Make the World a Better Place

Robert Kozma, PhD, is Emeritus Principal Scientist at SRI International. During his fifty-year career, he has served as a grade school math teacher, a research scientist and professor, and a design and innovation consultant. He has counseled high tech companies, multinational organizations, and ministries of education to use technologies and methodologies to improve learning, teaching, and education.

• Part I A World by Design 11 Moral Imperative 3To Design Is Human 4Moral Responsibility of Designers 5The Designed World 6The best of times 7The worst of times 9How Has Design Failed Us? 10Designs and users fail 11The design process fails us 11Designers fail us 12Systems fail us 12Moral Decisions and Their Consequences 13Case Study: Boeing 737 MAX 8 14Your Designs Might Save Us 16References 172 What Is Design? 25Everyday Design 25Everyday Designers 26Design as a Process 27Purpose 28Process 29Outcomes 29Impact 30Good Designs versus Good Impacts 31Everyday Designs and Making the World Better 32Case Study: Chef Andrés and the World Central Kitchen 33Designs Big, Small, and Not at All 36References 383 Moral Foundations for Designing a Better World 41The Philosophers and “The Good” 42The Good 42Moral Foundations for Good Design 43Happiness not harm 43Knowledge, reasoning, and agency 47Equality and Justice 49The social nature of humans 51Self and Others 53Self- interest 53Rational egoism 54The Philosophes and concern for others 55References 574 Design within a System 59Systems: Simple, Complex, and Complex Adaptive 60Simple and complex systems 60Complex adaptive systems 61The Dynamics of Complex Adaptive Human Systems 62Self-interest, reciprocity, and trust 62Social system as a normative culture of trust and caring 65Design to Make the System Work 65Designs at the micro level 66Designs at the macro level 67Designs at the community level 68Elinor Ostrom and Design for the Common Good 69Case Study: Baton Rouge and “Imagine Plank Road” 69The Appropriate Level of Complexity 73References 745 Technology, Activity, and Culture 77How to Think about Technology 78Technology at the Micro Level: Affordances and Activity 78Person-resource-activity model 79Affordances and activity in the outer environment 79Affordances and changing the inner environment 81Embedded technology 82Technology at the Macro Level: Culture and Impact 82Moral Impacts of Technology and Our Designs 84Artificial intelligence and human well-being 85Social media, harm, and community 86Web 3.0 and the future of community 90CRISPR and the future of humanity 92The moral challenge of technology 93References 93Part II Our Design Traditions 996 The Scientific Tradition 101Design Traditions 101Roots of the Scientific Revolution 102Early Western science 102The Scientific Revolution 104Characteristics of the Scientific Tradition 104Purpose 105Process 106Outcomes 107Impact 108Case Study: Mendelian Genetics 108Systemic Implications of the Scientific Tradition 112Moral Implications of the Scientific Tradition 112References 1147 The Technical- Analytic Tradition 117Roots in the Industrial Revolution 117Emergence of the Technical-Analytic Tradition 118Maximizing efficiency 118The consumer economy 119Scientific research and transformative innovations 119Characteristics of the Technical-Analytic Tradition 120Purpose 120Process 121Outcomes 122Impact 122Case Study: Ford versus Ferrari 123Systemic Implications of the Technical-Analytic Tradition 127Moral Implications of the Technological-Analytic Tradition 128References 1298 The Human-Centered Tradition 133Roots in the Technical-Analytic Tradition 133Human-centered design and design thinking 134Characteristics of the Human-Centered Approach 134Purpose 134Process 134Outcomes 135Impact 136Case Study: Alight, Kuja Kuja, and IDEO.Org 136Systemic Implications of the Human-Centered Approach 140Moral Implications of the Human-Centered Approach 142References 1439 The Aesthetic Tradition 145Roots in Ancient Human Expression 145Art, design, and industry 146Characteristics of the Aesthetic Approach 146Purpose 147Process 147Outcomes 149Impact 149Case Study: Starry Night 149Systemic Implications of the Aesthetic Tradition 154Moral Implications of the Aesthetic Tradition 155References 15710 The Community Organization and Social Movement Tradition 159Roots in Systemic Harm 159The Labor Movement 159The Civil Rights Movement 160The Women’s Movement 161The Environmental Movement 161The Gay Rights Movement 162Characteristics of the Social Movement Tradition 163Purpose 163Process 163Outcomes 166Impact 166Case Study: Black Lives Matter (BLM) 