WEBVTT

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OK.

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Good evening.

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Welcome, everyone.

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Hope you're all
having a great day.

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So hi.

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I'm John Ochsendorf,
long-time professor

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here at MIT in architecture
and also in engineering.

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And I'm directing the new MIT
Morningside Academy for design.

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We're just so thrilled with
the way today has gone,

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and we're really grateful to
our partners at Northeastern

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and Harvard and other places
to make this all possible.

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And I do have a very
quick announcement

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that right at the
end of this session,

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the MIT Museum is hosting
a reception, which

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is a fringe event.

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There are tickets for it.

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If you don't have tickets
already, please try to get one

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because I think it's
all the food and drink

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for $30, which is
kind of a deal.

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So hope to see you all
there at the MIT Museum,

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which is just next to
us, just behind us.

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I also-- just a little bit of
book keeping a huge team here

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at MIT and at MAD did a lot of
work to make today possible.

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So I want to give a special
shout-out to Adelaide,

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who's right here, to Mary--

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[APPLAUSE]

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[LAUGHS]

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And to Mary and Roy, Anna, Jen,
and to MIT AV, who's been great.

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So thanks, everyone, who
contributed to today.

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[APPLAUSE]

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And without further ado,
I'm excited to jump right

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into our panel.

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So we've invited four
leaders in design research,

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designing with communities,
not for communities.

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And so we're really
excited to hear from them.

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And our format is we'll have
four brief presentations,

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and then we'll have a little
dialogue between our four

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panelists, and then we'll
open it to the floor.

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So please do keep your
questions for our panelists,

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and we'll leave plenty of time
for discussion at the end.

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So first, I'm thrilled to
introduce Richard Perez.

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He's the founding director
of the Hasso Plattner

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School of Design Thinking
at the University

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of Cape Town in South Africa.

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He's come all the
way from Cape Town

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to be here with us in Boston.

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And he's got experience
both in the private sector

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and public sector
and in higher ed,

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leading human-centered design,
together with business thinking,

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management, and strategy,
and really tackling

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similar challenges to what
we're tackling here at MAD,

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trying to elevate design
across the whole university

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and have it as part of
a fundamental skill set

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for educated students and
citizens in the future.

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So, Richard, we're absolutely
delighted to have you here.

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And I'm going to introduce
all four panelists at once,

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and then we'll hear
directly from Richard.

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Next, we have Surbhi Agrawal.

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She is a recent graduate in
Urban Studies and Planning.

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She's currently an urban
technologist and planner

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at Sasaki here in Boston.

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And she's trained originally
as an architect and planner

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in Bhopal, India, and then at
TU Delft, I think, as well.

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And so looking forward to
hearing from you, Surbhi.

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And then we'll hear
from Amy Smith.

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Amy is a bit of a
legend around MIT

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because 22 years ago,
she founded MIT D-Lab,

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and she has a background
in mechanical engineering.

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But I think she's
happiest working together

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with communities where she
can not be reached by email.

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And so it's a minor
miracle anytime

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we get to be with Amy here.

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But no.

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She's an incredible
colleague and is really

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known around the
world for her work

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in participatory design
in a humanitarian context.

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And finally, we'll hear
from Adi Mehrotra, who's

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a current MIT
graduate student who's

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working in mechanical
engineering,

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but also has a
background in ECS and has

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been doing a lot
of exciting work

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together with communities,
in part together with D-Lab,

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which was founded by Amy.

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So without further ado, we've
got an exciting panel for you.

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And I'll hand it
over to you, Richard.

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Please join me in
welcoming Richard Perez.

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[APPLAUSE]

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Thank you.

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[INAUDIBLE]

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Fantastic.

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Thanks.

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Thanks, John.

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Thanks for the introduction.

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Wonderful to be here.

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I was just reflecting
with John the other day.

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I think a year ago, I
hadn't been to Boston once.

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Been to the states
a couple of times.

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But in the last year,
I've been here three times

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and every time really
enjoyed it and really

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loving the conference,
covering a lot

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of miles between
the various venues,

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as I'm sure everybody else is.

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But it's wonderful to see
the different campuses

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and to listen to the community
and the work that they do.

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So a little bit of
background about myself

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and where I come from.

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I'm from the University
of Cape Town.

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Recently started the Hasso
Plattner d-school Afrika,

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which is very much focusing
on building a design mindset

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and design capacity
in the students that

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come through the university.

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I'll talk a little bit about
the reasons for that now.

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We have a new facility,
and talking a lot with John

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about the similarities with the
new facility being built here

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and what we have on
the African continent.

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The University of Cape Town is
very traditional university.

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It's about-- it's on the
slopes of Table Mountain.

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It's about 200 years old-- just
coming under 200 years old.

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About 26,000 students.

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Very traditional-- commerce
faculty, health science faculty.

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Science, faculty.

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And really, our
role as the d-school

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is to try and touch on every
single one of these students

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to start building a design
mindset within the work

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that they do, the various
curricula that they follow.

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So that when they
leave the university,

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they've got these
critical mindsets.

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But what's very interesting
about South Africa

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is just the diversity
that we have.

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We have 12 official
languages, and students

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coming from all very different
backgrounds that come together

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at the higher education level.

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The reason we exist is through
the funding from the Hasso

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Plattner Foundation.

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Started the d-school at
Stanford University back in 2003

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and in Potsdam about 2007.

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And the foundation
has always been

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curious and excited to
see this way of thinking,

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this mindset, this sort
of design way of being.

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What could it look like in an
African context, emerging market

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contexts, the
complexity that we have,

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the diversity that
we have, and really

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start to bring more of a
Global South perspective

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on design and
design-led mindsets.

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Part of our mandate is very much
to build an African narrative.

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I think a lot of the work,
a lot of the literature,

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a lot of the vocabulary, a lot
of the tools and techniques

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are Global North-based.

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And in the brief period
of the last six or seven

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years that we've
existed in South Africa,

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we've noticed a
lot of limitations

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to these techniques and
vocabulary and tools.

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So a big part of the work
that we're starting to do

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is to build a network
across the continent,

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to start to learn from other
regions, other universities,

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and start to build that sort
of Global South narrative,

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really focusing on then
allowing Africa, South Africa,

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to start dealing with
the challenges it has

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and using its own tools
and techniques that it's

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created rather than
those necessarily adopted

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from the Global North.

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So just a little bit
of focus around what

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we do at the d-school-- a very
strong teaching and learning

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focus.

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I think we work with all
the undergraduate students

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across the university.

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We get them into the d-school.

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Whether it's a student
doing a law degree,

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get them in to start seeing
the world through a design

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mindset in the not so much the
language, their own language

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per se, but just starting
to bring their own culture

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into that work.

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So that when they
leave the university,

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and they go back into
their communities,

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they can actually start to
work with those communities

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and bring in a sort of a design
perspective in the challenges

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that they're going to face.

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We're recently building out
the Discovery and Learning Lab.

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And also one of the reasons
I'm here at this conference

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is just from a
research perspective

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where we can start to build
our own knowledge for the work

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that we do.

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And then facilitation
and support.

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A lot of design is
based in practice.

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And so building spaces and
places that we can actually

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test the work that we do in
the teaching and learning.

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So we've kind of created this
ecosystem where we can practice.

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We can test.

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We can teach, and
we can do research.

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And this goes across the
continent with our partners.

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So what's interesting
about South Africa?

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I think this is
2019 Time magazine.

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Some of you may remember this.

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But South Africa is known as the
world's most unequal country.

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It's got the highest
Gini coefficient.

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And although we're five years
in-- we've just had our local

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national elections--

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I would say probably since
2019, that gap has even

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widened further.

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And so what you land
up is you land up

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with students coming from
various very impoverished

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communities, landing up in
higher educational environments.

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They are-- they have the
academic credentials,

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but it's a kaleidoscope
of different cultures,

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different backgrounds
all coming together

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at a higher educational space.

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And that provides the
challenges, but also

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great opportunities.

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These are students
that have lived

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in very impoverished
backgrounds,

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in spaces, places with no
electricity, no running water,

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high levels of crime,
high unemployment.

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South Africa has about
47% unemployment rate,

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and youth unemployment
is about 65%.

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So huge, huge challenges.

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And so you have young students
coming from these backgrounds,

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often first in family
making it into a university

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educational environment.

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So also, they don't have
much support network.

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And so the opportunity for us
at the d-school is to work with

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students that come from
these sorts of backgrounds,

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as well as those that come
from the more privileged,

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and get them together and start
teaching them how to think like

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designers, how to start
solving challenges--

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challenges they've had when they
were back in their environments.

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But also, obviously,
challenges that they're

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going to face going--

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after they graduate.

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The student body, I would
say, is roughly, I would say,

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about 60%, if not 50%, coming
from these very impoverished

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backgrounds.

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Our focus around
teaching and learning

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is to say, what are the
learning/teaching experiences

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that we can--

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that we need to provide
in order to build

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this capacity for students
to be able to go back

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into their communities,
back into their cultures,

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to be able to work
with their friends

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and families or the
networks that they have

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and help to solve
their own challenges?

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So one of the things
that we look at--

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and this is the link back
into the design world--

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is graduate attributes.

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And if you look at the
complexity of the challenges

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at not only the world
faces, but certainly

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in South Africa,
World Economic Forum

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every five years
brings out top skills--

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top five skill or top
10 skills that we're

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going to need in any workplace.

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And we see these as
foundational skills.

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These are critical
skills that in

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resource-constrained
environments and, in fact,

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even resource-rich
environments that we're

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going to need as human beings.

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And one of the reasons we
exist, and one of the reasons

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that we have gained a lot
of traction in the work

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that we do at the
University of Cape Town,

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is that when you start to
overlay some of the design

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skills over these.

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There's almost a direct overlap.

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And this is our this
is really our hook

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into the traditional education
and traditional curricula

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across the university.

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So if our mandate is to start
teaching students these design

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capabilities and science skills,
how to show up to a problem,

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what does that look like
from a pedagogy perspective?

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We're not trying to train
them to be graphic designers

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and furniture designers
and vehicle designers.

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We're trying to teach
them the design skills

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so that when they face
these grand challenges,

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whether it's at home, whether
it's at work, whether it's back

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in their community, that
they have been given

00:13:00.220 --> 00:13:02.680
the bare essential
skills to be able to take

00:13:02.680 --> 00:13:04.190
on some of those challenges.

00:13:04.190 --> 00:13:06.820
And this is where the designing
with and designing for

00:13:06.820 --> 00:13:09.340
and the designing by
starts to come in.

00:13:09.340 --> 00:13:11.800
But as you can imagine,
a lot of these students

00:13:11.800 --> 00:13:16.310
have had no exposure at all
to design or design education.

00:13:16.310 --> 00:13:17.890
And, in fact, many
of the languages

00:13:17.890 --> 00:13:21.400
in South Africa, design
isn't even a word,

00:13:21.400 --> 00:13:23.450
but yet they can do design.

00:13:23.450 --> 00:13:27.340
So we have to be quite
careful on how we introduce

00:13:27.340 --> 00:13:28.840
these types of
skills, especially

00:13:28.840 --> 00:13:33.740
through the career of design.

00:13:33.740 --> 00:13:36.860
So at the d-school, we
have students that come in.

00:13:36.860 --> 00:13:39.180
We give learning experiences.

00:13:39.180 --> 00:13:42.932
We start to teach them
the foundations of design.

00:13:42.932 --> 00:13:45.140
And I'll talk a little bit
about the learning journey

00:13:45.140 --> 00:13:46.670
that we take them through.

00:13:46.670 --> 00:13:49.072
Because at the end of
the day, as I mentioned,

00:13:49.072 --> 00:13:50.780
we're not necessarily
trying to turn them

00:13:50.780 --> 00:13:53.630
into professional designers,
but we're watching them--

00:13:53.630 --> 00:13:55.775
we're working on a
mindset, teaching

00:13:55.775 --> 00:13:57.650
them a mindset, a way
of being, a way they're

00:13:57.650 --> 00:14:00.280
going to show up to a problem.

00:14:00.280 --> 00:14:02.750
Designs not in
here, but the design

00:14:02.750 --> 00:14:04.280
that sits here,
here in the heart,

00:14:04.280 --> 00:14:07.460
and how we can get
people to co-create.

00:14:07.460 --> 00:14:11.450
And I'll talk a little bit more
about the concept of ubuntu

00:14:11.450 --> 00:14:12.970
just out.

00:14:12.970 --> 00:14:15.790
So these are sorts of
challenges that we get students

00:14:15.790 --> 00:14:18.430
to work on during
their undergrad

00:14:18.430 --> 00:14:20.380
or postgrad as an
extracurricular.

00:14:20.380 --> 00:14:23.600
They come into the d-school.

00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:26.780
Typical wicked problems,
grand challenges

00:14:26.780 --> 00:14:30.785
that the students go
through a learning journey

00:14:30.785 --> 00:14:33.410
where we can start to build this
mindset, this sort of attitude

00:14:33.410 --> 00:14:35.610
towards the problems
and challenges.

00:14:35.610 --> 00:14:38.870
So they can help start to
help themselves in the world

00:14:38.870 --> 00:14:40.200
that they exist.

00:14:40.200 --> 00:14:43.550
And it can be anything from
how might men contribute

00:14:43.550 --> 00:14:46.140
towards stopping the violence
against women and girls--

00:14:46.140 --> 00:14:49.190
so a lot of gender-based
activities-- all the way through

00:14:49.190 --> 00:14:53.880
to designing public transport--
better public transport systems.

00:14:53.880 --> 00:14:56.660
And so it really
varies depending

00:14:56.660 --> 00:14:59.780
on the challenges that
we source from industry--

00:14:59.780 --> 00:15:02.217
public and private sector.

00:15:02.217 --> 00:15:04.300
And really, ultimately,
what we're trying to teach

00:15:04.300 --> 00:15:06.010
is this mindset.

00:15:06.010 --> 00:15:08.110
Yes, there's tools
and there's methods.

00:15:08.110 --> 00:15:09.580
There's processes.

00:15:09.580 --> 00:15:10.700
There's the practice.

00:15:10.700 --> 00:15:13.540
But what we're really trying
to do is teach them mindset.

00:15:13.540 --> 00:15:15.370
This is foundational,
which you can then

00:15:15.370 --> 00:15:18.160
apply to almost every aspect.

00:15:18.160 --> 00:15:23.080
And a lot of it is underpinned
by the concept of co-creation.

00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:27.070
So I'll pick out just a few,
but something-- just navigating

00:15:27.070 --> 00:15:28.030
uncertainty.

00:15:28.030 --> 00:15:30.760
We get law students
coming through,

00:15:30.760 --> 00:15:32.950
or students from accounting
backgrounds, finance,

00:15:32.950 --> 00:15:34.825
and just getting to be
comfortable that there

00:15:34.825 --> 00:15:36.410
is no data from the future.

00:15:36.410 --> 00:15:38.140
And, in fact, even
the data from the past

00:15:38.140 --> 00:15:39.750
we can't really rely on anymore.

00:15:39.750 --> 00:15:41.157
So how do you cope with that?

00:15:41.157 --> 00:15:43.240
How do you actually start
to build that confidence

00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:48.130
and efficacy to navigate a
world where the data doesn't

00:15:48.130 --> 00:15:49.510
make that much sense?

00:15:49.510 --> 00:15:53.230
I think the human-centeredness
at the bottom--

00:15:53.230 --> 00:15:55.140
key, key to design--

00:15:55.140 --> 00:15:56.960
human-centered
design-- a key aspect.

00:15:56.960 --> 00:16:00.280
A lot of the students, they jump
straight into solution mode.

00:16:00.280 --> 00:16:01.810
They don't even think that there
are actually people out there

00:16:01.810 --> 00:16:03.430
that they need to
consider and moving

00:16:03.430 --> 00:16:08.320
into a space of co-creation
and designing with others.

00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:11.740
I think the one which drives
a lot of the students the most

00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:16.100
is the be driven to
make a difference.

00:16:16.100 --> 00:16:18.238
You find that students are
passionate about making

00:16:18.238 --> 00:16:18.780
a difference.

00:16:18.780 --> 00:16:21.107
They want to see
South Africa succeed.

00:16:21.107 --> 00:16:22.440
They want to see Africa succeed.

00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:25.070
So they are heavily,
heavily invested

00:16:25.070 --> 00:16:30.170
in wanting to see the
country and their communities

00:16:30.170 --> 00:16:31.050
turn a corner.

00:16:31.050 --> 00:16:35.630
So we need to tap into
that inner energy.

00:16:35.630 --> 00:16:40.660
So it's very important to
bring that into the process.

00:16:40.660 --> 00:16:44.650
So the journey that we
take the students through--

00:16:44.650 --> 00:16:47.410
and this is where it gets on
to the topic of the designing

00:16:47.410 --> 00:16:49.850
with the designing for.

00:16:49.850 --> 00:16:56.800
The first step for us really
is that the students often

00:16:56.800 --> 00:16:59.290
don't even know that they
have the capacity to design.

00:16:59.290 --> 00:17:02.990
We focus on the
democratization of design.

00:17:02.990 --> 00:17:05.859
Our belief is that everybody
has the capacity to create,

00:17:05.859 --> 00:17:08.710
and every human has the capacity
to build and make and design

00:17:08.710 --> 00:17:09.410
something.

00:17:09.410 --> 00:17:11.243
So that's the first
thing we need to unlock,

00:17:11.243 --> 00:17:14.200
is to get the students to
realize that although they maybe

00:17:14.200 --> 00:17:16.599
are following a
traditional health science

00:17:16.599 --> 00:17:20.227
education, that they do
have that inner capacity.

