Cure for a COVID Hangover: Human Centred Design for a Changing World

CONTEXT

We often hear necessity is the mother of all invention.

Rarely has this become so apparent to so many in such a concentrated period of time, than now.

Forced lockdowns, unemployment or WFH and cleared social calendars have narrowed our focus and restricted our locus of control. For those of us mostly used to getting what we want, when we want and how we want, COVID has granted an opportunity for us to zero in on what matters by providing more of that most precious of all non-renewable resources: Time.

Time to reflect.

To be creative.

Time in which to reimagine. 

And invent anew.

Putting aside temporarily the heartache, grief, separation, isolation, disruption and that bloody pervasive reliance on technology instead of human interaction brought on by these enforced #lockdowns, the reality of WFH, restricted travel & movement have resulted in opportunities to revisit our worldviews, to re-engage with ourselves and others. To refocus on the importance of human connection and #socialemotionallearning. Suddenly, as if waking from a deep slumber, we seem to be amidst a more ready acceptance of a bigger picture beyond the now. Beyond the immediate gratification usually provided by more material, mundane and quantifiable possessions.

CONTENTION

The real question we ought to be asking then, is: 

what positives emerged from these interminable rounds of walking the dog, binging on Netflix, baking sourdough or fermenting kombucha, online drink sessions with mates, one more round of garage yoga or simply continuing to 'hide under the doona' between lockdown 1.0 right through to ...., well now, Lockdown MK 6.4?

An increasing shared understanding, awareness, acknowledgement and (hopefully) acceptance that we live in the "age of the human".

An indisputable recognition that everyone thrives when #socialemotionalwellbeing is factored in as being just as important as academic achievement or economic productivity.

More discussions about #thegreatreset, #betternormal and #bettertogether

More time to bake with the kids. Work on the garden. Read. Play board games. Write.

Isn’t that positive?

Surely these are all balms to help soothe trauma from 18 months of a global pandemic that shows little sign of abating?

CONTENT

“Old ways of doing, to ... ”

Covid has given us the breathing space to reconsider existing systems that, for all the progress in standards of living and advancements in technology, have seen a rising incidence of insidious datasets: mental health issues, sliding student & employee engagement statistics, declining institutional public trust, gloomy employment forecasts, ongoing disparities in income and gender, as well as ever increasing debt levels and family breakdown rates….. We’re witnessing division and polarisation at multiple levels: from international systems to regional alliances, from national frameworks to local governance. COVID has driven the final knife into the dream of neo-liberal, trickledown economics which have failed and reasserted the role of big government and collectivism.

Clearly the way the market is currently oriented, the way society values and prioritises particular skills over others, the way we measure that which we hold dear is resulting in skewed outcomes that have a detrimental effect on the sustainability and viability of the system. If we accept this argument then it follows that continuing with a ‘business as usual’ approach is unsuited to addressing such underlying ailments. A future of convergence therefore means opportunities for ‘new ways of doing’ to counter fake news, division, inequality, inequity, prejudice, and a lack of understanding or empathy.

“Old ways of seeing, to ... ”

The disruption caused by the global pandemic and wave after wave of lockdowns let the genie out of the bottle: like some gigantic sigh exhaled during an intervention, the importance of personal connection, community and collective suddenly become more apparent than ever before. An avalanche of ubiquitous hashtags (#thegreatreset #rainbowtrail #bearhunt #communitymatters #connectivitymatters #BLM #heforshe #Istandwithyou #illridewithyou #pride #metoo) clamouring for change was a sign of the times. These were symbolic of the ingenuity emerging from an unprecedented period of disruption. In isolation these seemingly might be considered innocuous. But the weight of numbers matters. Over time these collectively become illustrative of more fundamental and foundational changes in narrative that shape societal values, norms and expectations.

The ability of progressive societies to thrive is dependent on efforts to build and contribute to its human and social capital. Our time of hyper-connectivity brings great possibilities for such innovation and collaboration which, along with access to more information, tools and resources than ever before, help convert dreams and ideas into reality. What emerged from lockdown then were ‘new ways of seeing’, an aspirational lens through which to live and engage with the world and frame our future.

“Old ways of being, to ... ”

Enter centre stage: ‘human centred design’.

The dawning realisation of our interdependence has consolidated on earlier moves towards more informed, insightful and inclusive approaches to ‘leadership for learning’ that contributes positively to human and social capital. Bespoke, personalised, flexible, agile, tailored, adaptable and nuanced approaches to systems design is now ‘de rigor’.

From federal implosions (State government border closures), government agencies (JobKeeper roll out), to educational institutions (microcredentials), local business (click & collect) or social enterprises (for purpose or B corp certified) and boutique gig economy pop ups (micro-wedding anyone), business practices and social norms shifted “overnight”.

Community expectations pivoted away from rigid, centralised, reactive, transactional and didactic structures (that viewed customers as consumers quantified in numerical volumes) to responsive, proactive, intuitive, relational and empathic systems (that viewed clients as real people whose goals are intertwined with that of the company).

Almost overnight we saw communities stand up and pitch in when facing fires, floods and frustration (over sexual harassment in workplaces like parliament or simply lockdowns)! We saw awardees (Grace Tame speaking truth to power), business leaders (Mike Cannon-Brookes’ Fairdinkum Power and SunCable), star athletes (Naomi Osaka withdrawing from Wimbledon for mental health reasons), celebrities (Robert Deniro calling out Donald Trump), politicians (Jacinda Ardern’s NZ government taking a 20% pay cut during the pandemic) and even children and youth (Greta Thunberg or Amanda Gormann) also taking the lead in resetting the social narrative; one of shared responsibility and a collective solutions-focused approach. Towards, ‘new ways of being’.

CONCEPTS

Covid has been our opportunity to collectively coalesce around these ‘new ways of being’ so that we might ride the up-scaled, ever-changing, super charged challenges (Climate change, over population, people movement) of what geologists refer to as the Anthropocene era, the human age.

By virtue of its label, the age of the human calls for mindsets, dispositions, aptitudes and worldviews that reflect our true needs: purposefulness for meaningful lives. Such an approach creates conditions that facilitate innovation, agency, engagement, collaboration, and self-determination. These are all opportunities that contribute to the collective wherewithal and build the social capital required for us to design programs, processes and policy initiatives that help resilient and progressive societies to thrive.

e²: educational ecosystems works on shaping and influencing human centred norms through several models designed to activate the very best in us.

e² designs evidenced based models that help us translate abstract values like wellbeing or human centred, or mindsets and dispositions such as divergent thinking, nuance and systems design into action through scaffolded and practical interventions. The models are built on experience that helps owners, entrepreneurs, leaders and educators to action and redesign their approach to business strategy, structure, workflow, product or service so all are intentionally aligned with current best practice.

CHALLENGE

e²’s workshop challenges attendees to reimagine their world and how they might implement human centred design in their lives.

The workshop adopts a “learn by doing” approach that enables real time application of e²’s learning models to each participant’s personal context.

Attendees will be asked to draw from their own real world lived experience of a success story and share with others. The exchange builds connectivity; from which empathy is fostered. Empathy is the key to unlock creativity in our thinking because others’ success forms the genesis for innovation. The unpacking of each example helps identify the common characteristics and attributes that have lent to success. Finally, attendees are invited to consider how such solutions might be applied to their own unique contexts.

e²’s workshop is facilitated by an expert educator who is adept at facilitating such interactions in groups of all ages, demographics and is a design that was successfully prototyped in UNESCO’s Futures of Education collaboration.

No prior knowledge or experience is required. Just bring along your humanity and a willingness to learn and think.