167Systemic Implications of the Community Organization and Social Movement Tradition 172Moral Implications of the Community Organization and Social Movement Tradition 172Summary of Design Traditions 173References 174Part III Design with Passion, Purpose, and Values 17711 Design with Passion and Purpose 179Passion 179Happiness 180Empathy and compassion 180Anger and moral outrage 180From moral motivations to moral plans 181Purpose 183Purpose and design 184Moral Reasoning and Moral Dialog 185Moral reasoning 186The social nature of morality 187From moral dialog to collective action 188Design as a Moral Dialog among Co-Creators 189Be grounded in your own moral foundation 189Scaffold moral discussions 190Use these discussions to co-create designs 190Case Study: Burning Man and Radical Inclusion 191New Roles for Designers 196Facilitator 196Mentor 197Mediator 197Broker 197Creating a Collaborative Culture of Moral Design 198References 19812 Reduce Harm and Increase Happiness 203Values 203Cause No Harm 203Reduce Harm 205Case Study: WestGate Water 206Increase Happiness 209Happiness as pleasure 209Happiness as well-being 210Happy cultures 212Designing for Happiness 213Case Study: Happy Cities 215References 21913 Advance Knowledge, Reasoning, and Agency 223Knowledge at the Micro Level 224Knowledge in the head 224Knowledge in the environment 224Knowledge and how to acquire it 225Reasoning: What We Do with Knowledge 226Explain 226Make decisions and solve problems 227Create, innovate, and design 227The limits of knowledge and reasoning 228Agency: How Knowledge Empowers Us 229Metacognition 229Self-regulated learning 230Designing for Knowledge and Agency at the Micro Level 231Knowledge and Institutions at the Macro Level 232Schools and education 233Learning in Communities 235Knowledge Building Communities (KBCs) 235Communities of practice (CoP) 235Case Study: High Tech High 236References 24014 Promote Equality and Address Injustice 243Equality 243Equality by design 244Inequality by Design 244Native Americans 244Enslaved Africans 246Merit and Its Tyranny 248Merit and morality 249The compounding effect of inequality 250Justice 251What is just? 251Equality and justice for all 253A just society 254Designs that Promote Equality and Address Injustice 256Case Study: The City of Austin and Reimagining Public Safety 257Moral Discourse to Promote Equality and Address Injustice 261References 26115 Build Supportive Relationships and Communities 267Moral and Survival Foundations of Relationships 267Relationships and Well-Being: The Micro Level 268Emotions and relationships 268Family 269Married couples 270Friends 270Development of relationships over time 271Relationships at the Community Level 271Our towns, our community 272Communities and collective action 273Relationships at the Macro Level 274Relationships in cities 274Trust and social capital 275Social capital in nations 276Loss of Relationships and Trust 276Loss of friends 276Loss of interpersonal trust 277Loss of institutional trust 277Loss of trust and social media 278Case Study: Braver Angels 279Designing for Relationships and Community 282Designs to support relationships 282Designs to repair relationships 283Designs to support collective action and build communities 283References 284Part IV Redesigning the System 28916 The Economy, Government, and Design 291Tragedy of the Commons 291The Economy and Self-Interest 292The neoliberal turn 292Neoliberalism gets played out 294The social impact of pure self-interest 295Business and the loss of trust 296The Economy and Government Control 296Keynesian economics and government policy 296Government control gets played out 297The social impact of a government-controlled economy 298Government and Collective Action 299Public good as the purpose of government 299Government as an institution for collective action 300Structural limits of collective action through government 300Political parties and collective action 301America compromised: Corruption of the design 301Self-interest and identity politics 302Government and the loss of trust 303Designs to Resolve the Tragedy 303Business and the common good 304Government and the common good 304Community and the common good 306Everyday designs and the invisible hands of a moral society 306References 30817 Where Do We Go from Here? 313Which of Two Roads? 313The road less traveled 313The road more likely? 318Finding a Home or Building One 322Design as a career 322Design where you work 323Volunteer your time 325Create your own design space 326Creating a Culture of Everyday Design for a Better World 327References 329Index 341