Podcast appearances and mentions of lesley ann noel

Design As Pluriverse features Lee Moreau in conversation with Renata Marques Leitão, Frederick van Amstel,  and Lesley-Ann Noel. Follow Design Observer on Instagram to keep up and see even more Design As content. A full transcript of the show can be found hereHear more from Lesley-Ann Noel and Frederick van Amstel on Season 1 of Design As Season two of Design As draws from recordings taken at the Design Research Society 2024 Conference hosted in Boston in June 2024.

Lesley-Ann Noel is a designer, researcher, and educator. She's the author of Design Social Change and a co-editor of The Black Experience in Design. Earlier this year, Lesley-Ann was appointed the dean of design at OCAD University and she previously taught at North Carolina State University, Tulane University, Stanford University, and the University of the West Indies. In this conversation, Jarrett and Lesley-Ann talk about the role of design in social change, the value of utopian and abolitionist thinking, and the relationship between designed objects and cultural transformation. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/257-lesley-ann-noel. 
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How can educators balance the need for structure in the classroom with the importance of fostering student agency and creativity?In what ways can design thinking be leveraged to challenge and dismantle oppressive systems within our education systems?Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel is an esteemed educator and designer known for her work on equity, social justice, and the inclusion of underrepresented voices in design education. Currently transitioning to OCAD University in Toronto, she previously served as a professor at North Carolina State University and held leadership roles at Tulane University and Stanford's d.school. Dr. Noel's work is deeply influenced by Paulo Freire and bell hooks, focusing on how design can be a tool for liberation and social change.In this episode, Louka Parry and Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel dive deep into the transformative power of design education. Dr. Noel discusses her journey from Trinidad and Tobago to Brazil, the U.S., and now Canada, and how these experiences have shaped her views on education, equity, and design. They explore the importance of agency in both students and educators, the role of emotional intelligence in design, and the critical need for education systems to support diverse identities and perspectives.Listeners will gain insights into how to challenge the status quo in education, the significance of cultivating emotional and social awareness in design, and practical approaches to fostering more inclusive and equitable learning environments. Dr. Noel's reflections on her own positionality and how it informs her work provide a powerful reminder of the importance of self-awareness in creating meaningful change.Get in touch at hello@thelearningfuture.com; and find the transcript at our website www.thelearningfuture.com.

Series FourThis episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the designer, researcher, and educator Lesley-Ann Noel, who is the author of Design Social Change and co-editor of The Black Experience in Design. She's also created several design tools for critical reflection, such as The Designer's Critical Alphabet and the Positionality Wheel. Lesley-Ann has a bachelor's in Industrial Design from Universidade Federal do Paraná in Brazil, a Master's in Business Administration from the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, and a PhD in Design from North Carolina State University. She was awarded honorary doctorates for service to the field of design by the University of the Arts London and the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Lesley-Ann is the Dean of Design at OCAD University (Aug 2024). Before OCAD-U, she taught at North Carolina State University, Tulane University, Stanford University, and the University of the West Indies.In this deeply interesting conversation, she outlines her dynamic work, and discusses her book which has just been selected by McKinsey as one of their '2024 Annual Book Recommendations' as chosen by CEO's, founders, editors in chief, and other global leaders... 

Kareem Collie is an accomplished designer and educator with a rich background in both the corporate and academic worlds. Leading design teams for organizations like Nickelodeon, Coca-Cola, and USA Network, he has driven transformation and engagement through his expertise in visual and user-experience design. As Design Lead at IBM, he was instrumental in innovating user experiences. Currently, as the Design Director and Manager for NASA JPL's DesignLab, he applies design thinking to communicating and educating about space exploration, bringing a unique intersection of design, science, and technology to the forefront. His thought leadership includes co-editing "The Black Experience in Design" and serving on the AIGA's national educators steering committee. Today, we talk about how curiosity fuels design thinking, communication, and leadership. Listen to learn about:>> A deep dive into the why's of design thinking >> Embracing curiosity and seeing where it leads you >> What it means to truly communicate >> Kareem's wonderful, meandering path through design and design thinking Our GuestKareem Collie is an accomplished designer and educator with a rich background in both the corporate and academic worlds. Leading design teams for organizations like Nickelodeon, Coca-Cola, and USA Network, he has driven transformation and engagement through his expertise in visual and user-experience design. As Design Lead at IBM, he was instrumental in innovating user experiences. Currently, as the Design Director and Manager for NASA JPL's DesignLab, he applies design thinking to communicating and educating about space exploration, bringing a unique intersection of design, science, and technology to the forefront. Before IBM, Kareem was the Director of Design at The Hive, where he merged design thinking with liberal arts and encouraged interdisciplinary collaboration. He has also lectured at prestigious institutions like Stanford University and Pratt Institute. His thought leadership includes co-editing "The Black Experience in Design" and serving on the AIGA's national educators steering committee. He is a frequent speaker, exhibitor, and podcast guest, solidifying his status in the design community. Kareem holds advanced degrees from NYU and Pratt Institute. With a focus on user-experience and visual design, and a commitment to critical explorations of culture, Kareem Collie continually seeks impactful opportunities through design. Show Highlights [02:19] Kareem's path to working at NASA. [03:27] Being a creative child. [04:14] Attending Brooklyn Technical High School and studying architecture. [05:22] Discovering new media/digital art while at Howard University.[05:57] Transferring to the Pratt Institute to study graphic design and art direction, and falling in love with design. [07:06] Kareem's early years in the design industry. [07:55] Co-founding a design studio and teaching at the Pratt Institute. [09:02] Getting to design his own graduate degree curriculum at Gallatin at NYU. [10:18] Going to Stanford's d.school. [11:02] Becoming the Associate Director and the Rick and Susan Sontag Center for Collaborative Creativity aka “The Hive” at Claremont College. [12:03] Passing through IBM before becoming the Head of Design at NASA's JPL Lab. [15:07] Dawan and Kareem share memories of travel and exploration and sharing a curiosity about the world. [20:30] Communication and being vulnerable. [22:33] Communication is collaboration. [23:40] Dawan talks about needing to be willing to change during the experience of communicating with someone. [27:05] One of the things Kareem loves most is being part of a learning journey with others. [30:28] What it means to be a leader and how Kareem developed his own sense of leadership. [33:20] The importance of embracing and being OK with ambiguity. [39:15] Design thinking has helped Kareem better understand his own thought processes. [40:00] Kareem hops onto his soapbox about why he loves design thinking and wants others to understand it better. [42:40] Developing the Critical Design Studio course at Claremont. [46:11] Design changes how we see and move through the world. [49:28] Design thinking gives students an alternative way of looking at a thing, whatever that thing might be. Links Kareem on LinkedIn Kareem's website Kareem on Undefined by Design Hello from the Pluriverse: Season 1 Ep 28 with Kareem Collie The Black Experience in Design Book RecommendationsThe Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection, edited by Anne Berry, Kareem Collie, Penina Acayo Laker, Lesley-Ann Noel, Jennifer Rittner, and Kelly Walters DT 101 EpisodesBuilding Design Capacity + Measuring Design Value + Designing Studios with Doug Powell — DT101 E16 A Designer's Journey into Designing for Health and Healthcare with Lorna Ross — DT101 E45 Working and Leading at the Intersection of Engineering, Business and Design with Kevin Bethune — DT101 E76

