Life-Centered Design
What is Life-Centered Design?
Life-centered design (LCD) is an actionable & innovative approach that gives designers and other creatives the mindset, opportunity, and ability to design holistically. It allows designers to include all life forms and advocates for biological ecosystems and non-user communities. LCD moves away from creating value for the end-user and shareholders, to towards adding value for nature, communities, and the economy.
This philosophy emerges from critically reflecting on our current design practices and their impact on Earth's ecosystems. As designers, researchers, and advocates, we have begun to question whether our beloved design craft truly serves life on Earth and humanity as a whole. Our realisation that many contemporary design practices inadvertently harm our world has sparked a crucial shift in perspective.
Learn more about Life-Centered Design
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This philosophy emerges from critically reflecting on our current design practices and their impact on Earth's ecosystems. As designers, researchers, and advocates, we have begun to question whether our beloved design craft truly serves life on Earth and humanity as a whole. Our realisation that many contemporary design practices inadvertently harm our world has sparked a crucial shift in perspective.
Traditionally, we have learned to design for humans, specifically for end-users. Doing so harms nature and marginalised communities immensely. Adding a holistic lens to design stretches the concept of the user or use. Can nature also be a user of design and positively impact the planet when you design something new?
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The LCD framework is based on a Life-Centered Design Landscape, where you move between spaces in a certain rhythm and pace. We identify a Conversation, Co-Creation and Regeneration space
In the conversation space you create and understanding of the sytems of life. This involves mapping the ecosystem, establishing relationships with nature, communities, and organizations within the ecosystem.
Activities and tools we use in the Conversation space areScope & Focus
Ecosystem Mindmap
Immersive outdoor experiences (Nature & Urban)
Creating Non-Human Personas
Creating Non-User Personas
In the co-creation space you co-design and prototype pathways with nature, communities and economy. Collectively, you prototype and reframe your design questions, ideate, assess impact and iterate.
Activities and tools we use in the Co-Creation space are
Reframing Life-Centered Design Questions
Co-Designing
The impact mapping method
In the regeneration space, you bring your design to life, define impact, and deliver values for nature, community, and economy. You define and measure success for your project, which is beneficial for the whole ecosystem.
Activities and tools we use in the Regeneration space are
Sustainable Value Design
Creating Regenerative Strategy
Implementation Timeline
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"How & Where do I start with Life-Centered Design?" is the most asked question during our webinars, workshops, presentations and conversations about LCD.
Is starting something new so hard? Yes and No! We identified three strategies that makes it easier to begin:
Embrace your Vulnerability
The Powers of Ten
Actionism
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The three most important aspects of LCD are developing and maintaining a holistic point of view throughout a design process or project, actively establishing relationships with nature and communities so that you understand the needs within the ecosystem of your design project/ organization, and developing the right mindset from within. Life-Centered Design is as much about doing the design work as it is about doing the innerwork.
Life-Centered Design Fundamentals Course
Join designers and creative professionals from all over the world and make the shift from human to life-centered design and make a real impact with your work.