00:17:20.227 --> 00:17:22.060
This is about building
confidence and belief

00:17:22.060 --> 00:17:24.430
in efficacy that if they see
a challenge or a problem,

00:17:24.430 --> 00:17:28.608
that they can do
something about it.

00:17:28.608 --> 00:17:30.150
A lot of the time,
though, we land up

00:17:30.150 --> 00:17:32.607
that's in a space where the
students design with art.

00:17:32.607 --> 00:17:33.440
So they-- fantastic.

00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:34.640
I can solve this problem.

00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:36.050
And off they go into
their little corner,

00:17:36.050 --> 00:17:37.050
and they do their thing.

00:17:37.050 --> 00:17:39.140
So we need to break
out of that mold--

00:17:39.140 --> 00:17:41.390
get them to break out of
that mold quite quickly.

00:17:41.390 --> 00:17:44.330
Then we move into a
space where we teach them

00:17:44.330 --> 00:17:48.120
the importance of social systems
and the complexity of that.

00:17:48.120 --> 00:17:50.060
And there's actually
people out there

00:17:50.060 --> 00:17:52.580
that we need to engage with.

00:17:52.580 --> 00:17:54.590
And we move into
what we typically

00:17:54.590 --> 00:17:57.410
refer to as design thinking
101, which for us is still

00:17:57.410 --> 00:17:59.390
a form of designing for.

00:17:59.390 --> 00:18:01.272
You're going out there,
doing some inquiry,

00:18:01.272 --> 00:18:02.480
bringing information back in.

00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:04.423
You're making some
sense as a team.

00:18:04.423 --> 00:18:06.090
But you're going
backwards and forwards.

00:18:06.090 --> 00:18:08.960
You're not purely engaging
with the community.

00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:10.485
So these are sort
of stepping stones

00:18:10.485 --> 00:18:12.860
that we need to take the
students through because we feel

00:18:12.860 --> 00:18:15.650
that the following steps
are you can't just jump

00:18:15.650 --> 00:18:17.558
into that level of practice.

00:18:17.558 --> 00:18:19.100
We've got to scaffold
them, but we've

00:18:19.100 --> 00:18:20.892
got to take them through
the whole journey.

00:18:20.892 --> 00:18:23.150
Because if we leave
them along the way,

00:18:23.150 --> 00:18:24.800
it can get quite challenging.

00:18:24.800 --> 00:18:27.020
So then we move them into
the space of co-creation,

00:18:27.020 --> 00:18:30.710
where they're actually in their
communities working with--

00:18:30.710 --> 00:18:32.090
and whether it's
a work community

00:18:32.090 --> 00:18:35.930
or whether it's a home community
or it's back in their townships,

00:18:35.930 --> 00:18:40.420
working with the community,
designing with, solving

00:18:40.420 --> 00:18:41.670
the challenges that they have.

00:18:41.670 --> 00:18:45.990
And it can be anything from
a challenge around sanitation

00:18:45.990 --> 00:18:48.690
through to
transportation, through

00:18:48.690 --> 00:18:49.890
to gender-based violence.

00:18:49.890 --> 00:18:52.830
Doesn't really matter what it is
in their community, but at least

00:18:52.830 --> 00:18:55.960
they're working with people.

00:18:55.960 --> 00:18:59.380
And then the next step forward
is where the communities start

00:18:59.380 --> 00:19:00.980
to build a capacity themselves.

00:19:00.980 --> 00:19:03.082
And we talk to--

00:19:03.082 --> 00:19:04.540
and this is the
space where we talk

00:19:04.540 --> 00:19:07.510
about going into designing
with and designing by.

00:19:07.510 --> 00:19:10.330
And in South Africa, we have
this philosophy called ubuntu,

00:19:10.330 --> 00:19:13.570
which is about "I
am because we are."

00:19:13.570 --> 00:19:15.620
And so it's all about
the human connection.

00:19:15.620 --> 00:19:18.910
And so that social
interaction and design

00:19:18.910 --> 00:19:21.190
is such a critical part
of the African culture,

00:19:21.190 --> 00:19:23.050
and it has to be brought in.

00:19:23.050 --> 00:19:26.405
And you don't find that
in the previous steps.

00:19:26.405 --> 00:19:27.280
We've got to take a--

00:19:27.280 --> 00:19:30.640
if you really want to unlock
the potential and capacity

00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:33.580
of African culture, we've got
to get them into that space

00:19:33.580 --> 00:19:36.070
where they're designing
with each other

00:19:36.070 --> 00:19:37.610
and connecting with each other.

00:19:37.610 --> 00:19:39.820
So for us, it's about taking
students right the way

00:19:39.820 --> 00:19:42.730
through that journey and
essentially making every student

00:19:42.730 --> 00:19:46.450
a change maker in the world.

00:19:46.450 --> 00:19:53.260
So very brief case study
just to land this a bit.

00:19:53.260 --> 00:19:55.840
Ansaka was a-- he was a
electromechanical engineer

00:19:55.840 --> 00:19:56.990
at University of Cape Town.

00:19:56.990 --> 00:20:00.190
He grew up in the townships.

00:20:00.190 --> 00:20:02.350
He came through
the d-school and is

00:20:02.350 --> 00:20:06.850
an alumni of the d-school
about four years ago.

00:20:06.850 --> 00:20:08.908
He was staying with his aunt.

00:20:08.908 --> 00:20:10.700
So this is the environment
he grew up with.

00:20:10.700 --> 00:20:12.740
And then he found
himself at University

00:20:12.740 --> 00:20:14.240
doing electromechanical
engineering.

00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:18.375
But his family lives
in these conditions.

00:20:18.375 --> 00:20:19.750
And he was staying
with his aunt,

00:20:19.750 --> 00:20:22.150
and they continuously
got burgled.

00:20:22.150 --> 00:20:26.890
You find that the security--
people in informal settlements,

00:20:26.890 --> 00:20:29.210
they can't afford
formal security.

00:20:29.210 --> 00:20:31.540
And also, you'll find
security companies will not

00:20:31.540 --> 00:20:32.870
go into these environments.

00:20:32.870 --> 00:20:34.960
It's just too
dangerous for them.

00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:38.170
And yeah.

00:20:38.170 --> 00:20:41.740
And then very-- through his
research and the work that he

00:20:41.740 --> 00:20:43.240
did and working
with this community,

00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:48.520
he realized that from the
community side that security had

00:20:48.520 --> 00:20:49.550
been--

00:20:49.550 --> 00:20:51.010
the community side
of security had

00:20:51.010 --> 00:20:54.160
been lost through traditional
Western approaches,

00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:55.600
and that in Africa,
it's actually

00:20:55.600 --> 00:20:57.490
about connecting each other.

00:20:57.490 --> 00:21:01.060
And you have this sort of
communal security systems.

00:21:01.060 --> 00:21:03.430
And so developed a
product which actually

00:21:03.430 --> 00:21:06.645
lives inside these informal
dwellings, and it goes off

00:21:06.645 --> 00:21:08.770
and it tells the neighbors
that something is wrong,

00:21:08.770 --> 00:21:10.228
and the neighbors
all come running.

00:21:10.228 --> 00:21:12.940
So it's all about bringing the
neighbors into and bringing

00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:16.345
in the local community
into a space.

00:21:16.345 --> 00:21:17.970
What was interesting
about this process

00:21:17.970 --> 00:21:20.160
is that he combines
not only the designing

00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:24.902
for peace, but also the with and
also the by into his solution

00:21:24.902 --> 00:21:26.110
really at the end of the day.

00:21:26.110 --> 00:21:28.200
And I that was the
beauty about his takeaway

00:21:28.200 --> 00:21:29.160
from this experience.

00:21:29.160 --> 00:21:32.693
He had the engineering, which
is very much designing for,

00:21:32.693 --> 00:21:34.110
the human-centered
designing with,

00:21:34.110 --> 00:21:37.130
but then bringing the
community in as a critical part

00:21:37.130 --> 00:21:39.900
of coming up with a solution.

00:21:39.900 --> 00:21:40.930
And thank you very much.

00:21:40.930 --> 00:21:43.350
That's the end of the talk.

00:21:43.350 --> 00:21:47.065
If you'd like, there's a QR
code just to go to our website

00:21:47.065 --> 00:21:48.190
if you'd like to know more.

00:21:48.190 --> 00:21:50.750
But otherwise, yeah, we
can chat a bit later.

00:21:50.750 --> 00:21:51.340
Thank you.

00:21:51.340 --> 00:21:53.860


00:21:53.860 --> 00:21:54.880
Thanks so much, Richard.

00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:59.490
And I will go directly into
our next talk by Surbhi.

00:21:59.490 --> 00:21:59.990
Please.

00:21:59.990 --> 00:22:07.850


00:22:07.850 --> 00:22:08.990
Hi, everybody.

00:22:08.990 --> 00:22:09.840
I'm Surbhi.

00:22:09.840 --> 00:22:12.530
I work as a urban
technologist and planner,

00:22:12.530 --> 00:22:15.860
and my work really is focused
on helping cities, governments,

00:22:15.860 --> 00:22:19.650
and communities build capacity
to engage with technology.

00:22:19.650 --> 00:22:21.350
And a big, big
focus of that work

00:22:21.350 --> 00:22:24.990
is on equity and serving
underserved populations.

00:22:24.990 --> 00:22:27.590
And so that's kind of where
the idea of digital equity

00:22:27.590 --> 00:22:28.850
comes from.

00:22:28.850 --> 00:22:31.190
So globally, there's,
as we all know,

00:22:31.190 --> 00:22:34.850
a huge push now for digital
tools to support all functions,

00:22:34.850 --> 00:22:38.900
but also, in this context,
planning and design processes.

00:22:38.900 --> 00:22:44.000
However, there's a big risk in
that transition of exacerbating

00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:47.660
these inequities that exist in
the systems, of exacerbating

00:22:47.660 --> 00:22:49.950
socioeconomic marginalization.

00:22:49.950 --> 00:22:53.510
And so digital equity
becomes a crucial foundation

00:22:53.510 --> 00:22:56.270
to think about how
technologies and data can

00:22:56.270 --> 00:23:00.260
be engaged within cities
but also enforce equity

00:23:00.260 --> 00:23:02.190
in the process.

00:23:02.190 --> 00:23:05.480
So I kind of tend to think about
digital equity in these three

00:23:05.480 --> 00:23:06.270
realms.

00:23:06.270 --> 00:23:09.120
There is the idea
of connectivity.

00:23:09.120 --> 00:23:10.920
There is the idea of capacity.

00:23:10.920 --> 00:23:12.480
And then there is opportunity.

00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:14.220
So connectivity,
very basically, is

00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:17.070
about are you able to
connect to digital resources,

00:23:17.070 --> 00:23:18.870
infrastructure, or devices?

00:23:18.870 --> 00:23:21.960
Capacity is you have the
knowledge to engage with,

00:23:21.960 --> 00:23:23.890
and do you understand
these tools?

00:23:23.890 --> 00:23:27.270
But opportunity is really kind
of where the juice of the work

00:23:27.270 --> 00:23:28.060
lies.

00:23:28.060 --> 00:23:31.230
And that's about, do
you have the ability

00:23:31.230 --> 00:23:33.090
to engage with this
thing meaningfully

00:23:33.090 --> 00:23:36.120
and unlock better socioeconomic
opportunities or even

00:23:36.120 --> 00:23:40.290
better quality of life, and
how do we talk about that?

00:23:40.290 --> 00:23:44.160
So there's the idea of
digital capacity building.

00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:46.950
And thanks to the
Morningside Academy,

00:23:46.950 --> 00:23:51.270
I was able to do this research
in India during my time at MIT,

00:23:51.270 --> 00:23:53.940
and I worked on
addressing digital equity

00:23:53.940 --> 00:23:57.270
through meaningful
connectivity in urban India.

00:23:57.270 --> 00:24:01.050
So to understand the context
of what the work was, in India,

00:24:01.050 --> 00:24:05.280
there was a nationwide expansion
of 4G connectivity starting

00:24:05.280 --> 00:24:06.330
in 2017.

00:24:06.330 --> 00:24:11.791
And cellular first internet
access became the social norm.

00:24:11.791 --> 00:24:14.970
All the cost barriers to
internet access were broken.

00:24:14.970 --> 00:24:17.250
And people who don't
have sometimes access

00:24:17.250 --> 00:24:19.380
to basic amenities
also now always

00:24:19.380 --> 00:24:21.400
had a smartphone, a cell phone.

00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:23.430
It's more the aspiration
for technology,

00:24:23.430 --> 00:24:25.470
but also the affordability
changing that

00:24:25.470 --> 00:24:28.110
really changed that access.

00:24:28.110 --> 00:24:31.660
This also led to a
huge digital evolution.

00:24:31.660 --> 00:24:36.000
There were a lot of
apps and applications

00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:37.840
and digital innovations
in the country.

00:24:37.840 --> 00:24:40.830
For instance, there was
this cash innovation

00:24:40.830 --> 00:24:44.740
that happened-- so tackling
lack of formal banking.

00:24:44.740 --> 00:24:47.400
There were these apps, and
it's called the unified payment

00:24:47.400 --> 00:24:50.400
system, that came into
place that small vendors,

00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:55.020
like a street side vegetable
seller could also use and tap

00:24:55.020 --> 00:24:57.180
into for the payment
system and sort

00:24:57.180 --> 00:24:59.040
of tapping onto the
informal economy

00:24:59.040 --> 00:25:01.110
and formalizing
some of that using

00:25:01.110 --> 00:25:04.530
technology and accessibility.

00:25:04.530 --> 00:25:09.510
So yeah, this really kind of
changed how people in India,

00:25:09.510 --> 00:25:12.000
particularly in urban
India, were engaging

00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:14.420
with their environment.

00:25:14.420 --> 00:25:17.030
But that also brings
the question of,

00:25:17.030 --> 00:25:20.000
what are the key
determinants in achieving

00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:22.670
equity and barriers for
marginalized communities

00:25:22.670 --> 00:25:24.060
in this context?

00:25:24.060 --> 00:25:26.660
And how can community-centric
interventions,

00:25:26.660 --> 00:25:29.450
so designing with communities,
effectively bridge

00:25:29.450 --> 00:25:35.300
the digital divide and foster
inclusive economic development?

00:25:35.300 --> 00:25:37.700
And so kind of looking at
another version of the diagram

00:25:37.700 --> 00:25:40.490
we were looking at
initially comes the idea

00:25:40.490 --> 00:25:42.250
of meaningful connectivity.

00:25:42.250 --> 00:25:46.850
And, again, there's the
idea of connectivity, which

00:25:46.850 --> 00:25:48.283
thinks about infrastructure.

00:25:48.283 --> 00:25:49.700
There's the idea
of accessibility,

00:25:49.700 --> 00:25:50.900
which is capacity.

00:25:50.900 --> 00:25:54.020
But then there's the idea of
communicability-- people's

00:25:54.020 --> 00:25:57.560
ability to engage
with and access

00:25:57.560 --> 00:25:59.810
socioeconomic opportunities
using internet access

00:25:59.810 --> 00:26:00.640
in this very case.

00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:03.160


00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:07.330
So to do this work, I engaged
with some community partners

00:26:07.330 --> 00:26:09.520
because the sense was that
they would have the best

00:26:09.520 --> 00:26:11.680
understanding of what was
happening on the ground

00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:14.170
and were doing some
of this work for using

00:26:14.170 --> 00:26:16.120
digital connectivity
and digital tools

00:26:16.120 --> 00:26:17.840
for socioeconomic improvements.

00:26:17.840 --> 00:26:20.590
And so I worked with
these three NGOs in India.

00:26:20.590 --> 00:26:23.410
One's called Addressing the
Unaddressed, Digital Empowerment

00:26:23.410 --> 00:26:25.850
Foundation, and
Shelter Associates.

00:26:25.850 --> 00:26:29.710
And I'm going to walk us through
some cases of what I discovered

00:26:29.710 --> 00:26:32.470
when I engaged
with their projects

00:26:32.470 --> 00:26:34.150
and how they were
using technology,

00:26:34.150 --> 00:26:38.200
but also, very much on ground
capacity building for this work.

00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:41.140
If you look up an
address on Google maps,

00:26:41.140 --> 00:26:42.640
especially in
developing countries,

00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:44.680
sometimes you'll
see a combination

00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:49.510
of six, seven digits,
like pkxy plus

00:26:49.510 --> 00:26:53.950
another four-digit combination
that is used to map addresses

00:26:53.950 --> 00:26:57.080
where such formal street
addresses don't exist.

00:26:57.080 --> 00:26:59.560
And Google did
this global project

00:26:59.560 --> 00:27:00.920
of using their Geo codes.

00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:03.300
So those are Google plus
codes of using those

00:27:03.300 --> 00:27:05.480
as addresses for people
in informal settlements.

00:27:05.480 --> 00:27:09.710
So a lot of times these
residents go by just the area.

00:27:09.710 --> 00:27:12.020
Like Surbhi lives
in mid-Cambridge,

00:27:12.020 --> 00:27:14.040
and you have to go
and find Surbhi there.

00:27:14.040 --> 00:27:16.952
Or if you had to
deliver a parcel there,

00:27:16.952 --> 00:27:18.060
it's really difficult.

00:27:18.060 --> 00:27:19.610
So without address
you can access,

00:27:19.610 --> 00:27:23.810
you can imagine all the
issues of banking or delivery

00:27:23.810 --> 00:27:25.700
of goods, dignity
of life that you

00:27:25.700 --> 00:27:27.390
lose without having
a formal address.

00:27:27.390 --> 00:27:29.610
So this project
was really focused

00:27:29.610 --> 00:27:33.410
upon getting these address
plates to these people.