Kareem Collie is an accomplished designer and educator with a rich background in both the corporate and academic worlds. Leading design teams for organizations like Nickelodeon, Coca-Cola, and USA Network, he has driven transformation and engagement through his expertise in visual and user-experience design. As Design Lead at IBM, he was instrumental in innovating user experiences. Currently, as the Design Director and Manager for NASA JPL's DesignLab, he applies design thinking to communicating and educating about space exploration, bringing a unique intersection of design, science, and technology to the forefront. His thought leadership includes co-editing "The Black Experience in Design" and serving on the AIGA's national educators steering committee. Today, we talk about how curiosity fuels design thinking, communication, and leadership. Listen to learn about:>> A deep dive into the why's of design thinking >> Embracing curiosity and seeing where it leads you >> What it means to truly communicate >> Kareem's wonderful, meandering path through design and design thinking Our GuestKareem Collie is an accomplished designer and educator with a rich background in both the corporate and academic worlds. Leading design teams for organizations like Nickelodeon, Coca-Cola, and USA Network, he has driven transformation and engagement through his expertise in visual and user-experience design. As Design Lead at IBM, he was instrumental in innovating user experiences. Currently, as the Design Director and Manager for NASA JPL's DesignLab, he applies design thinking to communicating and educating about space exploration, bringing a unique intersection of design, science, and technology to the forefront. Before IBM, Kareem was the Director of Design at The Hive, where he merged design thinking with liberal arts and encouraged interdisciplinary collaboration. He has also lectured at prestigious institutions like Stanford University and Pratt Institute. His thought leadership includes co-editing "The Black Experience in Design" and serving on the AIGA's national educators steering committee. He is a frequent speaker, exhibitor, and podcast guest, solidifying his status in the design community. Kareem holds advanced degrees from NYU and Pratt Institute. With a focus on user-experience and visual design, and a commitment to critical explorations of culture, Kareem Collie continually seeks impactful opportunities through design. Show Highlights [02:19] Kareem's path to working at NASA. [03:27] Being a creative child. [04:14] Attending Brooklyn Technical High School and studying architecture. [05:22] Discovering new media/digital art while at Howard University.[05:57] Transferring to the Pratt Institute to study graphic design and art direction, and falling in love with design. [07:06] Kareem's early years in the design industry. [07:55] Co-founding a design studio and teaching at the Pratt Institute. [09:02] Getting to design his own graduate degree curriculum at Gallatin at NYU. [10:18] Going to Stanford's d.school. [11:02] Becoming the Associate Director and the Rick and Susan Sontag Center for Collaborative Creativity aka “The Hive” at Claremont College. [12:03] Passing through IBM before becoming the Head of Design at NASA's JPL Lab. [15:07] Dawan and Kareem share memories of travel and exploration and sharing a curiosity about the world. [20:30] Communication and being vulnerable. [22:33] Communication is collaboration. [23:40] Dawan talks about needing to be willing to change during the experience of communicating with someone. [27:05] One of the things Kareem loves most is being part of a learning journey with others. [30:28] What it means to be a leader and how Kareem developed his own sense of leadership. [33:20] The importance of embracing and being OK with ambiguity. [39:15] Design thinking has helped Kareem better understand his own thought processes. [40:00] Kareem hops onto his soapbox about why he loves design thinking and wants others to understand it better. [42:40] Developing the Critical Design Studio course at Claremont. [46:11] Design changes how we see and move through the world. [49:28] Design thinking gives students an alternative way of looking at a thing, whatever that thing might be. Links Kareem on LinkedIn Kareem's website Kareem on Undefined by Design Hello from the Pluriverse: Season 1 Ep 28 with Kareem Collie The Black Experience in Design Book RecommendationsThe Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection, edited by Anne Berry, Kareem Collie, Penina Acayo Laker, Lesley-Ann Noel, Jennifer Rittner, and Kelly Walters DT 101 EpisodesBuilding Design Capacity + Measuring Design Value + Designing Studios with Doug Powell — DT101 E16 A Designer's Journey into Designing for Health and Healthcare with Lorna Ross — DT101 E45 Working and Leading at the Intersection of Engineering, Business and Design with Kevin Bethune — DT101 E76

On this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast Tom Vander Ark is joined by, Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel, a professor at North Carolina State University. Lesley-Ann is also author of Design Social Change, a new book from Stanford's d.School run featuring past guests Sam Seidel and Olatunde Sobomehin on Creative Hustle and Sarah Stein Greenberg on Creative Acts for Curious People. Just the other day we ran an episode we recorded live at SXSW EDU 2024 with some of her colleagues.

Philip welcomes design scholar Lesley-Ann Noel back to The Deep Dive to discuss her latest book Design Social Change. In their conversation they discuss how design intentionally done can be a catalyst for driving social change. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip's Drop: The Creator (Hulu) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11858890/) Sy Smith – Until We Meet Again (https://open.spotify.com/album/65qnqaEwVuIOJ7we44bexA?si=zk5-k0BLQpOLJtE3yZuziQ) Lesley-Ann's Drop: The Color Purple (HBO Max) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1200263/) The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity and Love – bell hooks (https://bellhooksbooks.com/product/the-will-to-change/) The Descent of Men – Grayson Perry (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/554644/the-descent-of-man-by-grayson-perry/) Special Guest: Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel.

Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel is an Afro-Trinidadian design educator and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Design Studies at North Carolina State University. Lesley promotes greater critical awareness among designers and design students by introducing critical theory concepts and vocabulary into the design studio. We talk about questioning design practice, dreaming and prototyping, and her book, Designing Social Change. Listen to learn about:>> Design studies >> Designing with non-designers and “design out in the wild”>> Lesley's new book, Design Social Change >> Designing dreams together across our differences Our GuestDr. Lesley-Ann Noel is an Afro-Trinidadian design educator. She is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Design Studies at North Carolina State University. She practices design through emancipatory, critical and anti-hegemonic lenses, focusing on equity, social justice and the experiences of people who are often excluded from design research. Lesley also attempts to promote greater critical awareness among designers and design students by introducing critical theory concepts and vocabulary into the design studio, for example, through The Designer's Critical Alphabet. Her research also highlights the work of designers outside of Europe and North America as an act of decolonizing design. Her identity is shaped by her ethnic background as an Afro-Trinidadian; her experience as a daughter, sister and mother; and her lived experiences in Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Tanzania, Uganda and the USA. Show Highlights [02:50] Catching up with Lesley and what she's working on now. [03:56] Lesley's latest book comes out November 28, 2023 [04:50] What is design studies? [05:13] Design studies has two foci: inward on the practitioner, and outwards towards society.[06:01] A lot of Lesley's work focuses on who designs, and who gets to define design. [06:12] Lesley is excited by what design looks like when it's outside of the design sphere. [11:10] Working with non-designers has allowed Lesley to see design processes more clearly. [12:18] Collaborating with designers globally. [14:05] Grappling with complexity and vagueness in the design space. [18:32] Lesley's new book shows readers how they can change the world around them for the better. [19:33] People need to be active citizens of the world. [20:25] A Miro Moment [22:34] Design Social Change is written for everyone, not just designers. [23:38] The world is always changing and we have the power to change it for the better. [25:48] The three big ideas of the book. [26:07] Ask questions. Work to understand the world around you. [26:47] Emotional intelligence, and moving beyond raw emotion into “what next?” [27:56] Envisioning a better world, and finding a path to get there. [28:51] Prototyping a better world. [30:30] The challenge is: how do we dream together across our differences? [33:53] People can dream different paths towards the same goal. [34:57] Why Dawan loves difficult questions. Links Dr. Noel on LinkedIn Dr. Noel's website Dr. Noel on NC State University website A Designer's Critical Alphabet Cards Link to her dissertation “Teaching and Learning Design Thinking through a Critical Lens at a Primary School in Rural Trinidad and Tobago” Article from the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Dr. Noel's work with emancipatory research and design thinking AIA recording of the CAE research conference call (does include images as part of the recording) with Dr. Noel where she presented her research/processes in the field of critical design thinking with an emphasis on emancipatory process.    Book Recommendations Design Social Change: Take Action, Work toward Equity, and Challenge the Status Quo by Lesley-Ann Noel The Little Book of Designer's Existential Crises, by Emmanuel Tsekleves and Lesley-Ann Noel The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection, by Anne H. Berry (Editor), Kareem Collie (Editor), Penina Acayo Laker (Editor), Lesley-Ann Noel (Editor), Jennifer Rittner (Editor), Kelly Walters (Editor)    Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like Critical and Emancipatory Design Thinking with Lesley-Ann Noel — DT101 E57

Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel is an Afro-Trinidadian design educator and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Design Studies at North Carolina State University. Lesley promotes greater critical awareness among designers and design students by introducing critical theory concepts and vocabulary into the design studio. We talk about questioning design practice, dreaming and prototyping, and her book, Designing Social Change. Listen to learn about:>> Design studies >> Designing with non-designers and “design out in the wild”>> Lesley's new book, Design Social Change >> Designing dreams together across our differences Our GuestDr. Lesley-Ann Noel is an Afro-Trinidadian design educator. She is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Design Studies at North Carolina State University. She practices design through emancipatory, critical and anti-hegemonic lenses, focusing on equity, social justice and the experiences of people who are often excluded from design research. Lesley also attempts to promote greater critical awareness among designers and design students by introducing critical theory concepts and vocabulary into the design studio, for example, through The Designer's Critical Alphabet. Her research also highlights the work of designers outside of Europe and North America as an act of decolonizing design. Her identity is shaped by her ethnic background as an Afro-Trinidadian; her experience as a daughter, sister and mother; and her lived experiences in Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Tanzania, Uganda and the USA. Show Highlights [02:50] Catching up with Lesley and what she's working on now. [03:56] Lesley's latest book comes out November 28, 2023 [04:50] What is design studies? [05:13] Design studies has two foci: inward on the practitioner, and outwards towards society.[06:01] A lot of Lesley's work focuses on who designs, and who gets to define design. [06:12] Lesley is excited by what design looks like when it's outside of the design sphere. [11:10] Working with non-designers has allowed Lesley to see design processes more clearly. [12:18] Collaborating with designers globally. [14:05] Grappling with complexity and vagueness in the design space. [18:32] Lesley's new book shows readers how they can change the world around them for the better. [19:33] People need to be active citizens of the world. [20:25] A Miro Moment [22:34] Design Social Change is written for everyone, not just designers. [23:38] The world is always changing and we have the power to change it for the better. [25:48] The three big ideas of the book. [26:07] Ask questions. Work to understand the world around you. [26:47] Emotional intelligence, and moving beyond raw emotion into “what next?” [27:56] Envisioning a better world, and finding a path to get there. [28:51] Prototyping a better world. [30:30] The challenge is: how do we dream together across our differences? [33:53] People can dream different paths towards the same goal. [34:57] Why Dawan loves difficult questions. Links Dr. Noel on LinkedIn Dr. Noel's website Dr. Noel on NC State University website A Designer's Critical Alphabet Cards Link to her dissertation “Teaching and Learning Design Thinking through a Critical Lens at a Primary School in Rural Trinidad and Tobago” Article from the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Dr. Noel's work with emancipatory research and design thinking AIA recording of the CAE research conference call (does include images as part of the recording) with Dr. Noel where she presented her research/processes in the field of critical design thinking with an emphasis on emancipatory process.    Book Recommendations Design Social Change: Take Action, Work toward Equity, and Challenge the Status Quo by Lesley-Ann Noel The Little Book of Designer's Existential Crises, by Emmanuel Tsekleves and Lesley-Ann Noel The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection, by Anne H. Berry (Editor), Kareem Collie (Editor), Penina Acayo Laker (Editor), Lesley-Ann Noel (Editor), Jennifer Rittner (Editor), Kelly Walters (Editor)    Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like Critical and Emancipatory Design Thinking with Lesley-Ann Noel — DT101 E57

Within social justice, those most impacted by design often find themselves left out of the design process. After witnessing power struggles between the oppressed and their surroundings, design practitioner Lesley-Ann Noel identified the need for co-designing within a system to create the most productive and equitable outcome. Lesley-Ann Noel is a university professor at North Carolina State University, author of Design Social Change, and a design practitioner specializing in equity, social justice, and marginalized groups in design research. She has a background in industrial design, an MBA from the University of the West Indies, and a PhD in Design from North Carolina State University.In this episode, Dart and Lesley-Ann discuss:- The importance of co-designing with those affected by a system- 3 levels of awareness inherent to an effective design process- Finding power in different aspects of one's identity- Why designers must recognize their positionality- Using anger and intense emotions as design tools- What materials create social change- The duality of the oppressed and the oppressor- The essential “recipes” to change the world- And other topics…Lesley-Ann Noel is a university professor at North Carolina State University, an author, and a design practitioner with a focus on equity, social justice, and the experiences of marginalized groups in design research. Her work focuses on the realms of social innovation, education, and public health, as showcased in her latest book, Design Social Change. Before joining North Carolina State University, Lesley-Ann was the Associate Director of Design Thinking for Social Impact at Tulane University. She was also a lecturer at Stanford University and the University of the West Indies. Lesley-Ann holds a BA in Industrial Design from the Universidade Federal do Paraná, an MBA from the University of the West Indies, and a PhD in Design from North Carolina State University. She is co-chair of the Pluriversal Design Special Interest Group of the Design Research Society and a co-editor of “The Black Experience in Design.”Resources mentioned:Design Social Change, by Lesley-Ann Noel: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Social-Change-Challenge-Stanford/dp/1984858149 Connect with Lesley-Ann:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesleyannnoel/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesleyannnoel/ https://dschool.stanford.edu/book-collections/design-social-change 

On this episode of "Design As" Alicia Cheng, Lee Moreau, Lesley-Ann Noel, and Frederick van Amstel conclude their discussion of culture and design. To read the transcript, visit DesignObserver.com. Subscribe to "Design As" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.  Follow Design Observer on social media @designobserver. "Design As" is brought to you by Mastercard Customer Experience and Design, a design community working to accelerate the future of commerce through experience and innovation. Find out more at careers.mastercard.com.

