lane

• ...a humble smiley face
Image: LoopZilla @ Flickr – http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/loopzilla/2203595978/

Image: brendan.wood @ Flickr – http://www. ickr.com/photos/brendanwood/2161236298/
Electricity bills & energy consumption

• Around 2007, a study was undertaken to see if households would reduce their energy consumption by publishing
comparative data about their energy usage compared to their neighbours
• The idea was to leverage our bias towards meeting social norms to decrease energy consumption

Image: brendan.wood @ Flickr – http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/brendanwood/2161236298/

3.8 kWh

Image: licensed from iStockphoto
2.9 kWh

4.2 kWh 3.5 kWh

4.7 kWh

• Some bills published the comparative ﬁgures as numbers – if your number was higher than your neighbours’, the
theory was you would be more inclined to reduce your consumption

3.8 kWh

Image: licensed from iStockphoto
2.9 kWh

4.2 kWh 3.5 kWh

4.7 kWh

• As expected, higher numbers resulted in an average drop in energy consumption
• What perhaps isn’t as expected is that lower numbers lifted to meet the average – that is, a rebound effect
resulted in higher energy consumption by people who were more efficient
• Not good news, however the study also tested an alternative approach...

Smilies image: //Amy// @ Flickr – http://www. ickr.com/photos/_-amy-_/2784838186/
3.8 kWh

2.9 kWh

4.2 kWh 2.9 kWh

4.7 kWh

• Some households were sent bills that simply had smiley faces, instead of numbers, representing their energy
usage in relation to their neighbours’
• A smiling face = below average consumption, a frowning face representing above average consumption
• And this did the trick: Higher energy consumers reduced their consumption
• But importantly, lower energy consumers remained at the same level of consumption

Smileys image: //Amy// @ Flickr – http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/_-amy-_/2784838186/

Social design



Research

Collaborate Co-design
Multi-disciplinary teams

Co-opetition
• In addition to research, there is another powerful way to involve people in the design process: collaboration
• I’ll jump in and expand on each of these through examples...

home get involved background resources team rules partners press contact

The design phase of the betacup is complete.
Learn more about the betacup and the people behind it, see all the ideas or see what others are saying.

Winners:

Jury:Karma Cup C1: The Betacup C2:Cuptokeep C3:The NextCup C4:The Neutral C5:Networked
& Betacup Resource Coffee Loyalty
Campaign Cup
See more...

What Others Say:

See more...

Partners:

• Betacup is a “crowd-sourcing” competition from a number of partners, including Starbucks and the online design
community Core77. Crowd-sourcing is an example of co-design, although there are a variety of models to
choose from.
• The organisers leveraged the [Jovoto platform]...

• http://www.thebetacup.com/

Access to all contests and ideas for community members only: Log In Sign Up

HOME ABOUT CLIENTS CREATIVES BLOG CONTESTS

What is jovoto?
jovoto is a marketplace for creative concepts.
We connect those who have ideas with those who need
them, providing the necessary tools to make the process
fun and fair.

Creatives
Sign Up | more info

Clients
Pricing | more info

Some clients we have worked with.
Projects on jovoto
Communication Strategy Communication Strategy Viral Campaign

DB Mobility Logistics AG Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen Smeet
The Eco Way Save Your Privacy Social Media Virus
10000 ! overall 2500 ! overall 2500 ! overall
about 1 month Left 27 days Left 14 days Left
Show Deutsche Bahn's ecological Data protection is a civil right! Get the word out about Smeet as
• ...Jovoto platform, which is similar in some respects to Quirky, which we saw earlier. It calls itself a “marketplace
engagement through creative Connect with us!
The Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen a brand in the social web via

for creative concepts” providing a platform that organisations can pay to use to connect to the Jovoto creative
community.
• The competition resulted in solutions ranging from...

Jovoto: http://www.jovoto.com/

• ...the social: the winning Karma Cup “points” system that creates a community programme that rewards existing
behaviour – bringing re-usable cups – while also promoting this behaviour.
• To the...

• http://www.jovoto.com/contests/drink-sustainably/ideas/4751

• ...engineered: CupToKeep re-usable, a collapsible cup that shrinks to 1/5 it’s original size to make transporting a
cup more convenient, while mimicking the experience of the traditional take away cup.

