This document provides an overview of the emergence and growth of the design for social impact movement from the 1980s to 2010. It traces some of the key events and organizations that helped establish social impact design, including IDE started by Paul Polak in 1981, Design that Matters started by Timothy Prestero in 2003, and numerous other initiatives in the late 2000s. The document also outlines proposals for developing the design for social impact field into a more cohesive and collaborative "operating system" through initiatives focused on connectivity, visibility, robustness, and metrics/impact assessment.

1. Design for Social Impact
an overview of a movement

2. 2008. Jan. Heather Fleming, a Stanford Engineer-
ing alum founds Catapult Design.
2008. Jan. Emily Pilloton founds, Project H, a coali-
tion of designers for volunteer community projects.
2008. MAY, in partnership with the Rockefeller
Foundation creates “Design for Social Impact” kit.
1981. Paul Polak, a practicing psychologist, starts 2008. July. Continuum creates “Design for Social
IDE: International Development Enterprises. Impact” report after Bellagio, Italy workshop.
2008. AUG. Deb Johnson, director of Sustainability
2003. Timothy Prestero and MIT classmates start
at Pratt, evolves her initiatives into Design in Kind.
Design that Matters as a course in the Media Lab.
2008. Oct. IDEO in partnership with IDE develops
HCD Toolkit: Human Centered Design.
‘80 ‘95 ‘10
2006. Sep, Art Directors Club hosts panel discus- 2009. Feb. Worldstudio & Adobe start, Design Ig-
sion and start a potential revolution: Designism. nites Change, for students and local projects.
2007. May. Cynthia Smith curates “Design for the 2009. Nov. Winterhouse Studio and AIGA host, Aspen
Other 90%” at Cooper Hewitt Museum. Design Summit as a follow up to the Bellagio retreat.
2007. June. Valerey Casey founds Designers’ Ac- 2009. Nov. Emily Pilloton releases, Design Revolu-
cord, likening it to the Kyoto Protocol for designers. tion, book and plans for Roadshow.
2009. Dec. New York designers start, DesigNYC, to
connect pro-bono designers to community orgs.

7. The Designers Accord is a global
coalition of designers, educators,
researchers, engineers, and corporate
leaders, working together to create
positive environmental and social
impact.

11. 5
The
Challenge Design
At For
Hand Social
Impact
op
The problem is that this great form of Worksh
collaboration between design firms and
the social sector is still not affordable and
thus, not yet routine. Noted innovation expert
Clayton Christensen says that disruptive
innovation—the kind that makes the biggest
impact and goes on to reshape industries and
markets—democratizes scarce expertise.
It makes something that was once rare and
costly, routine and affordable.