In this episode, meet journalist Joe Nocera, poet and educator Tracy K. Smith, and Assistant Professor of Design Studies Lesley-Ann Noel. Tune in to hear about each of these authors' experiences in the recording booth, and what they hope listeners will learn from their audiobooks. The Big Fail by Joe Nocera and Bethany McLean: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670529/the-big-fail-by-joe-nocera-and-bethany-mclean/audio To Free the Captives by Tracy K. Smith: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/706866/to-free-the-captives-by-tracy-k-smith/audio Design Social Change by Lesley-Ann Noel and Stanford d.school: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/623527/design-social-change-by-lesley-ann-noel-and-stanford-dschool/audio

On this episode of "Design As" Alicia Cheng, Lee Moreau, Lesley-Ann Noel, and Frederick van Amstel begin their discussion of the sometimes joyful, sometimes difficult relationship between culture and design. To read the transcript, visit DesignObserver.com. Subscribe to "Design As" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.  Follow Design Observer on social media @designobserver. "Design As" is brought to you by Mastercard Customer Experience and Design, a design community working to accelerate the future of commerce through experience and innovation. Find out more at careers.mastercard.com.

Lesley-Ann Noel é professora assistente do departamento de Estudos de Design da North Carolina State University. É bacharel em desenho industrial pela Universidade Federal do Paraná, tem mestrado em administração de empresas pela University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago e obteve seu PHD em Design pela North Carolina State University. Neste episódio, Lesley fala sobre suas práticas no Design por meio de lentes emancipatórias, críticas e anti-hegemônicas, com foco na equidade, na justiça social e nas experiências de pessoas que muitas vezes são excluídas da pesquisa em Design. Saiba mais sobre o Instituto para Inovação em Educação em unisinos.br/institutoinovacao

Posicionalidade é a reflexão crítica sobre a posição sócio-histórica do corpo que cria, incluindo ancestralidade, gênero, raça, classe, etnia, condição física e amanualidade. A reflexão sobre a posicionalidade evidencia os privilégios de quem pode ser criativo, herdados ou recebidos não por mérito, mas por pertencer a determinados grupos sociais. Nesta oficina, é proposta uma cria-atividade de reflexão sobre os privilégios e falta de privilégios do cria-corpo manifestos na produção de lixo reciclável. Os participantes tiram um auto-retrato com o lixo acumulado durante uma semana de modo a refletir criticamente sobre seu cria-corpo. Baseando-se no trabalho inovador da professora Lesley-Ann Noel, conhecida por promover discussões sobre diversidade cultural e corporal, a oficina também explora o tema dos privilégios. Os participantes são incentivados a refletir sobre quem detém acesso às oportunidades de criação e a investigar as razões por trás dessa disparidade. A desigualdade, frequentemente perpetuada através das gerações, é examinada de maneira aberta e crítica. O conceito de "cria-corpo" está intrinsecamente ligado à noção de posicionalidade, ambos desempenhando papéis cruciais na compreensão da identidade e da formação individual. O "cria-corpo" representa a ideia de um corpo em constante processo de criação e recriação, não apenas no sentido físico, mas também no sentido emocional, intelectual e criativo. Este termo reconhece que um corpo não é uma entidade estática, mas sim uma entidade em fluxo, constantemente influenciada por experiências, aprendizado e interações. A posicionalidade, por sua vez, refere-se às condições e contextos que moldam a identidade e as experiências de um indivíduo. Envolve fatores como origem étnica, gênero, classe social, raça e até mesmo o ambiente cultural em que alguém cresce. A posicionalidade destaca que cada pessoa ocupa um lugar único na sociedade, influenciando suas perspectivas, oportunidades e desafios. A conexão entre "cria-corpo" e posicionalidade emerge quando se considera que o processo de criação não ocorre em um vácuo, mas é fortemente influenciado pelas condições e experiências que um indivíduo enfrenta. Nossas escolhas criativas, nosso desenvolvimento intelectual e nossas perspectivas são moldados por nossa posicionalidade. A forma como interpretamos o mundo ao nosso redor e expressamos nossas ideias é profundamente influenciada pelas circunstâncias em que vivemos. Ao criar autorretratos usando materiais recicláveis, os participantes têm a oportunidade de incorporar sua posicionalidade em suas expressões criativas. Isso não apenas reflete a influência de suas histórias individuais, mas também ressalta como a posicionalidade influencia o processo criativo e a forma como nos relacionamos com o mundo ao nosso redor. Esta oficina salienta o papel vital dos designers, uma vez que os produtos que concebem influenciam diretamente a sociedade. Projetos como aquele mostrado no documentário Lixo Extraordinário sobre o trabalho do artista Vik Muniz, que envolveu a colaboração de catadores de lixo na produção artística, ilustram o potencial do design para abordar questões sociais complexas. A experiência pessoal do autor, ao criar um autorretrato a partir de seus próprios resíduos, também destaca como nossas escolhas de consumo revelam nossa posição social e enfatiza a importância da autocrítica nesse contexto.Vídeo Slides Download dos slides em PDF Áudio Expressando a posicionalidade do cria-corpo MP3 20 minutos Exercício O desafio nesta cria-atividade é produzir uma foto de auto-retrato com o lixo pessoal acumulado nos últimos sete dias. Os criadores explorarão o lixo pessoal como um material, refletindo sobre como materiais de design e composição gráfica podem ajudar a expressar (e refletir sobre) a posicionalidade. Os criadores podem usar lixo ao lado de seus corpos ou criar um auto-retrato 100% de lixo. Os retratos serão filmados em classe com smartphones pessoais e exibidos para discutir diferenças e semelhanças. Os criadores podem pedir ajuda uns aos outros para tirar fotos. Por meio da atividade proposta, os participantes são encorajados a examinar seus próprios privilégios e a considerar como suas escolhas de consumo afetam não apenas o meio ambiente, mas também a estrutura social. Através da criação de autorretratos com o lixo coletado, eles têm a chance de expressar visualmente sua posicionalidade e contribuir para uma discussão mais ampla sobre desigualdades e responsabilidade social.Comente este post