00:27:33.410 --> 00:27:35.570
If you can see in
that image, there's

00:27:35.570 --> 00:27:39.710
that small number plate
on top of that house.

00:27:39.710 --> 00:27:43.370
And this example here
is about a businessman

00:27:43.370 --> 00:27:46.910
who lives in an informal
settlement in Navi Mumbai who,

00:27:46.910 --> 00:27:50.600
using that address, now was
able to scale his business,

00:27:50.600 --> 00:27:53.720
get access to manufacturing
goods and opportunities

00:27:53.720 --> 00:27:58.320
and kind of engage with
the power of an address.

00:27:58.320 --> 00:28:03.290
I reviewed this particular
technology implementation

00:28:03.290 --> 00:28:04.400
in two cities.

00:28:04.400 --> 00:28:07.790
So there was a site with--
a project in Kolkata

00:28:07.790 --> 00:28:10.370
and a project in Navi
Mumbai, and there were

00:28:10.370 --> 00:28:12.230
some differences in approaches.

00:28:12.230 --> 00:28:15.080
And this is really where the
piece of community empowerment

00:28:15.080 --> 00:28:16.220
comes into place.

00:28:16.220 --> 00:28:20.420
So technology isn't a solution
to any problem in itself.

00:28:20.420 --> 00:28:23.420
Like, Google Maps is just
like an address tool.

00:28:23.420 --> 00:28:27.410
The real success
versus kind of--

00:28:27.410 --> 00:28:29.510
I wouldn't call it
failure, but like criticism

00:28:29.510 --> 00:28:32.280
on the other project
was in one project,

00:28:32.280 --> 00:28:35.340
in the project in Mumbai,
the focus of the NGO

00:28:35.340 --> 00:28:39.210
was really, really about
going door-to-door, talking

00:28:39.210 --> 00:28:42.120
to the people, explaining to
them how to use this address,

00:28:42.120 --> 00:28:44.370
making sure they were
using it for things,

00:28:44.370 --> 00:28:46.620
doing like a constant check.

00:28:46.620 --> 00:28:49.942
In the second case, the focus
was more on implementation.

00:28:49.942 --> 00:28:52.150
Also, because of how they
got their funding and such.

00:28:52.150 --> 00:28:54.750
So they wanted to cover
more areas first and then

00:28:54.750 --> 00:28:56.440
build capacity later.

00:28:56.440 --> 00:28:59.610
But that ended up kind of--
you know, leadership changes,

00:28:59.610 --> 00:29:01.210
funding sources change.

00:29:01.210 --> 00:29:04.770
And so if you don't do this
iterative process of bringing

00:29:04.770 --> 00:29:06.870
the community along
with you, then whatever

00:29:06.870 --> 00:29:08.730
the solution is,
however brilliant it is,

00:29:08.730 --> 00:29:10.410
it's not really
going to take hold.

00:29:10.410 --> 00:29:14.360
So that was a big
learning from that work.

00:29:14.360 --> 00:29:15.940
This is another project.

00:29:15.940 --> 00:29:18.450
So this is the third
foundation I engaged with.

00:29:18.450 --> 00:29:20.900
It's called the Digital
Empowerment Foundation,

00:29:20.900 --> 00:29:24.080
and they're doing fascinating
work across the country.

00:29:24.080 --> 00:29:28.670
They're working on setting up
mesh networks in rural areas

00:29:28.670 --> 00:29:30.440
where there is no
internet networks.

00:29:30.440 --> 00:29:32.930
In urban areas, their
focus is really, again,

00:29:32.930 --> 00:29:36.080
thinking about now that there's
access and affordability,

00:29:36.080 --> 00:29:37.550
how do you use
that, and how do you

00:29:37.550 --> 00:29:40.490
leverage that to
enable communities

00:29:40.490 --> 00:29:41.880
to access opportunities?

00:29:41.880 --> 00:29:44.900
So in this case, they are
training community members, so

00:29:44.900 --> 00:29:47.390
trusted people within
the communities,

00:29:47.390 --> 00:29:49.400
and teaching them
how to help people

00:29:49.400 --> 00:29:51.170
to access digital services.

00:29:51.170 --> 00:29:53.295
So they make social
entrepreneurs--

00:29:53.295 --> 00:29:54.420
that's what they call them.

00:29:54.420 --> 00:29:56.880
They equip them
with a small setup.

00:29:56.880 --> 00:29:58.130
They give them like a printer.

00:29:58.130 --> 00:29:59.570
They give them a computer.

00:29:59.570 --> 00:30:02.870
And they teach them how to help
people sign on for a digital ID,

00:30:02.870 --> 00:30:04.230
for a bank account.

00:30:04.230 --> 00:30:07.550
And these people also
become more entrepreneurial

00:30:07.550 --> 00:30:08.220
in the process.

00:30:08.220 --> 00:30:11.240
So this lady, Orti, that
I interviewed, she also,

00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:13.010
in that small
setup that she has,

00:30:13.010 --> 00:30:15.780
has started providing tutoring
services to middle school people

00:30:15.780 --> 00:30:17.050
or kids in the mornings.

00:30:17.050 --> 00:30:19.393
And then she does that
entrepreneurship center

00:30:19.393 --> 00:30:20.060
in the evenings.

00:30:20.060 --> 00:30:23.340
It's like called E-metro
E-friend, this kind of a center,

00:30:23.340 --> 00:30:25.500
which helps people in
the community access

00:30:25.500 --> 00:30:26.410
digital services.

00:30:26.410 --> 00:30:29.280
So it's like community
trust, leadership

00:30:29.280 --> 00:30:32.310
by people in the community, and
only facilitating that learning

00:30:32.310 --> 00:30:34.266
and capacity.

00:30:34.266 --> 00:30:37.960


00:30:37.960 --> 00:30:40.050
So yeah.

00:30:40.050 --> 00:30:42.390
The meaningfulness,
in my perspective,

00:30:42.390 --> 00:30:44.460
in digital divide
bridging really

00:30:44.460 --> 00:30:47.820
comes upon focusing on
holistic capacity building

00:30:47.820 --> 00:30:49.860
and very high engagement
with the community

00:30:49.860 --> 00:30:52.780
because that's where the
change can really happen.

00:30:52.780 --> 00:30:56.580
And that led me to
develop a little manifesto

00:30:56.580 --> 00:30:58.560
for meaningful connectivity.

00:30:58.560 --> 00:31:02.350
So what are kind of the main
ideas in this manifesto?

00:31:02.350 --> 00:31:04.830
It's about recognizing
that digital equity is

00:31:04.830 --> 00:31:06.000
a fundamental right.

00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:08.460
I strongly believe in
this, increasingly so, with

00:31:08.460 --> 00:31:12.300
the propagation of this
whole digital transformation

00:31:12.300 --> 00:31:14.670
that's-- obviously,
with AI and everything,

00:31:14.670 --> 00:31:16.270
it's going to take over more.

00:31:16.270 --> 00:31:17.670
It's not going anywhere.

00:31:17.670 --> 00:31:20.970
But you're at least entering
meaningful connectivity

00:31:20.970 --> 00:31:24.810
in the work, thinking about
prioritizing capacity-building

00:31:24.810 --> 00:31:25.995
for communities in the work.

00:31:25.995 --> 00:31:28.120
Who are going to be the
beneficiaries of this work?

00:31:28.120 --> 00:31:31.020
How do we bring along everybody,
the marginalized sections

00:31:31.020 --> 00:31:32.040
of the society?

00:31:32.040 --> 00:31:33.550
And then how do we do that?

00:31:33.550 --> 00:31:36.960
So thinking about the role of
civil society organizations,

00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:40.930
NGOs, all of these civic
actors which work on the ground

00:31:40.930 --> 00:31:44.200
and help bridge gaps
between communities

00:31:44.200 --> 00:31:47.830
and organizational
stakeholders, thinking

00:31:47.830 --> 00:31:52.270
about enabling communities
to empower themselves

00:31:52.270 --> 00:31:53.800
to create innovation.

00:31:53.800 --> 00:31:55.390
And then also, kind of from--

00:31:55.390 --> 00:31:58.450
in the governmental
system, doing policy reform

00:31:58.450 --> 00:32:02.620
to support all of these changes
and this kind of transformation,

00:32:02.620 --> 00:32:06.830
and ultimately, foster a
culture of digital inclusion.

00:32:06.830 --> 00:32:09.630


00:32:09.630 --> 00:32:10.670
Thank you.

00:32:10.670 --> 00:32:14.100
[APPLAUSE]

00:32:14.100 --> 00:32:18.520


00:32:18.520 --> 00:32:19.840
Thank you so much, Surbhi.

00:32:19.840 --> 00:32:22.830
And now we'll go
directly to Amy Smith.

00:32:22.830 --> 00:32:24.530
Please join me in
welcoming Amy Smith.

00:32:24.530 --> 00:32:27.855
[APPLAUSE]

00:32:27.855 --> 00:32:33.080


00:32:33.080 --> 00:32:35.060
Good afternoon, and
welcome, everybody.

00:32:35.060 --> 00:32:37.670
For those of you for whom
it's your first time at MIT,

00:32:37.670 --> 00:32:39.170
welcome to our campus.

00:32:39.170 --> 00:32:41.420
Not all our buildings
have this great a view,

00:32:41.420 --> 00:32:44.400
but I'm very glad you
could join us here.

00:32:44.400 --> 00:32:44.900
Great.

00:32:44.900 --> 00:32:49.070
So, as John said, I
work at D-Lab at MIT,

00:32:49.070 --> 00:32:52.730
and our mission is to advance
collaborative approaches

00:32:52.730 --> 00:32:56.990
and practical solutions, working
with people around the world

00:32:56.990 --> 00:33:00.380
to address issues
of global poverty.

00:33:00.380 --> 00:33:02.450
Oops.

00:33:02.450 --> 00:33:07.380
So many people ask us, what
does the D stand for in D-Lab?

00:33:07.380 --> 00:33:11.120
And the pillars of D-Lab are
around development, design,

00:33:11.120 --> 00:33:12.390
and dissemination.

00:33:12.390 --> 00:33:14.390
And the foundation
is that we do this

00:33:14.390 --> 00:33:17.510
through dialogue and discovery.

00:33:17.510 --> 00:33:20.630
D-Lab works through both
academics, research,

00:33:20.630 --> 00:33:22.350
and also doing fieldwork.

00:33:22.350 --> 00:33:26.160
And so this is the
crux of what we do.

00:33:26.160 --> 00:33:28.140
So I thought that
today's session,

00:33:28.140 --> 00:33:33.270
I would term in-- in terms
of the prepositions of design

00:33:33.270 --> 00:33:36.000
because prepositions matter.

00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:38.890
There are a lot of cartoons
that emphasize this.

00:33:38.890 --> 00:33:43.350
This one was a little bit grim,
but I thought it made the point.

00:33:43.350 --> 00:33:43.860
OK.

00:33:43.860 --> 00:33:46.350
So the first
prepositional question

00:33:46.350 --> 00:33:47.820
I thought we could
ponder together

00:33:47.820 --> 00:33:50.820
is this idea of design
for development or design

00:33:50.820 --> 00:33:52.150
as development.

00:33:52.150 --> 00:33:55.450
And this is looking at, is
it the products of design

00:33:55.450 --> 00:33:57.000
which are leading
to development?

00:33:57.000 --> 00:33:59.940
Or can it also be
the process of design

00:33:59.940 --> 00:34:01.750
that is leading to development?

00:34:01.750 --> 00:34:06.720
So how the users are engaged
in the overall development

00:34:06.720 --> 00:34:08.500
of the technology
really matters.

00:34:08.500 --> 00:34:10.590
And at D-Lab that's one
of the core beliefs,

00:34:10.590 --> 00:34:14.520
that it is both the process
and the products of design that

00:34:14.520 --> 00:34:18.830
will lead to transformation
in a community.

00:34:18.830 --> 00:34:20.570
So many of you
may have seen this

00:34:20.570 --> 00:34:23.480
before, the Maslow's
hierarchy of needs, in which

00:34:23.480 --> 00:34:26.210
are the things we need
to live sort of happy,

00:34:26.210 --> 00:34:30.020
fulfilled lives and
can be categorized

00:34:30.020 --> 00:34:32.250
into three basic areas.

00:34:32.250 --> 00:34:34.070
One is around our basic needs.

00:34:34.070 --> 00:34:35.719
The other, psychological needs.

00:34:35.719 --> 00:34:38.429
And then finally, our
self-fulfillment needs.

00:34:38.429 --> 00:34:42.860
And when we look at this
through a design lens,

00:34:42.860 --> 00:34:45.650
I would argue that
using technology

00:34:45.650 --> 00:34:48.179
satisfies our basic needs.

00:34:48.179 --> 00:34:51.870
A grain mill can
produce flour for food.

00:34:51.870 --> 00:34:54.570
A pump can produce
water for drinking.

00:34:54.570 --> 00:34:58.410
A house provides shelter
against the elements.

00:34:58.410 --> 00:35:00.680
So those are the--

00:35:00.680 --> 00:35:03.660
technology satisfies
those basic needs.

00:35:03.660 --> 00:35:06.260
However, designing
technology really

00:35:06.260 --> 00:35:08.630
addresses some of those
higher level needs.

00:35:08.630 --> 00:35:10.970
We work together
in design teams,

00:35:10.970 --> 00:35:14.210
and that builds relationship
not only within our team

00:35:14.210 --> 00:35:16.140
but relationship with the user.

00:35:16.140 --> 00:35:20.320
And that's an important aspect
of our psychological needs.

00:35:20.320 --> 00:35:23.580
We feel like design can--

00:35:23.580 --> 00:35:24.630
well, let me just check.

00:35:24.630 --> 00:35:27.610
How many of you have ever
made anything in your lives?

00:35:27.610 --> 00:35:30.690
And how do you
feel when it works?

00:35:30.690 --> 00:35:32.160
It's pretty awesome, right?

00:35:32.160 --> 00:35:33.270
We feel happy.

00:35:33.270 --> 00:35:34.180
We feel joy.

00:35:34.180 --> 00:35:36.340
We feel like we can do anything.

00:35:36.340 --> 00:35:40.830
And so this idea of designing
technology as being a way

00:35:40.830 --> 00:35:43.500
to meet higher level needs
of human development,

00:35:43.500 --> 00:35:44.920
I think is really important.

00:35:44.920 --> 00:35:46.650
And I don't think
it's considered enough

00:35:46.650 --> 00:35:50.630
in the development enterprise.

00:35:50.630 --> 00:35:51.130
OK.

00:35:51.130 --> 00:35:56.860
So at D-Lab, moving into some
more prepositions of design,

00:35:56.860 --> 00:36:02.390
we act out in several
different paradigms of design.

00:36:02.390 --> 00:36:07.390
So design for, where the
designers engage with the users,

00:36:07.390 --> 00:36:10.330
interact with them, gain
empathy with the users,

00:36:10.330 --> 00:36:13.960
and take their user's
experience and place it

00:36:13.960 --> 00:36:16.610
at the center of
the design process.

00:36:16.610 --> 00:36:19.340
We also do co-creation
and collaborative work

00:36:19.340 --> 00:36:22.790
together with communities
through our fieldwork

00:36:22.790 --> 00:36:24.900
and through our design summits.

00:36:24.900 --> 00:36:28.070
And then we also promote
design by the end users

00:36:28.070 --> 00:36:30.210
through our creative
capacity-building.

00:36:30.210 --> 00:36:32.420
And in that case,
we teach the design

00:36:32.420 --> 00:36:35.150
process so that the end
users are transformed

00:36:35.150 --> 00:36:39.200
into becoming designers and feel
empowered to create technologies

00:36:39.200 --> 00:36:44.530
and designs that address
challenges in their own lives.

00:36:44.530 --> 00:36:48.430
So at D-Lab, we've developed
a participation framework

00:36:48.430 --> 00:36:52.900
that looks at the role
that the end users have

00:36:52.900 --> 00:36:54.980
in the design process.

00:36:54.980 --> 00:36:58.630
And I think it's important
because a lot of times

00:36:58.630 --> 00:37:02.020
we may think we're doing design
with when it might actually

00:37:02.020 --> 00:37:03.710
still be designed for.

00:37:03.710 --> 00:37:07.900
And so we characterize the
roles of those stakeholders

00:37:07.900 --> 00:37:11.830
by looking at whether they're
providing information,

00:37:11.830 --> 00:37:14.260
sharing opinions,
and giving feedback,

00:37:14.260 --> 00:37:18.490
and/or having a role
in decision-making,

00:37:18.490 --> 00:37:21.430
and/or having a role
in the leading end

00:37:21.430 --> 00:37:24.580
direction of a project.

00:37:24.580 --> 00:37:29.350
So if we look at this idea of
consultation, or design for,

00:37:29.350 --> 00:37:31.750
this is when the
users can provide

00:37:31.750 --> 00:37:35.350
their input, their opinions,
their feedback to a process.

00:37:35.350 --> 00:37:37.780
And it might be through
a single interaction.

00:37:37.780 --> 00:37:40.480
It might be through a
two-way conversation.

00:37:40.480 --> 00:37:42.760
Or it might be through
multiple conversations

00:37:42.760 --> 00:37:44.900
where they can
give feedback, see

00:37:44.900 --> 00:37:48.805
how that gets incorporated into
the design and comment on that.

00:37:48.805 --> 00:37:52.570


00:37:52.570 --> 00:37:56.440
We also can look at the
idea of partnership,

00:37:56.440 --> 00:37:57.520
which is design with.

00:37:57.520 --> 00:38:00.090
And this can take
on two ways as well,

00:38:00.090 --> 00:38:04.390
the one being collaboration,
where people's roles are defined

00:38:04.390 --> 00:38:07.250
by their expertise.