12. BUILDING A SOCIAL IMPACT OPERATING SYSTEM
18 DESIGN FOR SOCIAL IMPACT JULY 2008 CONCEPTS DEVELOPED 19
This system is intended to create an open innovation network that fosters rapid and effective experiments
in the social sectors, in ways that embed clear metrics and feedback loops. Other aspects of the system are
designed to elevate the visibility and prestige of such projects. This should allow more designers to be
engaged in the sector with less friction, lower risk or cost, and greater impact.
STAGE
DEVELOP & CONNECT
1 STAGE 2
VISIBILITY, CREDIBILITY &
STAGE 3
ROBUSTNESS, SCALE &
MOMENTUM EFFICACY
Talent Farm
This stage is about pragmatism. Progress This stage is about big ideas and bold This stage is about pulling pieces
is more likely if attached to specific actions. With a year or two to plan, together to act as an integrated system. A talent attraction
initiatives: The problems are less abstract, foundations, corporations, NGOs, design mechanism to draw
the actions more concrete and tangible schools, economists, theorists, technolo- Mega Event world-class individuals
and teams to work on
proof of performance gets more apparent. gists coalesce in a very loose network, all
around a shared and timely theme. tough problems.
A thematic focused
AS THIS STAGE SUCCEEDS, Consider: the World Water Initiative event that will engage Analogy: Teach for
WE’LL SEE... Network—an early version of a larger, a diverse and only loosely America.
Significant increase in the number of more impressive, high momentum event connected ecosystem of
committed design organizations and teams several years later. social sector participants
partnering with NGOs New business (design firms, NGOs,
models to help design firms commit talent AS THIS STAGE SUCCEEDS, foundations, corporations, Collective Action Network
and time to social sector projects Power- WE’LL SEE... universities) to share
ful concepts vividly prototyped Case How social sector thought leaders and experiences from parallel The power of leveraged networks in which
work efforts around a any design firm, foundation, NGO,
studies steadily accumulating in the designers can leverage one another
common theme. corporation, or university can say, “I want
Knowledge Bank Emergence of simple Visibility and tangible progress around
Think: TED x Teach for to tap into this” and access the “system”
metrics, helping to give rise to better selected strategic topics The power of
America x Innocentive x with ease and transparency.
insights—pattern recognition, emergence, networks and loosely coordinated
Kiva. Analogy: Wikipedia, Craigslist.
and other scale effects 1-3 purpose decentralized actions—progress across
centered networks that focus on strategic
Global Design many fronts all helping to drive the Metrics and
issues in robust, integrated ways. Labs Knowledge Bank Young people engage Impact Index
in this movement and want to be present
Tools and systems that for the next event. Senior people wiling to Ratings systems that help
allow designers to be devote their personal or enterprise time, reveal the history, efficacy,
productive in the field and talent and effort. and impact of various
Initiative Centered support ethnographic NGOs, teams, innovation
analyses, rapid prototyping, initiatives, and projects in
Networks etc. Team work tools, ways that are increasingly
remote high speed Internet objective and transparent
Networks loosely stitched access, and good over time.
around a specific topic to documentation capabilities Analogy: FICO Credit
gain connected leverage. are all essential. Scores.
Knowledge Bank
A robust global archive of
activities, knowledge and Metrics “Lite”
progress around topics.
Initially, a simple system to track progress
and score initiatives: Did the project work
or not? What results were achieved? Over
OH, AND LET’S NOT FORGET...
time the simple metrics will get steadily As statistician George Box famously observed, “All models are wrong and some are useful.” So we can be
more sophisticated.
highly confident that this early hypothesis is wrong in ways large and small. Still, if we work to understand
which things make progress faster than others, which pieces we can achieve in which time frames, and how
they interconnect, then we have a fighting chance to make real and collective progress.

20. The Triple Bottom Line...
People
Sustainability
Planet Profit

24. ign History: 2003 Beta Prototype
n that matters I N N O VAT I O N
FOR SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
design that matters
TM
I N N O VAT I O N
FOR SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

25. Incubator with neonate inside
25/39 design

27. According to literacy teacher, Martine Sogoba in Digani, Mali: “It is better,
because without [the Kinkajou], when the teacher is writing on the board,
students wait in the dark in vain, and they do nothing. We lose much time
and the quality of handwriting is not good.” The Kinkajou is also increasing

28. 90% of a designer’s time is spent on
the richest 10%”
- Paul Polak

29. morality
creativity
spontaneity
problem solving
lack of prejudice
acceptance of facts
Self-actualization
self-esteem, confidence,
Esteem achievement, respect of/by others
Love/Belonging friendship, family, intimacy
security of: body, employment, resources,
Safety morality, family, health, and property
breathing, food, water, procreation, sleep,
Physiological homeostasis, excretion

30. morality
creativity
spontaneity
problem solving
lack of prejudice
acceptance of facts
Self-actualization
self-esteem, confidence,
Esteem achievement, respect of/by others
Love/Belonging friendship, family, intimacy
security of: body, employment, resources,
Safety morality, family, health, and property
breathing, food, water, procreation, sleep,
Physiological homeostasis, excretion

31. Roundtrip to Bamako, Mali: $1,554
Roundtrip to South Bronx: $4

32. R
M

33. The 9 Steps to Practical Problem Solving:
excerpts from Paul Polak
1. Go where the action is.
2. Interview at least 25 customers per project.
3. Context matters.
4. Think like a child.
5. See and do the obvious.
6. Leverage precedents.
7. Design to specific cost and price targets.
8. Visit your customers again. And again.
9. Stay positive.

34. 2010 Hear Create Deliver
Engagement
Action
Impact Measurement