I'm sure you've heard this before... "You can't design for everyone." That's a fundamental principle in a good design process. In the end, design is all about making choices. And one of these choices is defining who you are designing for. But here's an interesting question: Can you design with a specific user in mind without excluding others? This sounds a lot like a paradox, right? So why bother trying to solve it? Because if we don't, we are creating inequality and harm. This isn't exclusive to but especially relevant when working with public services. You can't just always design for the "average" user or the one with the most money. So what can you do? Well, Lesley Ann Noel has made it her mission to help us design better futures for everyone. She has done many experiments in her role as a university professor to overcome this seeming paradox. And her findings are... pretty surprising, to say the least. She shares her story in this week's episode. After this conversation, it really resonated with me that it's okay and even beneficial to bring your whole self into the design process. Yes, including all of your biases! --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 162 03:15 Who is Lesley 04:45 Lightning round 08:00 Designing better futures 09:45 Who are we designing for 12:15 What does better look like 16:45 Background story 22:45 The unknown unknown 27:30 Impact on the craft 30:45 Who is open to this 34:00 Most common question 37:15 Bring your identity 41:00 The mindful designer 45:00 What makes you happy 48:30 Lesson learned 49:45 Closing thoughts --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- * https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesleyannnoel/ * The Activist Academic (book) - https://amzn.to/3tfjUep --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi holds a PhD in applied linguistics from Minnesota University and is currently a user researcher in industry. We talk about language, design research and researcher self-care. Listen to learn about: How language and linguistics affect design The interaction of society and language Trauma-informed user research Researcher self-care The importance of asking for help Language and technology Being mindful about the language used in design Our Guest  Abby is the manager of UX Research and Content at Calendly. She holds a PhD in Hispanic and Lusophone Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics with specialization in Second Language Acquisition and Sociolinguistics. She loves to nerd out with people about language and research methods, either together or separately. She loves the Oxford comma, but will never correct your grammar Show Highlights [00:57] How and why Abby moved from linguistics to user research. [02:06] The importance of taking the time to think about language as a designer. [03:30] Audience design. [04:15] Aspects of linguistics that are helpful for designers and researchers. [04:45] Being mindful of the language choices you're making. [05”07] Abby talks about the tone of language/voice. [06:14] Abby's “superpower.” [07:00] How people understand and use language. [10:03] Abby talks about what happens when stakeholders don't follow the user research recommendations. [11:22] You have to be a good storyteller for your stakeholders. [12:16] Ways Abby has seen her work come to fruition. [15:14] User research can be revelatory for organizations that have never used it before. [17:06] Trauma-informed research and researcher self-care. [18:03] User research can be intense and emotional. [20:05] Dawan and Abby talk about the importance of asking for help. [22:35] Asking for help is part of what collaboration is. [24:15] Asking for help is working smarter. [25:27] Abby talks about the book she's writing. [25:56] Cognitive language models. [26:42] Voice-activated assistants. [28:07] Language and chatbot design. [29:34] Thinking about the future of language design. [33:01] Books and resources for researchers and those wanting to learn more about language. [36:52] The way language can play into stigma. [39:39] Abby talks about an example of purposeful language design done at the 18F agency.  Links Abby on LinkedIn Abby on Medium Abby's website Abby on Women Talk Design On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big?, by Emily Bender, Timnit Gebru, Angelina McMillan-Major 18F Book Recommendations  Universal Methods of Design, Expanded and Revised: 125 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions, by Bruce Hanington and Bella Martin Measuring the User Experience: Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting Usability Metrics, by Bill Albert and Tom Tullis Thinking Through Methods: A Social Science Primer, by John Levi Martin The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection, By Anne Berry, Kareem Collie, Penina Acayo Laker, Lesley-Ann Noel, Jennifer Rittner, and Kelly Waters Your Computer Is on Fire, by Thomas Mullaney, Benjamin Peters, Mar Hicks, and Kavita Philip Mixed Methods: A short guide to applied mixed methods research, by Sam Ladner Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, by Safiya Umoja Noble You Can Do Anything, Magic Skeleton!: Monster Motivations to Move Your Butt and Get You to Do the Thing, by Chuck Wendig and Natalie Metzger Language And Power, by Norman Fairclough Discourse and Social Change, by Norman Fairclough   Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like User Research + Asking Better Questions with Michele Ronsen — DT101 E88 Teaching Yourself Design Thinking + Innovating in Government with Amy J. Wilson — DT101 E19 Design Thinking + Learning Science with Adam Royalty — DT101 E18

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi holds a PhD in applied linguistics from the University of Minnesota and is currently a user researcher in industry. We talk about language, design research and researcher self-care. Listen to learn about: How language and linguistics affect design The interaction of society and language Trauma-informed user research Researcher self-care The importance of asking for help Language and technology Being mindful about the language used in design Our Guest  Abby is the manager of UX Research and Content at Calendly. She holds a PhD in Hispanic and Lusophone Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics with specialization in Second Language Acquisition and Sociolinguistics. She loves to nerd out with people about language and research methods, either together or separately. She loves the Oxford comma, but will never correct your grammar Show Highlights [00:57] How and why Abby moved from linguistics to user research. [02:06] The importance of taking the time to think about language as a designer. [03:30] Audience design. [04:15] Aspects of linguistics that are helpful for designers and researchers. [04:45] Being mindful of the language choices you're making. [05”07] Abby talks about the tone of language/voice. [06:14] Abby's “superpower.” [07:00] How people understand and use language. [10:03] Abby talks about what happens when stakeholders don't follow the user research recommendations. [11:22] You have to be a good storyteller for your stakeholders. [12:16] Ways Abby has seen her work come to fruition. [15:14] User research can be revelatory for organizations that have never used it before. [17:06] Trauma-informed research and researcher self-care. [18:03] User research can be intense and emotional. [20:05] Dawan and Abby talk about the importance of asking for help. [22:35] Asking for help is part of what collaboration is. [24:15] Asking for help is working smarter. [25:27] Abby talks about the book she's writing. [25:56] Cognitive language models. [26:42] Voice-activated assistants. [28:07] Language and chatbot design. [29:34] Thinking about the future of language design. [33:01] Books and resources for researchers and those wanting to learn more about language. [36:52] The way language can play into stigma. [39:39] Abby talks about an example of purposeful language design done at the 18F agency.  Links Abby on LinkedIn Abby on Medium Abby's website Abby on Women Talk Design On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big?, by Emily Bender, Timnit Gebru, Angelina McMillan-Major 18F Book Recommendations  Universal Methods of Design, Expanded and Revised: 125 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions, by Bruce Hanington and Bella Martin Measuring the User Experience: Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting Usability Metrics, by Bill Albert and Tom Tullis Thinking Through Methods: A Social Science Primer, by John Levi Martin The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection, By Anne Berry, Kareem Collie, Penina Acayo Laker, Lesley-Ann Noel, Jennifer Rittner, and Kelly Waters Your Computer Is on Fire, by Thomas Mullaney, Benjamin Peters, Mar Hicks, and Kavita Philip Mixed Methods: A short guide to applied mixed methods research, by Sam Ladner Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, by Safiya Umoja Noble You Can Do Anything, Magic Skeleton!: Monster Motivations to Move Your Butt and Get You to Do the Thing, by Chuck Wendig and Natalie Metzger Language And Power, by Norman Fairclough Discourse and Social Change, by Norman Fairclough   Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like User Research + Asking Better Questions with Michele Ronsen — DT101 E88 Teaching Yourself Design Thinking + Innovating in Government with Amy J. Wilson — DT101 E19 Design Thinking + Learning Science with Adam Royalty — DT101 E18