00:38:07.250 --> 00:38:10.030
So the engineer does
the technology work.

00:38:10.030 --> 00:38:14.980
The social scientist may
look at the human factors

00:38:14.980 --> 00:38:15.890
aspect of things.

00:38:15.890 --> 00:38:18.260
The community member
provides the context.

00:38:18.260 --> 00:38:20.020
And then the other
way of looking at it

00:38:20.020 --> 00:38:23.410
is co-creation, where
all stakeholders

00:38:23.410 --> 00:38:26.050
and all members of the team
bring their full experience

00:38:26.050 --> 00:38:29.630
to the design process.

00:38:29.630 --> 00:38:31.770
Finally, the idea of leadership.

00:38:31.770 --> 00:38:34.370
In one case, you have
empowerment where the design

00:38:34.370 --> 00:38:36.740
team is still
helping the community

00:38:36.740 --> 00:38:39.320
members to design for
themselves but doing so

00:38:39.320 --> 00:38:40.780
in an empowering way.

00:38:40.780 --> 00:38:45.140
Or it could be that the
tools are put in place,

00:38:45.140 --> 00:38:49.100
and the community completely
owns and runs the process

00:38:49.100 --> 00:38:50.180
as well.

00:38:50.180 --> 00:38:54.150
So this is a framework that
lets us think about design.

00:38:54.150 --> 00:38:58.110
And I think it's important
to think about this framework

00:38:58.110 --> 00:39:02.250
when we think about the way
users are engaged in the design

00:39:02.250 --> 00:39:03.100
process.

00:39:03.100 --> 00:39:05.490
And a seat at the
table is not enough.

00:39:05.490 --> 00:39:07.560
If someone comes to
the table, but they

00:39:07.560 --> 00:39:09.450
don't feel comfortable
and confident

00:39:09.450 --> 00:39:13.290
sharing their opinions, then
it's not really design with.

00:39:13.290 --> 00:39:16.260
If they don't have the skills
to meaningfully contribute

00:39:16.260 --> 00:39:20.190
to a design process, then
it's not really design with.

00:39:20.190 --> 00:39:23.250
If they don't have
the power to influence

00:39:23.250 --> 00:39:26.970
decisions and direction, then
it's not really design with.

00:39:26.970 --> 00:39:30.000
So I think it's really
important to think about what

00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:31.560
it means by design with.

00:39:31.560 --> 00:39:35.290
And it isn't just inviting
people to join the table.

00:39:35.290 --> 00:39:37.500
It's really looking
at how they can

00:39:37.500 --> 00:39:39.610
make meaningful contributions.

00:39:39.610 --> 00:39:43.540
And for me, that's why
design by is so important.

00:39:43.540 --> 00:39:46.950
It's a prerequisite to
effective design with.

00:39:46.950 --> 00:39:49.830
People have to have the
confidence and capabilities

00:39:49.830 --> 00:39:54.350
to join effectively
in the design process.

00:39:54.350 --> 00:39:56.930
So at D-Lab, we've developed
a program which we call

00:39:56.930 --> 00:39:58.740
creative capacity-building.

00:39:58.740 --> 00:40:02.240
And it's a training
program which

00:40:02.240 --> 00:40:06.560
works with community members and
teaches them the design process

00:40:06.560 --> 00:40:09.800
and takes them
through that process

00:40:09.800 --> 00:40:12.380
to create solutions to
challenges that they've

00:40:12.380 --> 00:40:14.960
identified for themselves.

00:40:14.960 --> 00:40:17.520
So part of it is teaching
the design process,

00:40:17.520 --> 00:40:22.400
and we go through a version
of the design process that's

00:40:22.400 --> 00:40:25.190
been developed so that it
doesn't require literacy

00:40:25.190 --> 00:40:29.560
so people of any educational
background can contribute.

00:40:29.560 --> 00:40:31.900
And we also teach
prototyping skills,

00:40:31.900 --> 00:40:33.850
so that people have
confidence in being

00:40:33.850 --> 00:40:37.070
able to take their ideas and
reducing them to practice.

00:40:37.070 --> 00:40:39.910
This is particularly important.

00:40:39.910 --> 00:40:42.730
A lot of the work we do
is in sub-Saharan Africa.

00:40:42.730 --> 00:40:45.430
And traditionally,
women don't have

00:40:45.430 --> 00:40:49.880
a lot of use of tools
in their background.

00:40:49.880 --> 00:40:51.340
So one of the
things we try to do

00:40:51.340 --> 00:40:53.950
is we try to teach people
how to work with metal, how

00:40:53.950 --> 00:40:56.980
to work with wood, and to create
technologies that can impact

00:40:56.980 --> 00:40:58.700
their lives in a positive way.

00:40:58.700 --> 00:41:01.000
I have one of those here.

00:41:01.000 --> 00:41:03.220
So one of the things
that we like to do

00:41:03.220 --> 00:41:07.420
is as we're teaching people
how to use different tools

00:41:07.420 --> 00:41:09.400
and how to work
with sheet metal,

00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:12.310
they're able to take a
single piece of sheet metal

00:41:12.310 --> 00:41:14.480
and make a device
that looks like this.

00:41:14.480 --> 00:41:17.770
And in so doing, they learn
how to use hammers, pliers,

00:41:17.770 --> 00:41:22.340
tin snips, files, et cetera.

00:41:22.340 --> 00:41:23.980
And this is a
device which can be

00:41:23.980 --> 00:41:28.160
used to remove the kernels
of corn from an ear of corn.

00:41:28.160 --> 00:41:30.500
This is a highly
labor-intensive process

00:41:30.500 --> 00:41:32.060
which not only
takes a lot of time,

00:41:32.060 --> 00:41:36.020
but it also can be quite painful
as you remove all the kernels

00:41:36.020 --> 00:41:37.020
from the ear.

00:41:37.020 --> 00:41:39.620
Often, when I give
this talk in Africa,

00:41:39.620 --> 00:41:43.460
I'll ask, how many of you
shell your corn by hand?

00:41:43.460 --> 00:41:45.360
And many hands go up.

00:41:45.360 --> 00:41:47.820
But how many of you
shell your corn?

00:41:47.820 --> 00:41:48.750
Yeah, not so many.

00:41:48.750 --> 00:41:51.180
But let me tell you,
it's a great technology.

00:41:51.180 --> 00:41:52.530
I'll just show you how it works.

00:41:52.530 --> 00:41:55.460
So you just put the corn
in, and you can see--

00:41:55.460 --> 00:41:59.480
whoa-- even if you don't do
this for hundreds of hours.

00:41:59.480 --> 00:42:01.760
But now imagine that
you're a woman who

00:42:01.760 --> 00:42:05.390
does spend hundreds of
hours every year removing

00:42:05.390 --> 00:42:07.050
this corn by hand.

00:42:07.050 --> 00:42:09.470
And in less than
45 minutes, you can

00:42:09.470 --> 00:42:14.000
make a device that is ten times
as fast as doing it by hand

00:42:14.000 --> 00:42:15.470
and is not painful.

00:42:15.470 --> 00:42:18.470
That transforms the way that
you think about yourself,

00:42:18.470 --> 00:42:20.873
and it transforms the way
you think about technology.

00:42:20.873 --> 00:42:23.540
[APPLAUSE]

00:42:23.540 --> 00:42:25.400


00:42:25.400 --> 00:42:29.100
I always say, everybody
loves a corn-sheller.

00:42:29.100 --> 00:42:33.470
So in teaching these
prototyping and hands-on skills

00:42:33.470 --> 00:42:37.760
is a critical part of
building that confidence

00:42:37.760 --> 00:42:41.240
and having that
transformative impact.

00:42:41.240 --> 00:42:45.800
So we are doing CCB in
about almost 25 countries

00:42:45.800 --> 00:42:47.010
around the world.

00:42:47.010 --> 00:42:49.100
You'll notice a lot of
them are concentrated

00:42:49.100 --> 00:42:50.360
in sub-Saharan Africa.

00:42:50.360 --> 00:42:53.780
But we do have places that
we're working in Asia and Latin

00:42:53.780 --> 00:42:56.390
America as well.

00:42:56.390 --> 00:42:59.030
I wanted to just share a
few quotes that came out

00:42:59.030 --> 00:43:02.210
of a project that we did in
South Sudan that was looking

00:43:02.210 --> 00:43:04.730
at this creative
capacity-building,

00:43:04.730 --> 00:43:07.430
not only as a way to
teach people design,

00:43:07.430 --> 00:43:09.590
but also to bring
people together.

00:43:09.590 --> 00:43:12.800
Many of you, I'm sure,
know that South Sudan

00:43:12.800 --> 00:43:14.490
is a country in conflict.

00:43:14.490 --> 00:43:18.890
And so we worked to use this
collaborative design as a way

00:43:18.890 --> 00:43:24.290
to bring together people of
basically the warring factions

00:43:24.290 --> 00:43:25.970
within South Sudan.

00:43:25.970 --> 00:43:29.840
And we had some remarkable
success with that project.

00:43:29.840 --> 00:43:33.060
So first of all, there was
this personal transformation.

00:43:33.060 --> 00:43:34.770
So this is Monica
in the front there.

00:43:34.770 --> 00:43:38.060
And she said "I felt happy
and proud of myself for having

00:43:38.060 --> 00:43:40.550
developed a wheel cart," which
is sort of a wheelbarrow,

00:43:40.550 --> 00:43:44.940
which can be used to move
goods around the community.

00:43:44.940 --> 00:43:47.270
"Some of my friends asked
me where I got it from,

00:43:47.270 --> 00:43:50.010
and I told them that my
team and I developed it.

00:43:50.010 --> 00:43:52.590
They were shocked and
proud of the great work."

00:43:52.590 --> 00:43:56.840
So not only was she impacted
by creating this technology,

00:43:56.840 --> 00:44:00.560
but other people's view
of her also was impacted.

00:44:00.560 --> 00:44:05.730
And then just the utility of the
technologies that are developed.

00:44:05.730 --> 00:44:08.180
So one of the men
said, "I felt proud

00:44:08.180 --> 00:44:09.810
when I made the technology.

00:44:09.810 --> 00:44:12.770
Since I made the technology, I
have not slept hungry for days

00:44:12.770 --> 00:44:13.270
now."

00:44:13.270 --> 00:44:16.860


00:44:16.860 --> 00:44:19.170
And then about bringing
people together.

00:44:19.170 --> 00:44:21.450
"In fact, I met a lot
of friends from here

00:44:21.450 --> 00:44:23.590
where we have sat
and eaten together.

00:44:23.590 --> 00:44:25.870
Some of them I used
to see as enemies.

00:44:25.870 --> 00:44:29.670
But now we are tight friends,
and it is the CCB that has did

00:44:29.670 --> 00:44:30.450
that."

00:44:30.450 --> 00:44:33.300
Many participants said
that working together

00:44:33.300 --> 00:44:37.590
on a technology that
benefited both groups was

00:44:37.590 --> 00:44:41.100
critical in bringing them
together, much more so

00:44:41.100 --> 00:44:43.710
than sitting in circles and
just talking about peace

00:44:43.710 --> 00:44:44.790
and what it looks like.

00:44:44.790 --> 00:44:48.950
They really appreciated this
practical aspect of things.

00:44:48.950 --> 00:44:51.740
And then finally, again,
personal transformation

00:44:51.740 --> 00:44:52.890
on a deeper level.

00:44:52.890 --> 00:44:54.590
One of the young
men said that he

00:44:54.590 --> 00:44:57.110
was expecting the
training "to change me

00:44:57.110 --> 00:44:58.615
from being bad to good.

00:44:58.615 --> 00:45:01.350
Like I said before,
that I was a raider--"

00:45:01.350 --> 00:45:04.250
this is a cattle raider
who stole cattle from

00:45:04.250 --> 00:45:05.640
the neighboring tribes--

00:45:05.640 --> 00:45:09.140
"but now I am a scientist with
technologies that have not been

00:45:09.140 --> 00:45:11.150
there before."

00:45:11.150 --> 00:45:15.020
So this is the type of
transformation that leads to,

00:45:15.020 --> 00:45:17.330
I think, positive and
sustainable change

00:45:17.330 --> 00:45:18.660
within a community.

00:45:18.660 --> 00:45:21.470
But it also leads
to people being

00:45:21.470 --> 00:45:26.030
more comfortable contributing
to a co-creative design

00:45:26.030 --> 00:45:27.320
with process.

00:45:27.320 --> 00:45:30.410
They now come to the
table with confidence,

00:45:30.410 --> 00:45:33.080
with improved
capabilities, understanding

00:45:33.080 --> 00:45:35.210
the vocabulary of design.

00:45:35.210 --> 00:45:38.750
And I just wanted to finish with
a very brief example from one

00:45:38.750 --> 00:45:40.760
of our co-creative
design summits

00:45:40.760 --> 00:45:44.210
that was held in a refugee camp
in Northern Uganda that brought

00:45:44.210 --> 00:45:46.910
together people from about 20
different countries working

00:45:46.910 --> 00:45:47.640
together.

00:45:47.640 --> 00:45:49.820
And those refugees
had all taken part

00:45:49.820 --> 00:45:52.080
in a creative
capacity-building workshop.

00:45:52.080 --> 00:45:56.510
So they were very active
creators of the technologies

00:45:56.510 --> 00:45:57.720
that were developed.

00:45:57.720 --> 00:46:03.350
One of these technologies was
a pedal-powered peanut butter

00:46:03.350 --> 00:46:04.020
maker.

00:46:04.020 --> 00:46:07.440
And here is the technology
in the marketplace.

00:46:07.440 --> 00:46:08.900
In the back, you
can see Betty, who

00:46:08.900 --> 00:46:11.130
was a member of
the team who uses

00:46:11.130 --> 00:46:13.860
this technology in her shop.

00:46:13.860 --> 00:46:17.260
Here, you can see buckets of
peanut butter being produced.

00:46:17.260 --> 00:46:20.880
And every time I go
back to Northern Uganda,

00:46:20.880 --> 00:46:24.370
I can still buy peanut butter
from Betty at her shop.

00:46:24.370 --> 00:46:28.050
So I think this speaks to
the power of prepositions

00:46:28.050 --> 00:46:30.360
when you're talking
about design.

00:46:30.360 --> 00:46:36.900
So I believe that design by is
an incredibly important thing

00:46:36.900 --> 00:46:41.460
to enable design with
and allowing people

00:46:41.460 --> 00:46:46.920
to design for themselves and
other members of the community.

00:46:46.920 --> 00:46:48.970
So with that, I
will say thank you.

00:46:48.970 --> 00:46:49.470
[INAUDIBLE]

00:46:49.470 --> 00:46:52.530
[APPLAUSE]

00:46:52.530 --> 00:46:58.760


00:46:58.760 --> 00:47:00.330
Thank you so much, Amy.

00:47:00.330 --> 00:47:02.570
I always learn so much from you.

00:47:02.570 --> 00:47:04.740
So now our final panelist.

00:47:04.740 --> 00:47:07.320
Please join me in
welcoming Adi Mehrotra.

00:47:07.320 --> 00:47:10.673
[APPLAUSE]

00:47:10.673 --> 00:47:14.090


00:47:14.090 --> 00:47:15.295
Hi, everyone.

00:47:15.295 --> 00:47:15.930
Oh, sorry.

00:47:15.930 --> 00:47:17.420
Where's the clicker?

00:47:17.420 --> 00:47:18.560
Thank you.

00:47:18.560 --> 00:47:19.078
Sorry.

00:47:19.078 --> 00:47:19.620
Hi, everyone.

00:47:19.620 --> 00:47:20.350
My name is Adi.

00:47:20.350 --> 00:47:22.292
I'm a graduate
student here at MIT

00:47:22.292 --> 00:47:24.000
in the mechanical
engineering department.

00:47:24.000 --> 00:47:25.250
I do a lot of energy research.

00:47:25.250 --> 00:47:27.140
But over the six years
I've been at MIT,

00:47:27.140 --> 00:47:28.920
D-Lab has been like
a second home to me.

00:47:28.920 --> 00:47:31.400
So thank you Amy and
Anna and everybody

00:47:31.400 --> 00:47:34.160
on that team for providing such
a wonderful space for students

00:47:34.160 --> 00:47:35.610
to do awesome work like this.

00:47:35.610 --> 00:47:37.153
But I'm going to
talk to you guys

00:47:37.153 --> 00:47:38.570
a little bit about
a project I was

00:47:38.570 --> 00:47:41.630
doing with a nonprofit in Ghana
over the past few summers.

00:47:41.630 --> 00:47:43.280
And that nonprofit
is called Moving

00:47:43.280 --> 00:47:45.710
Health, which is
designing for health care

00:47:45.710 --> 00:47:47.420
access in rural Ghana.

00:47:47.420 --> 00:47:49.675
So briefly, the health
care system in Ghana

00:47:49.675 --> 00:47:51.800
works a little bit differently
than the health care

00:47:51.800 --> 00:47:53.070
system in the US.

00:47:53.070 --> 00:47:54.960
It's kind of a tiered
referral system.

00:47:54.960 --> 00:47:59.930
So essentially, you have
these little community centers

00:47:59.930 --> 00:48:02.270
for local health
care, and you get

00:48:02.270 --> 00:48:04.100
referred to higher
levels of health care

00:48:04.100 --> 00:48:05.400
as you go through the system.

00:48:05.400 --> 00:48:08.240
And each level has
more and more advanced

00:48:08.240 --> 00:48:10.230
care that is available to you.

00:48:10.230 --> 00:48:13.140
But also, one key
problem here is

00:48:13.140 --> 00:48:17.370
that as you get to higher
levels of care required,

00:48:17.370 --> 00:48:20.110
the centers become rarer and
rarer across the country.