• http://www.jovoto.com/contests/drink-sustainably/ideas/4608

• The FastCompany biomimicry challenge placed biologists within multi-disciplinary design teams to respond to a
select number of problems proposed by companies, such as IBM.
• IBM were interested in how their smart city technology systems could be used to provide “overlays of information
[that] could help guide residents toward making better personal decisions for the good of the city.”
• The design agency Smart Design teamed up with biologist Mark Dorfman to use nature as an inspiration for an
approach to enable better collective water management in an urban environment. Their creative response
proposed ambient feedback systems that were a mix of high-tech and natural elements, mimicking nature’s own
ecosystem feedback mechanisms.

• http://www.fastcompany.com/1648801/biomimicry-challenge-smart-design-ecosystem-approach-to-water-
conservation-for-ibm

ABOUT GX S EARCH B IG IDE AS GX NEWS MEMBERSHIP CONTACT SIGN IN

ENABLE THE SUSTAINABLE
ECONOMY JOIN NOW
Help bring the network efficiencies of open innovation
to solving global problems of sustainability.

REDUCE A HOMEʼS CARBON
FOOTPRINT

USE A NEIGHBORHOOD
APPROACH TO RENEWABLE
ENERGY

BIG IDEAS
Above are just a few of the big ideas with big impact. SEE ALL
Click on one for details, or thereʼs plenty more inside. THE IDEAS >>

Quarry Rehabilitation for
THE GREENXCHANGE IS AN INNOVATIVE
Ecosystems: How Companies are
REVOLUTIONARY PARTNERSHIP THAT BRINGS Restoring Ecosystems...
TOGETHER COMPANIES, PEOPLE, AND IDEAS TO --None--
Green patent survey to provide
CREATE SUSTAINABLE CHANGE THAT AFFECTS inputs for climate change conference --None--
US ALL.
Scheme to save forests holds
SEARCH
TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE HAPPENS WHEN promise, risks
INDIVIDUALS ARE WILLING TO SHARE IDEAS, More news... rubber...
WORK TOGETHER, AND SEEK SOLUTIONS THAT
CREATE MORE EFFICIENT, MORE PROFITABLE, water...
AND MORE MEANINGFUL BUSINESS recycling...
OPPORTUNITIES/MODELS.
servers...
energyefficiency,...

• Increasingly companies are working out they can’t do it alone, and are looking to co-operate with other like-
reprocessing...

minded, and some times competitive, companies to achieve their objectives.
• GreenXchange is one such initiative where Nike, Best Buy and Creative Commons have partnered to share patents
related to sustainability
• Participants aren’t necessarily giving things away – they can set licenses for the use of the IP they submit to the
exchange and therefore earn revenue from sharing.
• They can also choose not to license to direct competitors while still allowing non-competitive uses of the IP

• http://greenxchange.force.com/

• Creative Commons is behind a number of initiatives that promote a “some rights reserved” copyright model, as
opposed to the more traditional “/all/ rights reserved”, to encourage sharing
• The GreenXchange falls under Creative Commons’ Science Commons initiative, which also covers the [Eco-Patent
Commons project]...

• http://creativecommons.org

Eco-Patent Commons
Home News
About the WBCSD Eco-Patent Commons to receive three patents from HP Media
GENEVA, July 1, 2010 - The World Business Council for Sustainable
Regional Network Publications & Reports
Development (WBCSD) announced today that HP has joined the Eco-
Patent Commons. HP has contributed three patents to this unique Case Studies
Focus Areas
initiative aimed at making patents freely available to enable the Events
Projects development of products that protect the environment.
Initiatives Member access
Dow and Fuji Xerox Join Eco-patents Commons, Xerox Pledges
Eco-Patent Commons Login
Additional Patent to Help the Planet
Overview Geneva, 20 October 2009 - The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) and Fuji Password
Q & A Xerox Co., Ltd. (Fuji Xerox), a joint venture between Xerox Corporation
and FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, have joined the Eco-Patent login
Eco-Patents Database
Commons, a first-of-a-kind business effort coordinated by the World -Sign up to our free e-
Urban Infrastructure
Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to help the newsletters/discussions
environment by pledging environmentally beneficial patents to the public -Forgot login/password
domain.