Our paths have crossed several times over the past couple of years, but I finally managed to sit down and chat with the one and only Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel. Along with being an author, design educator, and community builder, she is one of the editors behind The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection, a compilation of essays from over 70 Black designers, artists, curators, educators, students, and researchers.Our conversation began with some good news about a recent grand that she won, and from there we talked about her areas research and what she teaches. Dr. Noel spoke about growing up in Trinidad and Tobago and studying design in Brazil, including becoming a Fulbright Scholar and arriving at North Carolina State University. She also talked about motivation, ambition, and about the importance of finding your own community.Take Dr. Noel's advice — the world of design is a lot bigger than you think!LinksDr. Lesley-Ann Noel on LinkedInDr. Lesley-Ann Noel on TwitterFor extended show notes, including a full transcript of this interview, visit revisionpath.com.==========Apply to Join The Tenth CollectiveAre you a Black designer looking for work? Join The Tenth Collective, a joint effort from Revision Path and State of Black Design to connect Black professionals in the design and creative industries with companies committed to hiring Black candidates for design and creative positions!Looking for a new opportunity can be tough -- we know. Let us help! Apply today and get curated introduction requests from hiring companies vetted by Revision Path + State of Black Design. It's 100% free, and you'll only be contacted when a company is requesting to speak to you. And you can remain anonymous! Let us be your resource to find work, whether you're looking or not.Apply here: thetenthcollective.com==========Sponsored by HoverBuilding your online brand has never been more important and that begins with your domain name. Show the online community who you are and what you're passionate about with Hover. With over 400+ domain name extensions to choose from, including all the classics and fun niche extensions, Hover is the only domain provider we use and trust.Ready to get started? Go to hover.com/revisionpath and get 10% off your first purchase.==========Follow and SubscribeLike this episode? Then subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite shows.Follow us there, and leave us a 5-star rating and a review! Thanks so much to all of you who have already rated and reviewed us!You can also follow Revision Path on Instagram and Twitter.==========CreditsRevision Path is brought to you by Lunch, a multidisciplinary creative studio in Atlanta, GA.It is produced by Maurice Cherry and engineered and edited by RJ Basilio. Our intro voiceover is by Music Man Dre, with intro and outro music by Yellow Speaker. Transcripts provided by Brevity & Wit.Thank you for listening!

Philip spends time with Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel, Anne H. Berry and June Grant who are editors and contributors to the anthology The Black Experience in Design. In their conversation, they discuss the significance of Black Design in the past, present and future, the meaning of neutrality and decolonization and how Black Design challenges the status quo. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip's Drop: Sankofa (Netflix) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108041/) Lesley's Drop: Those Wilds Beyond our Fences Bayo Akomolafe (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/555561/these-wilds-beyond-our-fences-by-bayo-akomolafe-foreword-by-charles-eisenstein/) June's Drop: SF Urban Film Festival (https://sfurbanfilmfest.com/2022/) Anne's Drop: An Ugly truth by Cecilia Kang and Sheera Frenkel (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/an-ugly-truth-sheera-frenkelcecilia-kang?variant=32999376551970) Special Guests: Anne H. Berry , Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel, and June Grant.

On this episode; co-hosts; Eunice N Schumacher and Penina Acayo Laker start off  this seasons recap  on a high note and share highlights and lessons learned from  an amazing group of practitioners this season: Architects (Tosin Oshinowa, Jesse Tukacungurwa), Graphic Designers and researchers and educators (Tapiwa Matsinde, Henry Mainsah) and revolutionary design thinking enthusiast changing the game (Ateh Nkem Atabong). Many thanks to all our gusets!Our first article is out in Uganda´s architectural journal by the Uganda Society of Architects (USA)Our very own; Penina Acayo Laker has co-authored a book; “The Black Experience in Design:  Identity, Expression & Reflection . She briefly shares about the book and  her experience on this book.We celebrate and congratulate on architect Francis Kere on his achievement, the first African to win a Pritzker Architecture Prize (It's about time!!!)Podcast collaborations and “Spin offs” are underway! Our website is live and will be a place you will want to keep your eyes out for as we document upcoming collaborative projects with some of our guests.Netflix celebrates African talent in new documentary seriesMade by Design.Highlight publications.Fashion Illustration Africa Paperback – November 2, 2016Author: Tapiwa Matsindehttps://www.atelier55design.com/Contemporary Design Africa Paperback – Illustrated, June 2, 2015Author: Tapiwa Matsindehttps://www.atelier55design.com/The Black Experience in Design- Identity, Expression & ReflectionAuthors: Anne H. Berry, Kareem Collie, Penina Acayo Laker, Lesley-Ann Noel, Jennifer Rittner, Kelly Walters

Lesley- Ann Noel es profesora de diseño en la Universidad de Carolina del Norte, en Estados Unidos. Ella nos cuenta en esta charla como se puede usar el proceso de diseño en la educación primaria. Eso fue parte de su investigación de doctorado. También hablamos de la curricula de diseño y lo importante de enseñar diseño contextualizado. Según Lesley-Ann los alumnos de diseño necesitan un sentido crítico muy profundo y para desarrollar ese sentido y la confianza en sí mismos ella propone una curricula de diseño panafricana. Es necesario incluir miradas y las personas del sur, con nuestras miradas particulares, podemos aportar a la construcción de curriculas de diseño inclusivas y contextualizadas. Hablamos también de un proceso de diseño entre jóvenes y policías, donde lo importante no es tener un resultado innovador, sino el proceso en sí mismo. Esta entrevista es parte de las listas Educación en Diseño, EEUU y diseño y Seguridad y diseño.

Do you have a favorite recipe? Do you follow it to the letter? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Lesley-Ann Noel discuss how recipes apply to human centered design and the importance of abductive thinking. With additional insights from Xinyi Liu, Julia Collin Davison, and Jon Kolko. 

In this conversation, Philip talks to Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Design Studies at North Carolina State. They discuss Dr. Noel's career, her perspective on design, the need to decolonize the field, and how designers can rethink our current systems and structures. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip's Drop: The Long Deep Grudge – Toni Gilpin (https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1383-the-long-deep-grudge) Lesley-Ann's Drop: Aurora Levins Morales (http://www.auroralevinsmorales.com/) Medicine Stories (https://www.dukeupress.edu/medicine-stories?viewby=subject&categoryid=100&sort=newest) Pluriversal Book Club (https://www.eventbrite.com/o/pluriversal-design-special-interest-group-of-the-design-research-society-30818123272) Special Guest: Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel.

Wrap session 19 with Dr. Lesley Ann Noel, academic scholar, design researcher, and creator of the Designers Critical Alphabet, takes the Royal Court on a design and research critical thinking journey often embraced and discussed in academia but not as much in industry. Dr. Noel challenges UX and Design practitioners to decolonize bookshelves as well recognizing how identities play a part in design & research for both practitioners and participants. Books & resources mentioned in this podcast: Pedagogy of the Oppressed- Paulo Friere Research is Ceremony- Shawn Wilson Epistemologies of the South- Boaventura de Sousa Santos Designers Critical Alphabet- Dr. Lesley Ann Noel https://criticalalphabet.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/techwrapqueen/message