00:48:20.110 --> 00:48:22.710
So teaching hospitals--
there's only like 7 to 10

00:48:22.710 --> 00:48:25.262
of them in the entire country,
and they're quite far away

00:48:25.262 --> 00:48:26.470
from these rural communities.

00:48:26.470 --> 00:48:28.553
So if you live in the
cities, it's easy to access.

00:48:28.553 --> 00:48:30.540
But if you're like
farther away, it's

00:48:30.540 --> 00:48:32.130
very difficult to get there.

00:48:32.130 --> 00:48:33.623
And around the
time in 2018, there

00:48:33.623 --> 00:48:35.040
was this crazy
study that came out

00:48:35.040 --> 00:48:38.010
that was like there's 50
ambulances in the entire country

00:48:38.010 --> 00:48:38.890
of Ghana.

00:48:38.890 --> 00:48:43.110
And for a country approaching
34 million people,

00:48:43.110 --> 00:48:48.730
that's nuts, How are people
getting to the hospital?

00:48:48.730 --> 00:48:51.580
And the answer was,
well, they're not really.

00:48:51.580 --> 00:48:53.520
So transportation
became a huge problem

00:48:53.520 --> 00:48:56.760
that Moving Health was trying to
solve and came to the conclusion

00:48:56.760 --> 00:48:58.890
that many of the fatalities
that were resulting

00:48:58.890 --> 00:49:01.660
from the lack of health care
access were totally preventable.

00:49:01.660 --> 00:49:03.910
It's just people couldn't
get to the hospital in time.

00:49:03.910 --> 00:49:08.110
So you might be like, OK, we
should just buy more ambulances.

00:49:08.110 --> 00:49:11.880
That doesn't work,
and here's why.

00:49:11.880 --> 00:49:15.790
In rural Ghana, the roads are
quite a state, as many of you

00:49:15.790 --> 00:49:16.290
might know.

00:49:16.290 --> 00:49:18.420
We were actually taking
a Mitsubishi Outlander

00:49:18.420 --> 00:49:20.710
around there while we
were driving around.

00:49:20.710 --> 00:49:22.960
It's a pretty hefty
duty off-road car.

00:49:22.960 --> 00:49:25.020
We broke the front
left suspension.

00:49:25.020 --> 00:49:26.730
That's how bad the roads are.

00:49:26.730 --> 00:49:29.610
So this is what an ambulance
looks like after just a year

00:49:29.610 --> 00:49:30.930
in the field up there.

00:49:30.930 --> 00:49:32.130
Engine is shot.

00:49:32.130 --> 00:49:34.350
All the tires are broken.

00:49:34.350 --> 00:49:37.660
And so we were like, OK, so
this is not going to work.

00:49:37.660 --> 00:49:40.740
And in addition to this, it
requires an extensive amount

00:49:40.740 --> 00:49:42.820
of training to
operate an ambulance.

00:49:42.820 --> 00:49:43.750
You need paramedics.

00:49:43.750 --> 00:49:45.570
The ambulance is
super expensive.

00:49:45.570 --> 00:49:49.960
So that's $120,000
vehicle, at minimum.

00:49:49.960 --> 00:49:51.540
So what Moving
Health does is they

00:49:51.540 --> 00:49:54.840
design these low-cost tricycle
ambulances to connect,

00:49:54.840 --> 00:49:56.220
especially the
rural communities,

00:49:56.220 --> 00:49:59.198
to the nearest urban
population center for access,

00:49:59.198 --> 00:50:01.740
specifically starting in regards
to the maternal health care,

00:50:01.740 --> 00:50:04.110
but expanding to more
like vaccine delivery

00:50:04.110 --> 00:50:06.720
and other forms of
health care as well.

00:50:06.720 --> 00:50:08.130
The cool part
about this, though,

00:50:08.130 --> 00:50:11.220
is a lot of the challenge
here is what do you

00:50:11.220 --> 00:50:14.980
take out of an ambulance to give
you the minimum viable product?

00:50:14.980 --> 00:50:16.360
So there was two parts here.

00:50:16.360 --> 00:50:19.710
First, when it comes to
designing with communities,

00:50:19.710 --> 00:50:22.470
Moving Health
realized, OK, we need

00:50:22.470 --> 00:50:25.230
to build the platform
on top of a vehicle

00:50:25.230 --> 00:50:27.850
that everybody already
knows how to drive.

00:50:27.850 --> 00:50:30.400
We don't need to have special
training and things like that.

00:50:30.400 --> 00:50:31.817
So they started
with this platform

00:50:31.817 --> 00:50:33.480
called a Moto King,
which is pretty

00:50:33.480 --> 00:50:35.580
common in that area of Ghana.

00:50:35.580 --> 00:50:39.540
And also, all of this stuff
that they came up with in here

00:50:39.540 --> 00:50:42.930
was basically directly
requested by the people

00:50:42.930 --> 00:50:44.490
who live in the
communities where

00:50:44.490 --> 00:50:47.140
the problem prevails the most.

00:50:47.140 --> 00:50:49.560
So there was things
like basic first aid

00:50:49.560 --> 00:50:51.450
that we kind of
knew we would need

00:50:51.450 --> 00:50:54.180
to put in there, seats for
family members, a stretcher

00:50:54.180 --> 00:50:55.480
so the people can lie down.

00:50:55.480 --> 00:50:57.960
But the interesting one
for me was this IV drip

00:50:57.960 --> 00:51:00.938
that one of the
nurses specifically

00:51:00.938 --> 00:51:02.230
requested from the communities.

00:51:02.230 --> 00:51:02.980
It was their idea.

00:51:02.980 --> 00:51:04.650
They were like,
we need an IV drip

00:51:04.650 --> 00:51:08.168
to provide saline during these
long three-hour transportation.

00:51:08.168 --> 00:51:09.960
That's something we
hadn't even thought of.

00:51:09.960 --> 00:51:12.840


00:51:12.840 --> 00:51:14.310
But the coolest
part, I think, by

00:51:14.310 --> 00:51:16.890
far about Moving Health, in
addition to everything that I've

00:51:16.890 --> 00:51:18.060
already mentioned
that's really cool,

00:51:18.060 --> 00:51:20.490
and some of the stuff that I
was more working on with them

00:51:20.490 --> 00:51:23.550
and I can talk about
more, is these ambulances,

00:51:23.550 --> 00:51:25.650
parts are sourced,
and they're entirely

00:51:25.650 --> 00:51:28.410
built in Ghana by
the communities

00:51:28.410 --> 00:51:29.680
in which they are stationed.

00:51:29.680 --> 00:51:31.260
So they're not built in Accra.

00:51:31.260 --> 00:51:32.820
They're not built in Kumasi.

00:51:32.820 --> 00:51:35.100
They're built all
the way up in Tumu,

00:51:35.100 --> 00:51:39.523
where access to health
care is a huge challenge.

00:51:39.523 --> 00:51:41.190
So I want to talk a
little bit about how

00:51:41.190 --> 00:51:44.070
we do this because this
is a massive challenge.

00:51:44.070 --> 00:51:46.510
And there's a couple
stories I can tell you here.

00:51:46.510 --> 00:51:50.470
So is anyone familiar with
Suame Magazine in Ghana?

00:51:50.470 --> 00:51:50.980
Yeah.

00:51:50.980 --> 00:51:52.780
So anyone who's been there--

00:51:52.780 --> 00:51:54.760
best place on Earth.

00:51:54.760 --> 00:51:57.490
Convince me otherwise.

00:51:57.490 --> 00:52:03.490
So imagine like a multi-acre
spread of just car parts

00:52:03.490 --> 00:52:06.560
and machines and artisans
working on vehicles.

00:52:06.560 --> 00:52:09.280
This is where cars
go to die and be

00:52:09.280 --> 00:52:12.220
reborn into the craziest
things you've ever seen.

00:52:12.220 --> 00:52:15.070
When I say every single
part of the car is reused,

00:52:15.070 --> 00:52:17.090
I'm not even joking.

00:52:17.090 --> 00:52:20.420
The way they're able to reuse
things in this place is crazy.

00:52:20.420 --> 00:52:23.890
But what this means is this
is the best place for us to go

00:52:23.890 --> 00:52:26.470
to learn not only what
parts do we have access

00:52:26.470 --> 00:52:28.990
to if we want to build
an ambulance, but also,

00:52:28.990 --> 00:52:32.260
what techniques are people
in country already using

00:52:32.260 --> 00:52:33.880
to build things,
and how can we use

00:52:33.880 --> 00:52:37.540
that to build an ambulance that
we know can be built in country,

00:52:37.540 --> 00:52:40.810
but also be serviceable
in the country.

00:52:40.810 --> 00:52:43.210
Because serviceability is
a huge challenge, where

00:52:43.210 --> 00:52:45.370
these ambulances break
down, and people are like,

00:52:45.370 --> 00:52:47.420
I don't know what an ECU is.

00:52:47.420 --> 00:52:48.830
My engine has a carburetor.

00:52:48.830 --> 00:52:49.820
How do I fix that?

00:52:49.820 --> 00:52:54.470
And we need to build systems
that they can service themselves

00:52:54.470 --> 00:52:58.063
in these remote communities.

00:52:58.063 --> 00:52:59.980
I want to tell you a fun
story about these two

00:52:59.980 --> 00:53:01.370
wonderful individuals.

00:53:01.370 --> 00:53:04.300
So this is Ambra
and this is Sufianu,

00:53:04.300 --> 00:53:07.330
and they both live in Tumu,
one of the communities

00:53:07.330 --> 00:53:08.620
that we work directly with.

00:53:08.620 --> 00:53:10.390
I have goofier
pictures of them, but I

00:53:10.390 --> 00:53:13.640
thought I'd give you the nice
ones for this presentation.

00:53:13.640 --> 00:53:15.370
But they're wonderful
individuals.

00:53:15.370 --> 00:53:16.130
They're artisans.

00:53:16.130 --> 00:53:17.713
They've lived there
their whole lives,

00:53:17.713 --> 00:53:20.050
and they're the chief engineers
of Moving Health, which

00:53:20.050 --> 00:53:22.008
is really cool that we
have chief engineers who

00:53:22.008 --> 00:53:24.190
are from the communities
that we're working with.

00:53:24.190 --> 00:53:26.740
The first story I want to
tell you is about this.

00:53:26.740 --> 00:53:29.480
This is-- actually, I'll get
to what it is in a second.

00:53:29.480 --> 00:53:32.433
But basically, we
were in Tumu, and we

00:53:32.433 --> 00:53:34.600
were working on building
one of the first prototypes

00:53:34.600 --> 00:53:35.630
of the ambulance.

00:53:35.630 --> 00:53:38.500
And the power goes out,
as it goes out quite often

00:53:38.500 --> 00:53:41.060
in those areas.

00:53:41.060 --> 00:53:46.445
And so me, I decided like,
OK, I'm going to sit down.

00:53:46.445 --> 00:53:47.820
I'm going to draw
in my notebook.

00:53:47.820 --> 00:53:49.445
I'm going to plan
out things that we're

00:53:49.445 --> 00:53:51.620
going to do for the
next couple hours

00:53:51.620 --> 00:53:53.990
or so while we wait for
the power to come on.

00:53:53.990 --> 00:53:56.240
And Isaac, who was the Moving
Health Country Director,

00:53:56.240 --> 00:53:58.480
was a little bit-- he was like,
ah, I'm a little stressed.

00:53:58.480 --> 00:54:00.230
We want to get an
ambulance done soon,

00:54:00.230 --> 00:54:01.430
things like, we want
to go out and test

00:54:01.430 --> 00:54:02.610
and all this kind of stuff.

00:54:02.610 --> 00:54:04.010
And I sit down, and I'm drawing.

00:54:04.010 --> 00:54:07.310
And I hear this sound like
the Earth is being plowed.

00:54:07.310 --> 00:54:10.730
And I look around, and
Sufianu has dragged out

00:54:10.730 --> 00:54:13.670
this diesel engine out from
the back of some truck.

00:54:13.670 --> 00:54:16.860
And some other--
his name is Beibei.

00:54:16.860 --> 00:54:18.563
He came over with a motor.

00:54:18.563 --> 00:54:21.230
And they hooked these two things
together, and they're like, OK,

00:54:21.230 --> 00:54:22.550
we need to weld right now.

00:54:22.550 --> 00:54:24.650
We're just going to make
our own electricity.

00:54:24.650 --> 00:54:27.290
So they hooked up this
generator to this motor.

00:54:27.290 --> 00:54:29.270
And they hooked up the
motor to an arc welder,

00:54:29.270 --> 00:54:30.630
and they just sat there welding.

00:54:30.630 --> 00:54:32.427
And I was like--

00:54:32.427 --> 00:54:33.760
I was just standing there like--

00:54:33.760 --> 00:54:36.250
I just would have never
thought to do that.

00:54:36.250 --> 00:54:37.750
I would have not
been like, I'm just

00:54:37.750 --> 00:54:39.340
going to make my
own electricity now.

00:54:39.340 --> 00:54:41.173
And I thought this was
a really cool example

00:54:41.173 --> 00:54:42.820
of their creativity.

00:54:42.820 --> 00:54:45.680
One other cool-- yeah.

00:54:45.680 --> 00:54:48.160
So stick welder,
generator, diesel engine--

00:54:48.160 --> 00:54:50.680
Thomas Edison.

00:54:50.680 --> 00:54:54.850
So another, another
cool kind of discussion

00:54:54.850 --> 00:54:57.033
we were having with
people in the community

00:54:57.033 --> 00:54:58.700
was when we went to
test the ambulances.

00:54:58.700 --> 00:55:01.570
One of the nurses actually
came up to us and was like,

00:55:01.570 --> 00:55:05.350
it would be really cool if we
had a stretcher that had wheels

00:55:05.350 --> 00:55:07.630
because we don't want to
be lifting up the patients

00:55:07.630 --> 00:55:09.297
every time to put
them in the ambulance.

00:55:09.297 --> 00:55:13.220
And also, there's a risk that
we drop them if we-- you know.

00:55:13.220 --> 00:55:19.240
So this is a $100,000
stretcher from America.

00:55:19.240 --> 00:55:20.170
So we were like, yeah.

00:55:20.170 --> 00:55:21.212
No, we're not doing that.

00:55:21.212 --> 00:55:22.990
But we showed this
to Ambra and Sufianu

00:55:22.990 --> 00:55:24.740
and we're like, what
did you come up with?

00:55:24.740 --> 00:55:26.450
What can you-- can we
make something like this?

00:55:26.450 --> 00:55:27.310
How could we do this?

00:55:27.310 --> 00:55:29.268
And after a couple design
iterations with them,

00:55:29.268 --> 00:55:30.555
they came up with this.

00:55:30.555 --> 00:55:42.280


00:55:42.280 --> 00:55:46.840
Anyone want to guess how much
that-- yeah, isn't that awesome?

00:55:46.840 --> 00:55:47.480
All right.

00:55:47.480 --> 00:55:50.700
Does anyone want to guess
how much that costs?

00:55:50.700 --> 00:55:52.550
[INAUDIBLE]

00:55:52.550 --> 00:55:53.330
You're close.

00:55:53.330 --> 00:55:57.300
It's 350 cedis, which
is about 40 US dollars.

00:55:57.300 --> 00:56:01.070
And it's totally functional, in
terms of anything we need to do.

00:56:01.070 --> 00:56:05.420
And that-- the bed part
is made of leather, too.

00:56:05.420 --> 00:56:08.120
And that's included in
that $350 cedi price.

00:56:08.120 --> 00:56:09.770
That's crazy.

00:56:09.770 --> 00:56:10.800
That's awesome.

00:56:10.800 --> 00:56:11.820
So, like, go them.

00:56:11.820 --> 00:56:14.190
They're wonderful.

00:56:14.190 --> 00:56:14.690
Oh.

00:56:14.690 --> 00:56:16.130
We're going-- yes.

00:56:16.130 --> 00:56:16.980
Awesome.

00:56:16.980 --> 00:56:19.190
So I want to talk a little
bit about the research

00:56:19.190 --> 00:56:20.570
we're currently doing
with Moving Health

00:56:20.570 --> 00:56:22.445
because Moving Health
has a lot of ambulances

00:56:22.445 --> 00:56:25.070
deployed right now, and
what's the next step for us.

00:56:25.070 --> 00:56:27.200
And this is a really
interesting case study,

00:56:27.200 --> 00:56:28.700
I feel like, because
this is usually

00:56:28.700 --> 00:56:31.820
very separate from what we
usually talk about when it comes

00:56:31.820 --> 00:56:35.790
to developing communities.

00:56:35.790 --> 00:56:38.260
We're talking about design
for energy independence now.

00:56:38.260 --> 00:56:42.000
So the problem is
in Ghana, because

00:56:42.000 --> 00:56:44.882
of various global conflicts,
oil price fluctuations

00:56:44.882 --> 00:56:46.090
have been all over the place.

00:56:46.090 --> 00:56:48.600
So on certain days it is
just intractable to run

00:56:48.600 --> 00:56:49.420
the ambulance.

00:56:49.420 --> 00:56:51.270
So one of the things
we've been exploring

00:56:51.270 --> 00:56:54.080
is like can we use
battery electric vehicles?

00:56:54.080 --> 00:56:56.080
If we convert them to
battery electric vehicles,

00:56:56.080 --> 00:56:59.885
can we reduce the price of the
operation to Moving Health?

00:56:59.885 --> 00:57:01.260
So that's an
interesting question

00:57:01.260 --> 00:57:04.950
of how do we design that
with the communities,

00:57:04.950 --> 00:57:07.720
So then we ask the question,
who are we designing with?