Eco-Patent
Ricoh and Taisei Join Eco-Patent Commons, DuPont Contributes Publications
Additional Eco-friendly Patents Brochure
Geneva, 23 March 2009 - Ricoh Company, Ltd., a global leader in
office solutions, and Taisei Corporation, a leading engineering
construction company, have joined the Eco-Patent Commons, a first-
of-a-kind business effort coordinated by the World Business Council Eco-Patent
for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to help the environment by Documentation
- How to join the Eco-
pledging environmentally beneficial patents to the public domain.
patent Commons
- Eco-patent classification
list
The Eco-Patent Commons, launched by IBM, Nokia, Pitney Bowes and Sony in
partnership with the WBCSD, was founded on the commitment that anyone who wants E-Newsletters
to bring environmental benefits to market can use these patents to protect the
environment and enable collaboration between businesses that foster new
innovations. The objectives of the Eco-Patent Commons are : Business & SD

To provide an avenue by which innovations and solutions may be easily shared Energy &
to accelerate and facilitate implementation to protect the environment and Climate
perhaps lead to further innovation.
Regional
To promote and encourage cooperation and collaboration between businesses Network
that pledge patents and potential users to foster further joint innovations and
the advancement and development of solutions that benefit the environment. Business &
Development
Since the launch of the Eco-Patent Commons in January 2008, one hundred eco-
friendly patents have been pledged by eleven companies representing a variety of Sustainable

• ...Eco-Patent Commons project which is hosted by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development
industries worldwide: Bosch, Dow, DuPont, Fuji-Xerox, IBM, Nokia, Pitney Bowes, Mobility

• Contributors to the project include IBM, Nokia, HP, Fuji-Xerox, Dow, Sony and others
• http://www.wbcsd.org/web/epc

Social design



Research

Collaborate
Iterate

• The last element of social design I’ll explore today is that of iteration
• Traditional project management techniques where process segments are separated – with design taking place,
then moving to manufacturing, then to marketing in distinct steps – are ill-equipped to respond to both the pace
of the competitive and legislative environment, nor to adapt to respond to learnings from our customers’
interactions with our products and services
• Iterative management helps address these challenges...


Research Envision

Evolve Create

Learn

• ...by reducing a complex project into smaller components delivered as early as possible so that they can be tested
in real use - this can help identify rebound effects, and how users co-opt or appropriate solutions in unexpected
ways – both positive and negative
• Early iterations will likely focus on prototypes and pilots, but an iterative approach can extend beyond a product
or service’s release to market
• On a small scale, effective prototyping can help with reﬁning products...

• Such as this energy monitor
• Where prototyping, along with observational research, transformed a product that was difficult to use, putting an
unwieldy monitoring device out of reach/eye-site of most users and transformed it into a much better adapted
form factor.

Case study and illustration in: Wever, R, Kuijk, Jv & Boks, C 2008, 'User-centred Design for sustainable Behaviour',
International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, vol. 1, no. 1.

B-Cycle

• But the principle can be applied to larger scale systems also
• In April 2010, B-Cycle launched in Denver, Colorado
• It is a state-of-the-art bike sharing program, a joint venture between health insurance company Humana, bike
company Trek, and advertising and design agency Crispin Porter Bogusky (Buh-GUS-kee)
• The system was first created and tested within Humana – with over 2500 staff signing up in the first few weeks.
• Then the partnership was created to start testing the concept more broadly. Denver is the largest roll-out so far
- the city wide service is the largest in America.
• A Better Place’s incremental roll-out internationally is another example of large-scale piloting & prototyping.

More information:
• http://www.collaborativeconsumption.com/archives/now_that_we_can_do_anything_what_will_we_do.html
• http://thefuturewell.com/2010/04/23/bcycle-building-health-and-community-and-saving-some-trees-and-
other-assorted-wildlife/
• http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/bcycles-big-bike-share-plans.php

Social design



Research

Collaborate
Iterate

• So just to recap these principles...
• I hope the examples I’ve presented outline how organisations are using the social design principles to not simply
respond to, but further to harness and embrace, these trends to achieve business, social and environmental
beneﬁts
• In addition, these methods can also reduce business risk – but that’s a topic for another conversation...


Image: damaradeaella @ Flickr – http://www. ickr.com/photos/damaradeaella/2822846819/
More information and download at http://zum.io/enviro2010/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License.
You can view this license at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/au/

Image: damaradeaella @ Flickr – http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/damaradeaella/2822846819/

Harnessing social networks for sustainability

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Dernier

Dernier (20)

En vedette

En vedette (20)

Harnessing social networks for sustainability

Notes de l'éditeur