My guest is Jeanne Liedtka, Professor at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and an absolute rockstar of Design Thinking. She's the author of (most recently) Experiencing Design and joins me this episode to talk about getting started with Design Thinking and some pitfalls that can happen along the way as you move yourself and your organization towards not just doing design thinking but experiencing it - the road to mastery, moving past the surface level with Design Thinking. Jeanne's latest book Experiencing Design is organized around a powerful framework that separates Doing vs. Experiencing vs. Becoming. This frame clarifies the transformational journey of an individual as they engage more deeply with Design Thinking.  If you want to deepen and expand your understanding of Design Thinking past the Stanford Design School Hexagons, I highly recommend Jeanne's books. Her 2011 book, Designing for Growth, co-authored with Tim Ogilvy, was a crucial moment in my introduction to the power and breadth of Design Thinking. Jeanne and I have both had this experience with folks we've worked with, and maybe you have had it happen to you: you take a workshop and a lightbulb clicks on in your head... You find a new way of working that you see limitless potential in, that you want to implement and share with others. People say, "I wish my team, my organisation, could work this way. Where can I start?"  And when you bring the tools and tips back to work, something falls flat…transforming how we work together is non-trivial. It's not just about the tools - the doing. It's about the mindsets - the experiencing and becoming. Jeanne and I talk about getting started with the tools of Design Thinking, some of the pitfalls that happen along the way, and how learning in action is a really fundamental and challenging shift both for the individual innovator and also for the organisation as a whole. Many people who I train in these new ways of working say their primary block is that others are not doing it too, that *everyone* isn't trained in these tools. And while I'd love to train the whole organization, it's not always possible, or even wise. My advice is usually, "Start really, really small, and do it in ways that no one can tell you no. Ask for forgiveness instead of permission."  The ROI of DT Jeanne and I also talk about the real ROI on DT. Organizations focus on the visible ROI of Design Thinking - what we will see- first the outputs, the templates, the workshops, and then the innovation they hope for - moving the needle in the business. But the real transformational aspect of Design Thinking is the way people are changed by the activities - what they experience and what they become. (check out the show notes for images of Jeanne's Iceberg model of the ROI of DT) Design Thinking is, of course, doing activities like gathering data, identifying insights, establishing design criteria, generating ideas, prototyping, and experimenting...but each of them results in the individual person experiencing sense-making, alignment, and emergence - some of the real gold in Design Thinking. And all the while, they are becoming more empathetic and confident, collaborative, comfortable with co-creation and difference, able to bring ideas to life, resilient, and adaptive. This is the more deep, more durable transformation that is possible with Design Thinking...this is the real ROI of DT. MVC: Minimum Viable Competencies One of Jeanne's really profound contributions in the book is the idea of "minimum viable competencies": the things we can look for in the people that we are trying to transform and bring on board to this new way of working. Can they listen to understand? Can they separate facts from interpretations of the facts? Are they comfortable with ambiguity? Can they respect other viewpoints? Check out Jeanne's book for a comprehensive list of MVC and a survey to help you benchmark your organization's skills. Jeanne and I also dive into how Design Thinking catalyzes organizational change at the conversational level. For example, in the Emergence phase, she talks about thinking broadly about who you invite to the conversation, and she highlights requisite variety: the idea that the diversity of people in the conversation should match the complexity of the conversation, of the challenge we're hoping to solve.  Refer back to my interview with Professor and Conversational Cybernetics expert Paul Pangaro for a deeper dive into requisite variety and how it applies to conversation dynamics. Also check out my interview with Jason Cyr, a Design Executive at Cisco, where he shares similar reflections on diversity and coalition building in driving a Design Thinking transformation. We also talked about how Design Thinking has a lot of tools, a lot of doings, that help with upfront discovery and testing, but when it comes to learning in action and alignment folks find it challenging to find turn-taking structures that help scaffold the process - in other words, they need facilitation skills: structures to help our conversations be productive: listening non-defensively to critique, exploring disconfirming data with curiosity, accepting imperfect data and moving on... these are not Design Thinking tools, these are conversation design tools. This is where DT bleeds into leadership and self-management. Another point from our conversation that is really important is that different people have different experiences throughout the arc of the design thinking process. Jeanne has this wonderful diagram in her book about how the different DISC profiles of influencer, analyst, driver, and supporter will have different emotional arcs as they go through the Design Thinking process from beginning to end. I think it's really, really important to understand that we need to have empathy with all of our collaborators. We may have a great time with the upfront part of the process, like discovery, and have a really hard time during prototyping and testing. We need a diverse group of collaborators so that we can draw on their perspectives and balance our experience with theirs.  It's important to push against our own biases and to continuously ask, "What kind of diversity is needed for this challenge?" For that, I highly recommend you listen to my conversation with Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel, who I spoke with earlier this year about Decolonizing Design Thinking. It's a really powerful conversation.  It was a great pleasure to be able to sit down and talk with Jeanne Liedtka, and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did! Links: Jeanne's Website Why Design Thinking Works Jeanne's books The Iceberg of DT ROI: from Jeanne's interview with Mural: https://www.mural.co/roi

“Because there is this law or that law, or people started giving us all the reasons that things don't have to change or all of the things that are preventing change, [it] prevents people from dreaming about something different. How do we create these just, equitable, and diverse futures moving forward?”   Lesley is the NC State University Asst. Professor of Design and Author & Creator of the Designers Critical Alphabet, a tool created to spark reflection and introduce designers & design students to critical theory.  She inspires her students & established designers alike to lead with empathy in design and build a greater social impact. With her leading research in equity-centered design thinking through diverse audiences and public health, Leslie represents the significance of a non-specialist approach in design and a larger need for industry-led social responsibility through design.    In this episode of Control the Room, Lesley and I discuss the greater social impact in design, the journey of her career through design thinking, a detailed look into the designer’s Critical Alphabet, the ideas behind critical race theory, and the necessary reminder of an empathetic approach in design. Listen in to hear how Lesley is expanding her design education footprint for future designers of our generation.

Dr. Lesley Ann Noel has explored design opportunities all around the world, taking risks to find spaces and opportunities that she is passionate about, and making opportunities work for her. While she was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Noel has had opportunities to explore design around the world. She received training in industrial design in Brazil, was an adjunct and eventually full-time faculty member at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad. She has also taught at Stanford University and North Carolina State University. She has a Master of Business Administration from the University of the West Indies, and she has a PhD in Design from North Carolina State University. At the time of this interview, in Fall 2019, Dr. Noel was a Professor of Practice and the Associate Director of Design Thinking for Social Impact at the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking.     Connect with Dr. Lesley Ann Noel:  LinkedIn  Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking  College of Design - North Carolina State University 

Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel PhD, is the Associate Director for Design Thinking for Social Impact, and Professor of Practice at the Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking at Tulane University, where she teaches design thinking from an emancipatory perspective. Design Thinking is a powerful set of tools and mindsets that can help people solve problems. But which people and which problems? So first off, if you're new to this conversation, design and design thinking can be racially biased, because people are racially biased. As Dr. Noel says in the opening quote I chose, most of us don't understand our positionality - especially if you see yourself as “white”. It's essential to see and understand what position are we looking *from* when we look *at* people and the problems we seek to solve for them. Design is, in essence, making things better, on purpose, and it's a fundamental human drive: To improve our situation by remaking our surroundings. But when we design for and with other people, the process becomes more complex. So, you might not see yourself as a designer, but if you solve problems for other people or build systems that other people use to solve problems, you might be a designer in the broadest sense, or design thinker, even by accident.  So...you need to get serious and clear about how you learn about problems (ie, do research), frame them and solve them for others (ie, design - attempt to make something better on purpose). If you do see yourself as a Design Thinker, you might feel challenged by Dr. Noel's reflections on Design Thinking, not as a set of Boxes to be ticked, but as a universe of different ways of thinking and knowing. Dr. Noel makes beautiful diagrams and models for the creative process that breaks out of the hexagons and double diamonds beautifully. I recommend checking out the screenshots I've taken of some of these models from her talks in the Links section Another resource I suggest you dive into is Dr. Noel's Positionality Worksheet, 12 Elements to help you and your team see the “water they're swimming in.” You can also check out a Mural version I mocked up. As Dr. Noel writes in her excellent Medium article “My Manifesto towards changing the conversation around race, equity and bias in design” it's essential to start with positionality, for yourself and for your teams. That's point one. Who are you in relation to the people you are working with and solving for? Point Two of her manifesto is about seeing color, oppression, injustice and bias. For this I recommend getting a deck of her Designer's Critical Alphabet cards on Etsy. They're awesome! Point 3 might surprise you: Dr. Noel suggests that we “Forget Diversity, Equity and Inclusion”...and instead embrace Pluriversality. DNI assumes an inside and an outside, an includer and the included. Pluriversality looks to remove the center and honors multiple ways of knowing and doing, each with its own valid center.  It's nice to believe in a single ultimate truth for everyone...but that's not going to happen. Pluriversality suggests that there are more than one or more than two kinds of ultimate reality.  Pluriversality is essential for our time - finding a path forward together while respecting other's paths and ways. Pluriversality was a new term for me. I suggest you watch Dr. Noel's talk at UC Davis on Embracing Pluriversal Design to learn more. And I suggest you read the rest of her Manifesto for yourself!  I am thrilled to share Dr. Noel's ideas on DeColonizing Design Thinking. It's a critical conversation for our time. Design Thinking still has so much to offer the world if we are willing to lean into it and engage in dialogue with fresh and evergreen interpretations of it. People have been designing for as long as we've been people. Learning and respecting the pluriverse of Design Thinking in all cultures can deliver powerful progress. Enjoy the conversation as much as I did. Dr. Noel's website Dr. Noel at Tulane University Dr. Noel's Critical Literacy Alphabet Alberini Family Speaker Series Lecture Dr. Noel's manifesto towards changing the conversation around race, equity, and bias in design

Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel is the Associate Director for Design Thinking for Social Impact and a professor of practice at Tulane University, and an Afro-Caribbean designer who focuses on critical emancipatory design thinking. We talk about power issues and design, participatory design, working with community partners, teaching design, thinking in ways that help students reflect on difference, and the Designer's Critical Alphabet.     Show Summary   Lesley's passion for design started in middle school, and by the time she graduated from high school, she was looking for a place to continue her design studies. She ended up in Brazil, where she spent a year studying graphic design and five years in industrial design before returning to Trinidad, where she worked as a design consultant and taught at the University of the West Indies.   After coming to the U.S. to get her Ph.D. at North Carolina State University, she spent a year teaching at Stanford's d.School before moving on to her current position at Tulane University.   Lesley talks about the importance of positionality and identity in her work, and how her classes and coursework have changed in response to the events of 2020, including the current COVID-19 health crisis. We learn how and why Lesley created the Designer's Critical Alphabet, and what she hopes the cards will do for people who use them.   Listen in to learn more about: How power and identity influence design Making design more inclusive with communities and stakeholders — designing with, not designing for How design thinking can be used to give marginalized populations a voice and a seat at the table The changes and adaptations Lesley is making to her classes in response to COVID-19 The Designer's Critical Alphabet   Our Guest's Bio   Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel Is Afro-Trinidadian design educator, based in New Orleans. She practices design through emancipatory, critical and anti-hegemonic lenses, focusing on equity, social justice and the experiences of people who are often excluded from design research. She also attempts to promote greater critical awareness among designers and design students by introducing critical theory concepts and vocabulary into the design studio e.g. through The Designer's Critical Alphabet. Her research also highlights the work of designers outside of Europe and North America as an act of decolonizing design. Her identity is shaped by her ethnic background as an Afro-Trinidadian; her experience as a daughter, sister and mother; and her lived experiences in Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Tanzania, Uganda and the USA. Show Highlights   [01:28] Lesley shares her path into design. [02:05] Her time in Brazil. [02:35] Returning to Trinidad and working as a design consultant and university professor. [03:27] Coming to the U.S. for her Ph.D. [04:40] How her life experiences have strongly influenced her work. [05:11] Her interest in indigenous cultures and looking at different points of view. [05:57] Her Design Research Society group's focus on gathering design stories from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. [06:55] Lesley talks about how she teaches design thinking by starting with “who we are” and talking about positionality and identity. [08:01] How the focus on identity and positionality changes the way Lesley and her students approach design. [09:33] The importance of getting the stakeholders involved in the process. [10:43] The way Lesley is using design thinking to amplify and reflect the voices of those often left unheard. [11:33] Shifting the power from the university to the community, and letting community partners take the lead. [12:40] Lesley talks more about the experiences and challenges of exploring identity and power in the classroom. [15:21] Ways Lesley is working to ensure her students are aware of the agency and power of the communities they are working with. [16:08] Ensuring the learning and information is flowing in both directions. [17:05] How 2020's current events are affecting her teaching and classes. [19:08] The rewards of watching students grow their confidence and skills as designers. [20:25] Lesley describes her classes and the academic culture shock some students have when they first get started. [22:57] How Lesley uses unique creative challenges to help students tap into their ability to reflect, think, and design. [23:31] The “design a game” challenge. [24:27] The “create a recipe” challenge. [25:11] Lesley has students redesign a design thinking format and design their own framework. [27:02] What Lesley is doing to adapt her classes and coursework to the new realities of the COVID-19 crisis. [29:43] Remote work pushes the need to create activities for relationship building and allocate enough time for them. [32:16] Being intentional about relationship building. [33:47] Designer's Critical Alphabet card deck overview. [34:23] The Designer's Critical Alphabet's purpose is to help designers look at a project with different lenses and perspectives. [34:43] Lesley discusses a couple of the cards in depth. [36:33] The Designer's Critical Alphabet is a way for designers to learn and develop critical theory and vocabulary. [37:19] Lesley's students use the cards to learn new vocabulary, theories, and ideas. [39:00] The Designer's Critical Alphabets humble beginnings as a small side project. [40:10] How Lesley's viral LinkedIn post in June 2020 brought the Designer's Critical Alphabet deck to a larger audience. [42:23] Lesley's one fear about the cards. [44:26] The two things Lesley hopes the cards will encourage people to do. [46:04] How to learn more about Lesley and her work.   Links Dr. Noel on TwitterDr. Noel on LinkedInDr. Noel's websiteDr. Noel on Tulane University's websiteA Designer's Critical Alphabet Cards“Teaching and Learning Design Thinking through a Critical Lens at a Primary School in Rural Trinidad and Tobago”Dr. Noel's work with emancipatory research and design thinkingCAE research conference call with Dr. Noel as she presents her research/processes in the field of critical design thinking with an emphasis on emancipatory process.   Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like   How to Learn Design Thinking + Design Thinking Pedagogy with Julie Schell — DT101 E15   Design Thinking + Learning Science with Adam Royalty — DT101 E18   Rethinking Service Design + Student Projects + Community Systems with Amy O'Keefe — DT101 E56   ________________   Thank you for listening to the show and looking at the show notes. Send your questions, suggestions, and guest ideas to Dawan and the Fluid Hive team. Cheers ~ Dawan   Free Download — Design Driven Innovation: Avoid Innovation Traps with These 9 Steps   Innovation Smart Start Webinar — Take your innovation projects from frantic to focused!