00:57:07.720 --> 00:57:09.480
And a lot of that
time, the biggest issue

00:57:09.480 --> 00:57:12.790
with these vehicles is, of
course, safety is a big one.

00:57:12.790 --> 00:57:17.372
And also, serviceability
are the big areas

00:57:17.372 --> 00:57:19.330
where we're talking about
in terms of designing

00:57:19.330 --> 00:57:20.990
for electrification.

00:57:20.990 --> 00:57:23.090
And the third one is the grid.

00:57:23.090 --> 00:57:25.390
How do we charge these
things, especially

00:57:25.390 --> 00:57:26.570
in these rural communities?

00:57:26.570 --> 00:57:32.440
So the three groups that we're
working with first are the--

00:57:32.440 --> 00:57:35.690
sorry-- the workers who
actually put up the grid lines.

00:57:35.690 --> 00:57:37.690
They can tell us how
much power it takes

00:57:37.690 --> 00:57:40.470
and when we need to drop new
grid lines, how expensive that

00:57:40.470 --> 00:57:40.970
is.

00:57:40.970 --> 00:57:42.887
And that's the first
group we're working with.

00:57:42.887 --> 00:57:46.420
The second group is this
place in Suame Magazine called

00:57:46.420 --> 00:57:48.320
ITTU, which is training center.

00:57:48.320 --> 00:57:50.770
They do a lot of
training for how

00:57:50.770 --> 00:57:52.990
to service the newer vehicles
that aren't carbureted

00:57:52.990 --> 00:57:54.290
have engine control units.

00:57:54.290 --> 00:57:56.140
They deal with a lot
of safety, and they

00:57:56.140 --> 00:57:59.680
can help us consider when we're
designing these ambulances,

00:57:59.680 --> 00:58:00.730
we're working--

00:58:00.730 --> 00:58:02.230
what kind of training
programs do we

00:58:02.230 --> 00:58:04.605
need to put into place to make
sure they can service them

00:58:04.605 --> 00:58:07.480
in country safely with
high-voltage systems

00:58:07.480 --> 00:58:09.070
and things like that.

00:58:09.070 --> 00:58:12.610
I'm just going to end with
a couple of fun statistics.

00:58:12.610 --> 00:58:17.330
So this year, Moving Health
has given 75,000 people access

00:58:17.330 --> 00:58:19.270
to health care in one year.

00:58:19.270 --> 00:58:21.850
[APPLAUSE]

00:58:21.850 --> 00:58:25.530


00:58:25.530 --> 00:58:29.970
And they have built a total of
15 ambulances in the community

00:58:29.970 --> 00:58:32.670
that they're working in, and I
thought that was pretty cool.

00:58:32.670 --> 00:58:35.260
So thank you for your time.

00:58:35.260 --> 00:58:35.760
[INAUDIBLE]

00:58:35.760 --> 00:58:38.956
[APPLAUSE]

00:58:38.956 --> 00:58:42.300


00:58:42.300 --> 00:58:45.568
Thank you so much, Adi,
and all of our panelists.

00:58:45.568 --> 00:58:47.610
So at this point, I'd like
to ask the four of you

00:58:47.610 --> 00:58:50.740
to come to the front, and
we can have a conversation.

00:58:50.740 --> 00:59:00.350


00:59:00.350 --> 00:59:07.550
[INAUDIBLE]

00:59:07.550 --> 00:59:09.170
I guess I'm stuck in the middle.

00:59:09.170 --> 00:59:12.300
So there's so much I
could ask all of you,

00:59:12.300 --> 00:59:15.080
but I guess I'd like to
start by asking if any of you

00:59:15.080 --> 00:59:16.970
have any questions
for each other

00:59:16.970 --> 00:59:19.220
now that you've heard each
other talk about your work,

00:59:19.220 --> 00:59:22.410
or any comments you'd like
to make on each other's talk.

00:59:22.410 --> 00:59:24.560
So--

00:59:24.560 --> 00:59:25.400
Well, I think the--

00:59:25.400 --> 00:59:27.620
I mean, the one thing that
really sticks out to me

00:59:27.620 --> 00:59:30.470
is that we often talk about
under-resourced communities,

00:59:30.470 --> 00:59:34.580
but they're actually incredibly
resourceful given the need.

00:59:34.580 --> 00:59:37.325
And it's just about, I think,
unlocking that creativity.

00:59:37.325 --> 00:59:39.200
That's definitely been
a common theme for me,

00:59:39.200 --> 00:59:43.520
which has come through
in all those projects.

00:59:43.520 --> 00:59:46.130
I guess the question
I have is how

00:59:46.130 --> 00:59:49.610
do we get people to that
point, that they can believe

00:59:49.610 --> 00:59:51.940
they can make a difference.

00:59:51.940 --> 00:59:52.440
Yeah.

00:59:52.440 --> 00:59:54.482
So I'll be curious,
especially with the ambulance

00:59:54.482 --> 00:59:58.970
project around, did they--

00:59:58.970 --> 01:00:01.190
was there a catalyst
which got them into,

01:00:01.190 --> 01:00:03.050
OK, we can do this ourselves?

01:00:03.050 --> 01:00:08.900
We're not just going to
take these machines which

01:00:08.900 --> 01:00:12.343
just don't deal with our local
conditions with technology.

01:00:12.343 --> 01:00:14.510
What got them to the point
to say, well, we actually

01:00:14.510 --> 01:00:16.450
have to make it ourselves?

01:00:16.450 --> 01:00:16.960
Yeah.

01:00:16.960 --> 01:00:18.550
I think it's an
interesting question

01:00:18.550 --> 01:00:21.480
because I think it has to
do a lot with narrative

01:00:21.480 --> 01:00:24.820
from both in the country
and outside the country.

01:00:24.820 --> 01:00:28.470
I think a lot of the time the
narrative around development

01:00:28.470 --> 01:00:30.240
is that these
communities are helpless,

01:00:30.240 --> 01:00:32.160
and we have to
somehow save them.

01:00:32.160 --> 01:00:35.260
But I think it's--

01:00:35.260 --> 01:00:37.937
at some point, at least
for Moving Health,

01:00:37.937 --> 01:00:39.520
a lot of the time
what they were doing

01:00:39.520 --> 01:00:43.710
is they just gave
them the resources

01:00:43.710 --> 01:00:46.073
to solve the problem a
little bit and stepped back.

01:00:46.073 --> 01:00:47.490
Like, you give
them the challenge,

01:00:47.490 --> 01:00:50.580
and you see what
they come up with.

01:00:50.580 --> 01:00:53.010
And especially that was the
case with the stretcher, where

01:00:53.010 --> 01:00:55.302
we just showed them the
stretcher and we were like, OK,

01:00:55.302 --> 01:00:57.120
well what would you do?

01:00:57.120 --> 01:01:00.930
And at that point, it was a bit
helpful in the design process

01:01:00.930 --> 01:01:03.180
for the nonprofit
itself, which had

01:01:03.180 --> 01:01:07.650
a bit of funding to come in and
provide the funding to purchase

01:01:07.650 --> 01:01:09.610
materials and things like that.

01:01:09.610 --> 01:01:14.640
But then it was up to them to
do the actual design process

01:01:14.640 --> 01:01:17.460
in kind of an
unconstrained fashion.

01:01:17.460 --> 01:01:20.100


01:01:20.100 --> 01:01:21.350
Amy, you want to add anything?

01:01:21.350 --> 01:01:23.645
Because Moving Health did come
out of the D-Lab originally,

01:01:23.645 --> 01:01:24.145
right?

01:01:24.145 --> 01:01:26.220
It did come out of
D-Lag originally.

01:01:26.220 --> 01:01:30.410
And, in fact, they provide
projects for our classes

01:01:30.410 --> 01:01:33.410
on a almost annual
basis, so that it

01:01:33.410 --> 01:01:36.500
continues to be connected to
the D-Lab, which is great.

01:01:36.500 --> 01:01:40.085
And I feel that--

01:01:40.085 --> 01:01:42.710
I don't know if I was the only
hand that went up when you asked

01:01:42.710 --> 01:01:44.520
about knowing Suame Magazine.

01:01:44.520 --> 01:01:48.380
But it is true that
Ghana is a country that

01:01:48.380 --> 01:01:51.500
has a unique set of
resources around not only

01:01:51.500 --> 01:01:54.050
this manufacturing
center, but also

01:01:54.050 --> 01:01:58.280
manufacturing centers on a
smaller scale around the world--

01:01:58.280 --> 01:02:00.140
sorry-- around the country.

01:02:00.140 --> 01:02:06.950
And this idea of believing
in the confidence

01:02:06.950 --> 01:02:11.510
of those manufacturing
centers to provide locally

01:02:11.510 --> 01:02:14.480
is something that,
first of all, is--

01:02:14.480 --> 01:02:16.460
I do think the narrative
within the country

01:02:16.460 --> 01:02:20.970
is that those magazines
can produce things

01:02:20.970 --> 01:02:21.970
all over the country.

01:02:21.970 --> 01:02:24.240
So it's more of an
external narrative

01:02:24.240 --> 01:02:26.550
rather than an
internal narrative.

01:02:26.550 --> 01:02:30.630
But I do think that that's one
of the most valuable things we

01:02:30.630 --> 01:02:37.350
teach our students at D-Lab is
the amount of creative capacity

01:02:37.350 --> 01:02:43.080
which exists and the degree to
which sometimes it is already

01:02:43.080 --> 01:02:46.170
unleashed, and sometimes there's
a few levers that you can pull

01:02:46.170 --> 01:02:47.470
to release it.

01:02:47.470 --> 01:02:51.360
And it's not always
resources and money

01:02:51.360 --> 01:02:52.860
that pull those levers.

01:02:52.860 --> 01:02:56.680
Sometimes it's just a
boost in confidence.

01:02:56.680 --> 01:02:59.560
Sometimes it is a connection
with someone else.

01:02:59.560 --> 01:03:02.430
And I think that those
are some of the things

01:03:02.430 --> 01:03:06.365
that you can do when you
actually go to the field.

01:03:06.365 --> 01:03:07.740
And if you recall,
when we talked

01:03:07.740 --> 01:03:11.802
about the foundation of D-Lab
being discovery and dialogue,

01:03:11.802 --> 01:03:13.260
it's one of the
reasons why we feel

01:03:13.260 --> 01:03:15.370
it's so important for our
students to get out there.

01:03:15.370 --> 01:03:17.495
And I think it's similar
with your students, right,

01:03:17.495 --> 01:03:19.590
that they're--

01:03:19.590 --> 01:03:20.970
probably most of
the students who

01:03:20.970 --> 01:03:24.240
get to University of
Cape Town, they've

01:03:24.240 --> 01:03:28.501
been kind of the cream of the
crop in terms educationally.

01:03:28.501 --> 01:03:31.770
But to provide that access
to go back to the community

01:03:31.770 --> 01:03:37.710
and discover what is it like for
people who were not as fortunate

01:03:37.710 --> 01:03:40.780
as me to succeed in education?

01:03:40.780 --> 01:03:47.130
Because it's not always easy
to go through the South African

01:03:47.130 --> 01:03:49.840
educational system if that's not
the way you learn effectively.

01:03:49.840 --> 01:03:55.530
So, again, being able to have
that reentry into the community

01:03:55.530 --> 01:03:58.770
and that same discovery and
dialogue, which I think it's

01:03:58.770 --> 01:04:03.460
necessary to inform the
design with aspect of things.

01:04:03.460 --> 01:04:03.960
Yeah.

01:04:03.960 --> 01:04:06.210
The other thing that I kept
thinking about through all

01:04:06.210 --> 01:04:09.090
of your talks is how in many
universities, especially

01:04:09.090 --> 01:04:13.290
in STEM-dominant universities
like MIT, the problem spaces

01:04:13.290 --> 01:04:16.440
we set for students are
often the kinds of spaces

01:04:16.440 --> 01:04:19.200
that big corporations are
working in who have resources

01:04:19.200 --> 01:04:21.640
to have big teams of engineers.

01:04:21.640 --> 01:04:26.292
And these are much more
interesting problem spaces.

01:04:26.292 --> 01:04:27.750
And they're just
thinking about how

01:04:27.750 --> 01:04:32.640
we can begin to shift some
of the educational pursuits

01:04:32.640 --> 01:04:34.770
within universities so
that we are addressing

01:04:34.770 --> 01:04:38.670
more social challenges strikes
me as something that all of you

01:04:38.670 --> 01:04:39.803
are engaged in some way.

01:04:39.803 --> 01:04:40.470
So I don't know.

01:04:40.470 --> 01:04:42.690
Maybe-- I'd love to
open it up to the floor.

01:04:42.690 --> 01:04:46.410
But maybe my last thought
for the panel is, is there

01:04:46.410 --> 01:04:48.840
anything-- when you reflect
on your own education

01:04:48.840 --> 01:04:52.140
or the educational
structures, how

01:04:52.140 --> 01:04:54.780
do you think about the
way we frame design

01:04:54.780 --> 01:04:56.590
spaces within universities?

01:04:56.590 --> 01:04:58.800
And do you-- are you
optimistic about the directions

01:04:58.800 --> 01:05:00.710
we're going?

01:05:00.710 --> 01:05:02.210
I mean, I can start.

01:05:02.210 --> 01:05:05.900
I'll take the elder's
privilege here.

01:05:05.900 --> 01:05:10.960
So I was an undergrad
at MIT in 1980 to 1984.

01:05:10.960 --> 01:05:11.770
Last week.

01:05:11.770 --> 01:05:13.010
Last week, I think.

01:05:13.010 --> 01:05:13.670
Yeah.

01:05:13.670 --> 01:05:16.250
And at the time in
mechanical engineering,

01:05:16.250 --> 01:05:18.980
most of the jobs you could
get were with defense

01:05:18.980 --> 01:05:20.730
or with car companies.

01:05:20.730 --> 01:05:22.440
And I don't drive.

01:05:22.440 --> 01:05:24.987
I still don't drive,
and I don't bomb people.

01:05:24.987 --> 01:05:26.070
I still don't bomb people.

01:05:26.070 --> 01:05:31.350
And at the time, biomedical,
it was a very nascent field.

01:05:31.350 --> 01:05:33.320
So that whole realm
of biomechanics,

01:05:33.320 --> 01:05:38.180
which was the way that pacifist
mechanical engineers could find

01:05:38.180 --> 01:05:40.530
a direction, it didn't exist.

01:05:40.530 --> 01:05:45.320
And so I joined the
Peace Corps, and I

01:05:45.320 --> 01:05:48.320
taught in the Kalahari Desert
and became the Regional

01:05:48.320 --> 01:05:49.380
Beekeeping Officer.

01:05:49.380 --> 01:05:52.670
But I had in my mind
this idea of teaching

01:05:52.670 --> 01:05:56.120
the class that I wish would have
been there when I was at MIT.

01:05:56.120 --> 01:05:59.570
Because I knew I was not
the only person at MIT who

01:05:59.570 --> 01:06:01.770
wanted to work on
this type of problem,

01:06:01.770 --> 01:06:03.480
but it was very
difficult. And so that

01:06:03.480 --> 01:06:07.110
was really the underlying
mission of D-Lab when we got

01:06:07.110 --> 01:06:07.660
started.

01:06:07.660 --> 01:06:11.430
And I'm happy to say
that we now have about 5%

01:06:11.430 --> 01:06:14.950
of the MIT student
population takes our classes.

01:06:14.950 --> 01:06:17.400
We have-- offer
more than 20-- well,

01:06:17.400 --> 01:06:20.680
we have 20 different classes
that we offer at various times.

01:06:20.680 --> 01:06:22.330
We have research
programs, et cetera,

01:06:22.330 --> 01:06:26.420
with this idea of teaching
the class I really wanted

01:06:26.420 --> 01:06:28.140
to take as an undergraduate.

01:06:28.140 --> 01:06:30.260
And it turns out lots
of undergraduates

01:06:30.260 --> 01:06:33.540
want to take that class as well.

01:06:33.540 --> 01:06:36.320
And whenever there's
a new interest,

01:06:36.320 --> 01:06:40.160
whether it's in biodiversity
or energy or health,

01:06:40.160 --> 01:06:42.530
we create new classes.

01:06:42.530 --> 01:06:45.020
John was actually one
of the first instructors

01:06:45.020 --> 01:06:46.880
of the D-Lab school's
project, looking

01:06:46.880 --> 01:06:49.700
at how can we use building
technology to improve

01:06:49.700 --> 01:06:52.250
the quality of the
educational experience

01:06:52.250 --> 01:06:54.030
in schools in the
developing world.

01:06:54.030 --> 01:06:59.290
So I believe that there is
a definite appetite for it.

01:06:59.290 --> 01:07:02.870
I do believe that it was
something of a struggle

01:07:02.870 --> 01:07:05.400
the whole way, but an
important struggle.

01:07:05.400 --> 01:07:09.020
And I think people like
Adi are a great testament

01:07:09.020 --> 01:07:13.190
to the need for it and
the awesomeness that

01:07:13.190 --> 01:07:14.400
is produced by it.

01:07:14.400 --> 01:07:17.450
So that's-- I would--

01:07:17.450 --> 01:07:20.510
and anything D-Lab can do
to support other design

01:07:20.510 --> 01:07:23.150
universities in
creating that space.

01:07:23.150 --> 01:07:26.490
Because students want to
create things that they feel

01:07:26.490 --> 01:07:27.970
have value in the world.

01:07:27.970 --> 01:07:31.020
And while they could in
mechanical engineering

01:07:31.020 --> 01:07:33.270
move a block up
an inclined plane,

01:07:33.270 --> 01:07:37.110
or in design, they could
create a better way

01:07:37.110 --> 01:07:40.470
that we could do recycling
in our classrooms,

01:07:40.470 --> 01:07:43.120
there are things that have
a deeper impact than that.

