SID2023 Sarah Stokes - Wisdom in design is closer than you think

As designers, we want to be able to make wise decisions and choices. Wouldn't it be great to draw on wisdom to guide us as in our work with teams and organisations?

Fortunately, we don’t have to wait until we are old and grey to access wisdom; it can be experienced through ways of thinking and acting. In this talk we will explore what wisdom is made up of (according to research )and how we as designers can use aspects of wisdom now.

Transcript

1. Sarah Stokes Design Leader / Coach
4. No matter what age, we’re able to be wise Knowledge doesn’t equal wisdom Fresh perspectives can be wise perspectives
6. “The ability to use your knowledge and experience to make good decisions and judgements” 🔮
7. McKenna, B., & Rooney, D. (2019). Wise leadership. In R. J. Sternberg & J. Glück (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of wisdom (pp. 649–675). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108568272.030 Research says wise leaders: • Have foresight • Use reason, experience and careful observation • Allow for non-rational and subjective elements when making decisions • Have an orientation beyond self-interest and towards the Common Good
8. 🔭 Within With others
9. “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” 🪞
12. In times of change, which is where we are, we must be able to rely on ourselves: • Self-awareness • Self management • Social awareness • Relationship management 🧠
13. https://www.inc-aus.com/jessica-stillman/an-80-year-harvard-study-shows-emotionally-intelligent-people-use-wiser-model-to-handle-strong-emotions.html • WATCH • INTERPRET • SELECT • ENGAGE • REFLECT 🧠
14. • When are you at your best? • What triggers you? • What are your strengths? • How aware are you of your limits? Reflection time 💭
15. • When are you at your best? • What triggers you? • What are your strengths? • How aware are you of your limits? Reflection time 💭 Google: VIA character strengths or strengthsfinder
16. “In real life, wisdom manifests itself in situations that are important, difficult, uncertain, and emotionally challenging. Neither cognitive nor personality components of wisdom alone are sufficient to understand real-life wisdom” The Wisdom Researchers and the Elephant: An Integrative Model of Wise Behavior Glück, J., & Weststrate, N. M. (2022)
17. 🧠
18. A mindful moment… 󰩓
20. When we think about enacting wisdom, we have many techniques in the design process 💡 With others
23. “The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing.” 📖
24. Dror, Itiel E., Alvaro Pascual-Leone, and Vilayanur Ramachandran. "The paradox of human expertise: why experts get it wrong." The paradoxical brain 177 (2011). ✅ ❌ - Focus - Speed - Inflexibility - Tunnel vision
26. • Assumption mapping • Known / unknowns • Pre-mortems • DVF collaborating • Customer research / data
27. “Wisdom is your perspective on life, your sense of balance, your understanding of how the various parts and principles apply and relate to each other.” 🖼
28. Popularised by Covey in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
30. https://boxesandarrows.com/activating-change-a-designers-guide-to-systems-thinking/
31. • Customer research • Diversity of inputs • Data • Stakeholder interviews • Service blueprints • Mystery shopping • 360 reviews • Feedback culture
32. • Customer research • Diversity of inputs • Data • Stakeholder interviews • Service blueprints • Mystery shopping • 360 reviews • Feedback culture
33. What is Phronesis: “The habit of making the right decisions and taking the right actions in context, and relentless pursuit of excellence for the common good.”
34. • Build your self-awareness • Be humane • Reflect, be mindful • Stay curious, always be learning • Take the observer POV • Be collaborative • Take action - use our tools and techniques Practical wisdom:
35. “...Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
36. Special thanks to Kat for support on the Viz Comms! linkedin.com/in/sarahlucystoked/ Sarah Stokes Design Leader / Coach