01:07:43.120 --> 01:07:46.080
And I think students
are thirsty for it.

01:07:46.080 --> 01:07:51.150
That's my long-winded
response to your question.

01:07:51.150 --> 01:07:51.910
That's awesome.

01:07:51.910 --> 01:07:54.060
And we learned that you
were the Regional Beekeeper

01:07:54.060 --> 01:07:54.870
Administrator.

01:07:54.870 --> 01:07:56.220
Did I get the title right?

01:07:56.220 --> 01:07:57.538
Yes, I was.

01:07:57.538 --> 01:07:59.580
That is correct-- the
Regional Beekeeping Officer

01:07:59.580 --> 01:08:02.430
of Ngamiland District.

01:08:02.430 --> 01:08:04.595
A better job you won't
find, by the way.

01:08:04.595 --> 01:08:05.750
[LAUGHS]

01:08:05.750 --> 01:08:07.500
But I think-- I mean,
just to add to that,

01:08:07.500 --> 01:08:11.040
I think what I'm
seeing specifically

01:08:11.040 --> 01:08:14.040
across the continent
is it's almost a bit

01:08:14.040 --> 01:08:16.750
of a rebirth of design.

01:08:16.750 --> 01:08:20.200
There's this necessity which
leads to people just getting

01:08:20.200 --> 01:08:22.189
and doing stuff, like
building a generator to--

01:08:22.189 --> 01:08:23.189
we're not going to wait.

01:08:23.189 --> 01:08:26.170
We're just going to
make a plan right now.

01:08:26.170 --> 01:08:29.522
And then they often
talk about Africa

01:08:29.522 --> 01:08:31.689
being a sandbox, where we
can actually just innovate

01:08:31.689 --> 01:08:32.540
and try things out.

01:08:32.540 --> 01:08:35.245
We don't get bogged down
by all the compliance

01:08:35.245 --> 01:08:37.460
and, I mean, that
stretch, you know.

01:08:37.460 --> 01:08:38.960
I don't know if it
was-- we probably

01:08:38.960 --> 01:08:41.649
didn't dream of an
ISO standard and where

01:08:41.649 --> 01:08:42.910
your fingers might get caught.

01:08:42.910 --> 01:08:44.328
And they don't care.

01:08:44.328 --> 01:08:45.620
They just build it and make it.

01:08:45.620 --> 01:08:49.300
And so I think as you see almost
immediate impact happening,

01:08:49.300 --> 01:08:53.140
which has been in some ways,
I think, the rest of the world

01:08:53.140 --> 01:08:54.460
gets bogged down.

01:08:54.460 --> 01:08:57.460
A lot of design innovation is
just bogged down by bureaucracy.

01:08:57.460 --> 01:09:00.279
And we can no longer just
fiddle and make and try things.

01:09:00.279 --> 01:09:02.770
And therefore, the impact
is only maybe-- or maybe

01:09:02.770 --> 01:09:04.359
it's never seen.

01:09:04.359 --> 01:09:07.689
So I think this opportunity
I've seen in the continent

01:09:07.689 --> 01:09:11.649
is this sort of rapid
iteration of ideas which

01:09:11.649 --> 01:09:14.140
leads to quicker
impact specifically

01:09:14.140 --> 01:09:17.680
to the human beings and the
people around challenge.

01:09:17.680 --> 01:09:18.490
That's great.

01:09:18.490 --> 01:09:20.562
I'd love to get to
open up to the floor.

01:09:20.562 --> 01:09:23.270
I just have to say how fun it is
to be here with the four of you.

01:09:23.270 --> 01:09:25.385
So can we hear a round of
applause for this panel

01:09:25.385 --> 01:09:26.260
and how they've been.

01:09:26.260 --> 01:09:29.029
[APPLAUSE]

01:09:29.029 --> 01:09:30.300


01:09:30.300 --> 01:09:32.670
So we do have
passed microphones.

01:09:32.670 --> 01:09:34.920
So are there any questions
or comments from the floor?

01:09:34.920 --> 01:09:35.670
Please.

01:09:35.670 --> 01:09:38.359
I saw your hand go up first.

01:09:38.359 --> 01:09:40.170
And then you're
second, just there.

01:09:40.170 --> 01:09:44.779


01:09:44.779 --> 01:09:45.590
Hello.

01:09:45.590 --> 01:09:48.410
I'm Shivali, currently doing
my master's in Graphic Design

01:09:48.410 --> 01:09:50.990
and Visual Experience from SCAD.

01:09:50.990 --> 01:09:53.390
So the question I
have for you is--

01:09:53.390 --> 01:09:54.590
so I'm from India.

01:09:54.590 --> 01:09:58.280
And I struggle to explain
what I do because most of them

01:09:58.280 --> 01:09:59.120
think that--

01:09:59.120 --> 01:10:01.107
they ask me to stitch
their cloths because they

01:10:01.107 --> 01:10:02.190
don't know what is design.

01:10:02.190 --> 01:10:04.070
And even if I do take
my time explaining it,

01:10:04.070 --> 01:10:08.660
it's not valued the same way
that I may view in value design.

01:10:08.660 --> 01:10:10.940
And this is-- the start
is prevalent in a lot

01:10:10.940 --> 01:10:15.140
of third world countries,
where people may not

01:10:15.140 --> 01:10:17.330
see the value in design.

01:10:17.330 --> 01:10:20.122
So when you're working
with such communities--

01:10:20.122 --> 01:10:21.830
when you're working
with such communities

01:10:21.830 --> 01:10:25.280
and want them to participate
in your projects,

01:10:25.280 --> 01:10:27.290
or how does it fit
in your framework

01:10:27.290 --> 01:10:28.850
when working with
such communities

01:10:28.850 --> 01:10:32.020
with such perspective of design?

01:10:32.020 --> 01:10:34.670
Anyone want to take that?

01:10:34.670 --> 01:10:37.573
I have a quick answer, which
is bring a corn-sheller.

01:10:37.573 --> 01:10:39.800
[LAUGHS] No, but--

01:10:39.800 --> 01:10:42.860
so my initials are
ABS, and I say that it

01:10:42.860 --> 01:10:44.780
stands for Always Bring Stuff.

01:10:44.780 --> 01:10:48.080
And I think the answer
to that question

01:10:48.080 --> 01:10:52.640
is show simple
designs that people

01:10:52.640 --> 01:10:55.280
can relate to that are
relevant to their lives

01:10:55.280 --> 01:10:58.520
that they see the power of how
something new and innovative

01:10:58.520 --> 01:11:02.730
can impact their
lives immediately.

01:11:02.730 --> 01:11:04.430
And that it's not--

01:11:04.430 --> 01:11:06.590
it's something that was
designed and created,

01:11:06.590 --> 01:11:08.990
and they could see themselves
designing and creating it,

01:11:08.990 --> 01:11:11.580
or they could see you
designing it and creating it.

01:11:11.580 --> 01:11:14.923
So having a collection
of these samples.

01:11:14.923 --> 01:11:17.340
And if you're in health, you
can have health technologies.

01:11:17.340 --> 01:11:18.440
If you're in
agriculture, you can

01:11:18.440 --> 01:11:19.980
have agricultural technologies.

01:11:19.980 --> 01:11:25.040
But there exist these small,
powerful pieces of stuff

01:11:25.040 --> 01:11:28.920
that allow you to show the
value and impact of design.

01:11:28.920 --> 01:11:30.950
So that's what I always
do, is we have this.

01:11:30.950 --> 01:11:34.830
We have little devices that
make charcoal briquettes out

01:11:34.830 --> 01:11:38.040
of waste agricultural
material, a variety of things

01:11:38.040 --> 01:11:39.370
that people can see.

01:11:39.370 --> 01:11:43.380
Wow, I want to learn
this process because I

01:11:43.380 --> 01:11:44.770
want to be able to do that.

01:11:44.770 --> 01:11:47.160
And not only that, I have
these other challenges

01:11:47.160 --> 01:11:48.293
I'd like to address.

01:11:48.293 --> 01:11:49.710
I want to get to
as many questions

01:11:49.710 --> 01:11:51.510
as we can, but any
other quick comments?

01:11:51.510 --> 01:11:52.510
I have a real quick one.

01:11:52.510 --> 01:11:54.552
I was going to say I think
I agree that awareness

01:11:54.552 --> 01:11:58.020
is huge because a brief story
from when I was in Ghana.

01:11:58.020 --> 01:12:01.110
One of the female interns on the
team-- her name was Shabika--

01:12:01.110 --> 01:12:03.870
told me she didn't even know
that engineering was a career

01:12:03.870 --> 01:12:07.930
that she could have in Ghana
until she was 22 and in college.

01:12:07.930 --> 01:12:12.720
So it's like just really, like
just bringing these things up

01:12:12.720 --> 01:12:15.450
as a conversation, I think also
does a whole lot in like, what

01:12:15.450 --> 01:12:18.900
can engineering do, or what can
these design things do to like--

01:12:18.900 --> 01:12:19.610
yeah.

01:12:19.610 --> 01:12:20.110
OK.

01:12:20.110 --> 01:12:22.682
I saw two other hands-- one
here and then one at the back.

01:12:22.682 --> 01:12:23.890
I think you had your hand up.

01:12:23.890 --> 01:12:24.390
Yes?

01:12:24.390 --> 01:12:27.380


01:12:27.380 --> 01:12:30.410
Thank you for inspiring
presentations.

01:12:30.410 --> 01:12:34.310
While I was watching it, I was
looking around and comparing

01:12:34.310 --> 01:12:36.350
this context to
that context that I

01:12:36.350 --> 01:12:38.030
was seeing through the images.

01:12:38.030 --> 01:12:40.730
And although you mentioned
that there are resources there,

01:12:40.730 --> 01:12:43.100
I cannot not think
that while here,

01:12:43.100 --> 01:12:44.870
there are a lot more resources.

01:12:44.870 --> 01:12:49.760
And most of these resources
somehow came from there.

01:12:49.760 --> 01:12:52.220
Because there is an
international trade

01:12:52.220 --> 01:12:55.890
that generates all that social
inequality that's behind it.

01:12:55.890 --> 01:12:59.060
And, of course, that traces
back to histories or centuries

01:12:59.060 --> 01:13:00.390
of colonialism.

01:13:00.390 --> 01:13:04.070
And international development
is definitely a continuation,

01:13:04.070 --> 01:13:06.650
although there's a lot
more self-criticism

01:13:06.650 --> 01:13:09.690
on not trying to repeat the
same colonial relationships.

01:13:09.690 --> 01:13:12.530
And I wonder design,
of course, does not

01:13:12.530 --> 01:13:15.680
hold the power of changing or
reverting international trade

01:13:15.680 --> 01:13:18.240
relationships as
quickly as possible.

01:13:18.240 --> 01:13:20.210
As-- I mean, you
build a prototype.

01:13:20.210 --> 01:13:22.910
It's not as simple like that.

01:13:22.910 --> 01:13:30.650
But within that history, I
mean, is it enough repair

01:13:30.650 --> 01:13:34.820
to somehow export design
thinking or other ways

01:13:34.820 --> 01:13:38.120
of creative capacity-building,
of other ways how

01:13:38.120 --> 01:13:40.340
these communities can
become more resilient,

01:13:40.340 --> 01:13:42.600
or they can design
by themselves?

01:13:42.600 --> 01:13:46.490
Does that work as a repair for
all the histories and centuries

01:13:46.490 --> 01:13:52.970
of, I don't know, international
resource exploitation.

01:13:52.970 --> 01:13:57.750
And also, labor exploitation
as part of colonial processes.

01:13:57.750 --> 01:13:59.740
[INAUDIBLE]

01:13:59.740 --> 01:14:00.240
Anyone?

01:14:00.240 --> 01:14:01.860
Well, that's an easy one.

01:14:01.860 --> 01:14:03.330
That's easy way.

01:14:03.330 --> 01:14:04.200
Surbhi?

01:14:04.200 --> 01:14:05.670
I have some thoughts.

01:14:05.670 --> 01:14:07.320
And I think I can
say more neutrally

01:14:07.320 --> 01:14:09.370
because I'm an implant
myself here from India.

01:14:09.370 --> 01:14:12.930
So I think I'm
constantly wondered

01:14:12.930 --> 01:14:15.540
about just the basic
question of how

01:14:15.540 --> 01:14:18.720
why is everything so
much more expensive here

01:14:18.720 --> 01:14:20.200
than it is back home.

01:14:20.200 --> 01:14:24.370
Everything's at least like 10
times what it costs to get done.

01:14:24.370 --> 01:14:27.370
And it is because of
regulations, requirements.

01:14:27.370 --> 01:14:32.520
And I think I've come to frame
it as more human dignity,

01:14:32.520 --> 01:14:34.810
like recognizing
processes we use.

01:14:34.810 --> 01:14:36.510
Anytime a human
touches something,

01:14:36.510 --> 01:14:38.730
there is a cost
attached to that.

01:14:38.730 --> 01:14:41.910
Back home, we don't tend
to think of human resource

01:14:41.910 --> 01:14:44.850
with the cost attached
in that strong way.

01:14:44.850 --> 01:14:49.560
I think by bringing back some of
these ideas of design thinking,

01:14:49.560 --> 01:14:53.010
but in parallel to really
understanding the fabric

01:14:53.010 --> 01:14:54.885
of the community there.

01:14:54.885 --> 01:14:58.050
I mean, coming as a
knowledge-bearer I think

01:14:58.050 --> 01:14:59.190
is problematic.

01:14:59.190 --> 01:15:01.680
Coming as a listener
is really empowering

01:15:01.680 --> 01:15:04.170
when you want to understand
that local context

01:15:04.170 --> 01:15:05.670
and work with that.

01:15:05.670 --> 01:15:07.680
I think that's where
there is some space

01:15:07.680 --> 01:15:11.190
for meaningful bridging
and reparation.

01:15:11.190 --> 01:15:12.660
[INAUDIBLE]

01:15:12.660 --> 01:15:13.450
Anyone else?

01:15:13.450 --> 01:15:13.950
Yeah.

01:15:13.950 --> 01:15:15.190
I mean, maybe I can
just add to that.

01:15:15.190 --> 01:15:16.800
I mean, specifically
in South Africa,

01:15:16.800 --> 01:15:20.160
there's a strong movement
around decolonization

01:15:20.160 --> 01:15:23.550
of curricula and knowledge and
bringing Indigenous knowledge

01:15:23.550 --> 01:15:25.980
into the system.

01:15:25.980 --> 01:15:28.283
And that's a transformation
we're going through.

01:15:28.283 --> 01:15:29.700
In fact, the whole
of South Africa

01:15:29.700 --> 01:15:32.550
and a number of other
African countries as well.

01:15:32.550 --> 01:15:34.230
So I think we're
starting that journey.

01:15:34.230 --> 01:15:37.680
And I think development
aid and things

01:15:37.680 --> 01:15:40.960
needs to shift into a different
paradigm in that as well.

01:15:40.960 --> 01:15:42.900
And in some ways,
the funding that

01:15:42.900 --> 01:15:45.660
has come into South Africa
now to start this d-school

01:15:45.660 --> 01:15:47.640
is a different type of funding.

01:15:47.640 --> 01:15:50.190
It's very experimental, and
say, let's try this out,

01:15:50.190 --> 01:15:55.260
and let's try a different way
of capacitating and teaching

01:15:55.260 --> 01:15:56.640
and skilling and getting--

01:15:56.640 --> 01:15:59.670
and bringing Indigenous
knowledge into local design

01:15:59.670 --> 01:16:04.710
with no hard metrics at the
end other than let's try

01:16:04.710 --> 01:16:05.680
something different.

01:16:05.680 --> 01:16:08.142
So we definitely
are seeing a shift.

01:16:08.142 --> 01:16:09.600
I think we've got
a long way to go.

01:16:09.600 --> 01:16:11.267
A lot of vocabulary,
a lot of the tools,

01:16:11.267 --> 01:16:15.477
a lot of the techniques are
still very much Global North.

01:16:15.477 --> 01:16:17.560
And part of the work that
we're starting to do now

01:16:17.560 --> 01:16:22.570
is to work across the continent
with other African institutions

01:16:22.570 --> 01:16:25.150
to try and bring in
their knowledge as well

01:16:25.150 --> 01:16:30.070
and co-create a narrative which
will hopefully start to shift.

01:16:30.070 --> 01:16:34.685
And then export that in a way
where the rest of the world--

01:16:34.685 --> 01:16:36.310
I mean, the complexity,
the challenges,

01:16:36.310 --> 01:16:39.320
the diversity that Africa has.

01:16:39.320 --> 01:16:43.160
And if you look at the future
in the youth population,

01:16:43.160 --> 01:16:48.410
it's going to be a global
player in 10, 15, 20 years time.

01:16:48.410 --> 01:16:49.940
But I don't think
we're there yet.

01:16:49.940 --> 01:16:51.750
I think we've still
got a long way to go.

01:16:51.750 --> 01:16:52.250
Yes.

01:16:52.250 --> 01:16:53.570
We have a question at the back.

01:16:53.570 --> 01:16:54.410
Kathleen.

01:16:54.410 --> 01:16:54.990
Hi.

01:16:54.990 --> 01:16:56.280
Yes, my name is Kathleen.

01:16:56.280 --> 01:16:59.330
I wanted to actually piggyback
off that last question,

01:16:59.330 --> 01:17:01.040
and also about some
of the comments

01:17:01.040 --> 01:17:03.950
made about Africa being
a sandbox for innovation

01:17:03.950 --> 01:17:08.870
and being able to avoid being
bogged down by bureaucracy

01:17:08.870 --> 01:17:11.810
because I think there's
a real responsibility

01:17:11.810 --> 01:17:16.740
to have the principles to
keep in check what problems

01:17:16.740 --> 01:17:21.240
that design, or even the idea of
exporting something can create.

01:17:21.240 --> 01:17:25.170
Because things are never
exported one-to-one.

01:17:25.170 --> 01:17:27.720
Just a few weeks
ago, the speaker

01:17:27.720 --> 01:17:29.700
at Harvard's
commencement, Maria Ressa,

01:17:29.700 --> 01:17:32.340
was talking about the
exportation of Facebook

01:17:32.340 --> 01:17:36.660
algorithms that disrupted the
2016 election in the Philippines

01:17:36.660 --> 01:17:41.130
and really threatened
democracy in a lot of ways.

01:17:41.130 --> 01:17:45.060
And I'm curious what
design's role now,

01:17:45.060 --> 01:17:48.420
when we think about these
new forms of international

01:17:48.420 --> 01:17:52.920
collaboration,
co-partnership, co-design--

01:17:52.920 --> 01:17:55.200
what are the measures
that you're taking to make

01:17:55.200 --> 01:18:01.700
sure that you're not replicating
these same forms of harm?

01:18:01.700 --> 01:18:02.430
Thank you.

01:18:02.430 --> 01:18:06.310
Anyone want to tackle that
related question also?

01:18:06.310 --> 01:18:06.810
Yeah.

01:18:06.810 --> 01:18:08.640
I feel like I have
a related-- no.

01:18:08.640 --> 01:18:10.060
Like, I've--

01:18:10.060 --> 01:18:10.560
Go ahead.

01:18:10.560 --> 01:18:11.060
Go ahead.

01:18:11.060 --> 01:18:11.850
OK.

01:18:11.850 --> 01:18:12.568
Sure.

01:18:12.568 --> 01:18:14.610
I feel like you bring up
a very interesting point

01:18:14.610 --> 01:18:16.080
because an interesting
discussion I

01:18:16.080 --> 01:18:18.360
had with somebody
while I was in country

01:18:18.360 --> 01:18:22.140
is the role of NGOs,
especially large NGOs

01:18:22.140 --> 01:18:24.265
that come into countries
and try to solve problems.

01:18:24.265 --> 01:18:25.307
And nothing against them.

01:18:25.307 --> 01:18:26.770
They're doing a
lot of good work.

01:18:26.770 --> 01:18:30.030
But an interesting conversation
having people in one

01:18:30.030 --> 01:18:34.320
of the schools there was that
NGOs are actually the bad guy.

01:18:34.320 --> 01:18:36.630
Because a lot of
the time, if you

01:18:36.630 --> 01:18:39.810
think about the history, when
the United Nations was set up,

01:18:39.810 --> 01:18:41.400
you had a lot of
these countries that

01:18:41.400 --> 01:18:44.550
were historically colonizers
who did a lot of things

01:18:44.550 --> 01:18:46.980
to these developing
world contexts

01:18:46.980 --> 01:18:49.020
and are now setting
up organizations

01:18:49.020 --> 01:18:51.300
to then come in and save
these developing world

01:18:51.300 --> 01:18:53.860
contexts from things that
they just did to them.

01:18:53.860 --> 01:18:57.120
So one of the
interesting conversations

01:18:57.120 --> 01:19:01.290
we were having was the
importance of investing

01:19:01.290 --> 01:19:03.870
in local talent and
local entrepreneurship as

01:19:03.870 --> 01:19:08.030
opposed to these.

01:19:08.030 --> 01:19:11.923
Nonprofit solutions that usually
come in, because whatever

01:19:11.923 --> 01:19:13.340
solution we're
finding and design,

01:19:13.340 --> 01:19:16.700
it's really important to
help, like boost local economy

01:19:16.700 --> 01:19:18.980
and empower local
individuals and help them

01:19:18.980 --> 01:19:23.570
create self-sustaining
businesses, almost not more,

01:19:23.570 --> 01:19:27.470
but at least as important as
actually solving the problem

01:19:27.470 --> 01:19:30.630
that community is facing.

01:19:30.630 --> 01:19:31.130
Yeah.

01:19:31.130 --> 01:19:33.080
Maybe I can add--
one of the things

01:19:33.080 --> 01:19:36.170
that we've done as we've
evolved with our creative

01:19:36.170 --> 01:19:39.710
capacity-building
program is to work

01:19:39.710 --> 01:19:42.050
through the context of
developing local innovation

01:19:42.050 --> 01:19:42.892
ecosystems.

01:19:42.892 --> 01:19:45.350
And I think that follows on to
what you were talking about,

01:19:45.350 --> 01:19:49.640
where as they learn to design a
technology, but following that,

01:19:49.640 --> 01:19:52.190
they learn how do they
take that technology

01:19:52.190 --> 01:19:53.940
and turn it into a livelihood?

01:19:53.940 --> 01:19:56.840
And how can how can
one group of innovators

01:19:56.840 --> 01:20:00.260
help other people within the
communities innovate, et cetera?

01:20:00.260 --> 01:20:04.130
So I think this idea of
local innovation ecosystems

01:20:04.130 --> 01:20:06.500
is a very powerful one.

01:20:06.500 --> 01:20:11.430
And it's tricky because funding
organizations, they often--

01:20:11.430 --> 01:20:12.940
and you spoke to this.

01:20:12.940 --> 01:20:16.720
It's unpredictable what
the outcome of design is.

01:20:16.720 --> 01:20:19.980
And when-- and I always say
to people who I'm training

01:20:19.980 --> 01:20:22.830
to become design facilitators,
the most important thing to have

01:20:22.830 --> 01:20:23.970
is faith--

01:20:23.970 --> 01:20:26.500
faith in the people and
faith in the process.

01:20:26.500 --> 01:20:30.120
And people will develop
good and useful things,

01:20:30.120 --> 01:20:31.960
but you just don't
know what they are.

01:20:31.960 --> 01:20:34.560
And so when a funding
organization says, well,

01:20:34.560 --> 01:20:36.075
what will these people create?

01:20:36.075 --> 01:20:37.200
And I'm like, I don't know.

01:20:37.200 --> 01:20:38.290
Whatever they want.

01:20:38.290 --> 01:20:41.530
It's not a compelling
answer, but it should be.

01:20:41.530 --> 01:20:44.290
Shouldn't that be the best
answer to that question,

01:20:44.290 --> 01:20:46.960
that people will create what
they want and what they need?

01:20:46.960 --> 01:20:49.740
And that's much better than
some external organization

01:20:49.740 --> 01:20:51.870
coming in and doing
a needs assessment

01:20:51.870 --> 01:20:54.030
and deciding what people want.

01:20:54.030 --> 01:20:57.070
But a lot of organizations
aren't there yet.

01:20:57.070 --> 01:20:59.710
And so I feel like what
can we do about that?

01:20:59.710 --> 01:21:02.040
Well, I think we can
try to stand firm

01:21:02.040 --> 01:21:05.580
in trying to make how very--

01:21:05.580 --> 01:21:07.830
to make clear how
very valuable it

01:21:07.830 --> 01:21:13.140
is to have that faith in
people to create what they need

01:21:13.140 --> 01:21:15.180
and what is useful
in their lives

01:21:15.180 --> 01:21:19.050
and not try to take on
a paternalistic role

01:21:19.050 --> 01:21:21.690
to decide what it
is that people need

01:21:21.690 --> 01:21:23.980
and how they should
go about getting it.

01:21:23.980 --> 01:21:28.200
And there are not many NGOs
who follow that paradigm

01:21:28.200 --> 01:21:30.610
because they are so tied
to funding, et cetera.

01:21:30.610 --> 01:21:34.860
So it does require, I guess,
design thinking in terms

01:21:34.860 --> 01:21:39.400
of how do you get the
approach to take wings?

01:21:39.400 --> 01:21:43.620
And I think that to have an
institution which is actually

01:21:43.620 --> 01:21:44.730
formed--

01:21:44.730 --> 01:21:50.010
the basis of your foundation is
this idea of introducing design

01:21:50.010 --> 01:21:53.100
thinking and design as a
problem-solving mechanism

01:21:53.100 --> 01:21:55.830
in the South Africa
and throughout Africa--

01:21:55.830 --> 01:21:57.630
I mean, that's a huge step,

01:21:57.630 --> 01:22:01.020
And so the fact that there's at
least one funding organization

01:22:01.020 --> 01:22:02.640
that's looking at
that with value.

01:22:02.640 --> 01:22:03.810
And there are more.

01:22:03.810 --> 01:22:08.160
But I do think that it is
constantly pushing back

01:22:08.160 --> 01:22:14.570
against these sort of forces
that are trying to continue

01:22:14.570 --> 01:22:18.830
with these neocolonial ideas
that people with a formal design

01:22:18.830 --> 01:22:23.540
education know better
what designs are needed.

01:22:23.540 --> 01:22:27.410
And then what comes with that
is humility and to recognize

01:22:27.410 --> 01:22:30.560
that although I have an
extensive training in design,

01:22:30.560 --> 01:22:32.300
I still am--

01:22:32.300 --> 01:22:33.570
I'm not from Ghana.

01:22:33.570 --> 01:22:36.920
And my job is to train
Ghanaians to design,

01:22:36.920 --> 01:22:38.590
not to design for Ghanaians.

01:22:38.590 --> 01:22:44.060
So we're just about at time,
and I'm looking around the room.

01:22:44.060 --> 01:22:44.840
Maybe there.

01:22:44.840 --> 01:22:46.538
I saw your hand go up first.

01:22:46.538 --> 01:22:47.830
Yeah, right in front of Marion.

01:22:47.830 --> 01:22:48.480
Right there.

01:22:48.480 --> 01:22:48.980
Yeah.

01:22:48.980 --> 01:22:49.740
[INAUDIBLE]

01:22:49.740 --> 01:22:50.828
Last question.

01:22:50.828 --> 01:22:53.120
Probably will be a quick
question because it's actually

01:22:53.120 --> 01:22:56.900
piggybacking on the last
two questions, but also

01:22:56.900 --> 01:22:59.670
something that was
mentioned here.

01:22:59.670 --> 01:23:03.320
So I think it was Amy, you had a
slide about-- kind of showing--

01:23:03.320 --> 01:23:08.060
there's a design for with by,
and Richard mentioned something

01:23:08.060 --> 01:23:10.590
about vocabulary.

01:23:10.590 --> 01:23:11.830
And that got me thinking.

01:23:11.830 --> 01:23:14.080
So what would be the final step?

01:23:14.080 --> 01:23:17.310
Because even with the slide
where it said "by," what I

01:23:17.310 --> 01:23:23.050
noticed, conversation was about
making a space at the table

01:23:23.050 --> 01:23:24.950
for the local communities.

01:23:24.950 --> 01:23:30.810
It's still assuming that there
isn't like an existing table.

01:23:30.810 --> 01:23:35.370
And whether we here now
at prestigious places

01:23:35.370 --> 01:23:42.940
like MIT or [INAUDIBLE] why is
it that we have to show them?

01:23:42.940 --> 01:23:44.740
Now that they have a
place at the table,

01:23:44.740 --> 01:23:49.570
why aren't we asking
ourselves, do we--

01:23:49.570 --> 01:23:51.590
why do we even have that right?

01:23:51.590 --> 01:23:55.060
And I guess my question
is, so vocabulary--

01:23:55.060 --> 01:23:57.592
what would be the next step?

01:23:57.592 --> 01:24:00.610
Because I feel like
"by" is a good goal,

01:24:00.610 --> 01:24:03.185
but I don't think
that really is--

01:24:03.185 --> 01:24:04.810
I don't think it will
get us to a place

01:24:04.810 --> 01:24:10.670
where it's truly to
colonize, where we truly--

01:24:10.670 --> 01:24:12.230
we help where we can.

01:24:12.230 --> 01:24:15.372
Maybe it's more about funding.

01:24:15.372 --> 01:24:17.080
Because it seems the
resources are there.

01:24:17.080 --> 01:24:20.010
People-- I mean, these
people are resilient.

01:24:20.010 --> 01:24:21.223
They have ideas.

01:24:21.223 --> 01:24:23.140
So I'm just wondering,
like, any ideas on what

01:24:23.140 --> 01:24:25.510
would be the next step--

01:24:25.510 --> 01:24:27.100
solution of "by."

01:24:27.100 --> 01:24:29.770
Could I just start with some
clarification which-- and sorry

01:24:29.770 --> 01:24:31.300
if this wasn't clear.

01:24:31.300 --> 01:24:35.620
But the table was a design with
table, not a design by table.

01:24:35.620 --> 01:24:40.360
So the idea is that the design
by doesn't need a table.

01:24:40.360 --> 01:24:42.380
People are creating
for themselves.

01:24:42.380 --> 01:24:43.960
They make things.

01:24:43.960 --> 01:24:45.670
Like, you teach
the design process,

01:24:45.670 --> 01:24:48.820
and they may collaborate
with other people,

01:24:48.820 --> 01:24:51.020
but they choose to
make their own table.

01:24:51.020 --> 01:24:53.913
Or actually, the
girls from South Sudan

01:24:53.913 --> 01:24:55.330
made their own
stools so that they

01:24:55.330 --> 01:24:58.150
wouldn't have to sit on the
ground at the design training.

01:24:58.150 --> 01:25:05.090
So they-- but that is
within that paradigm.

01:25:05.090 --> 01:25:08.493
The table analogy
was really more

01:25:08.493 --> 01:25:09.910
for when you're
doing design with,

01:25:09.910 --> 01:25:12.670
how can you be sure that if
you are bringing together

01:25:12.670 --> 01:25:15.500
diverse stakeholders,
that everyone-- that those

01:25:15.500 --> 01:25:22.130
stakeholders are coming
with a more level playing

01:25:22.130 --> 01:25:24.870
field, background
ability to contribute?

01:25:24.870 --> 01:25:30.020
So I just wanted to clarify
that before going on.

01:25:30.020 --> 01:25:32.990
Because I do think the idea of
a local innovation ecosystem

01:25:32.990 --> 01:25:36.500
is that you just create the
ability for people to create,

01:25:36.500 --> 01:25:38.810
and then you're
out of the picture.

01:25:38.810 --> 01:25:40.970
Robert Chambers
used to say that you

01:25:40.970 --> 01:25:46.250
have to change the paradigm from
involving people in your project

01:25:46.250 --> 01:25:49.700
to maybe helping
with their project.

01:25:49.700 --> 01:25:51.680
So having that
big paradigm shift

01:25:51.680 --> 01:25:53.600
where you don't
have ownership, you

01:25:53.600 --> 01:25:56.360
might be able to help
in some small way.

01:25:56.360 --> 01:25:58.940
Anyway, so I just wanted to
bring that up for clarity's sake

01:25:58.940 --> 01:26:01.350
before giving other
people a chance to answer.

01:26:01.350 --> 01:26:04.550
We are over time, but if anyone
else wants to add anything.

01:26:04.550 --> 01:26:06.540
I mean, for me,
personally-- yeah, go ahead.

01:26:06.540 --> 01:26:07.040
Yeah.

01:26:07.040 --> 01:26:09.770
Just to build on that, I
think the funding mechanisms

01:26:09.770 --> 01:26:12.560
and metrics definitely
have to change.

01:26:12.560 --> 01:26:16.900
And the-- I mean, the advantage
of the funding that we have,

01:26:16.900 --> 01:26:18.700
it's very experimental.

01:26:18.700 --> 01:26:22.270
It's let's try stuff out
and see what emerges.

01:26:22.270 --> 01:26:27.310
And if you're in an environment
anywhere on a continent,

01:26:27.310 --> 01:26:30.430
and there's a challenge, and
there's a local community.

01:26:30.430 --> 01:26:32.110
And you say, here's a challenge.

01:26:32.110 --> 01:26:32.897
You sort it out.

01:26:32.897 --> 01:26:33.730
They'll sort it out.

01:26:33.730 --> 01:26:34.563
They'll make a plan.

01:26:34.563 --> 01:26:37.210
They don't need any of our help.

01:26:37.210 --> 01:26:38.647
But what they
might need is a bit

01:26:38.647 --> 01:26:40.480
of enabling environment
and a few resources,

01:26:40.480 --> 01:26:43.250
but it must be unconditional
and let them work it out.

01:26:43.250 --> 01:26:44.570
And I think that's the key.

01:26:44.570 --> 01:26:46.960
But that changes-- that's
a whole different funding

01:26:46.960 --> 01:26:49.810
mechanism that has to come
with that and paradigm shift.

01:26:49.810 --> 01:26:54.760
But certainly, Africa doesn't
need the Western methods

01:26:54.760 --> 01:26:56.180
to solve their problems.

01:26:56.180 --> 01:26:57.820
They can do it
themselves, absolutely.

01:26:57.820 --> 01:26:58.940
And that's what we're seeing.

01:26:58.940 --> 01:27:00.190
We're just trying to
build it-- we're just

01:27:00.190 --> 01:27:01.607
trying to build
up that confidence

01:27:01.607 --> 01:27:04.360
more and more so that
it's in every student that

01:27:04.360 --> 01:27:07.240
leaves the university that they
can help themselves and not

01:27:07.240 --> 01:27:10.250
wait for somebody to
come with a solution.

01:27:10.250 --> 01:27:10.750
OK.

01:27:10.750 --> 01:27:12.660
I think with that,
I'd like to ask

01:27:12.660 --> 01:27:14.660
you to join me in thanking
all of the panelists.

01:27:14.660 --> 01:27:15.195
Thank you.

01:27:15.195 --> 01:27:18.550
[APPLAUSE]

01:27:18.550 --> 01:27:29.000