LCD Weekly Issue - 006 - Design Walks
Would you be up for a mini-challenge? What if you read me outside?
Find a spot where you are in contact with something "nature": outside your office, under a tree, in a garden, in a park, next to a body of water, or somewhere that connects you with your environment.
Take me on your phone/laptop/tablet; why not print me? Let's experiment together.
Not in the mood? Keep reading, and maybe you will be up for a design walk!
🏔️ Words from the mountains
Less design sprints, More design walks.
What a catchy phrase, no? Jeroen came up with it somewhere last year, and we started to put it into practice. Why does everything in design always aim for speed? For yesterday? Sprints, boot camps, hackathons?
We all know the answer:
Consumerism
Making it faster and cheaper
Becoming the first
Just thinking of the result
Not considering the whole ecosystem or nature
Wanting more and more
What if we start changing the way we design? We work? We live? Like you now, sitting somewhere outside reading about Life-Centered Design. Change is always uncomfortable and challenging; it pushes you to transform your habits and makes you feel weird. Since we started applying design walks, guess what? We became more productive and could be more focused, and ideas, projects, and our actual design work started to flow more easily.
But what is an actual design walk?
As a team:
To begin, step outside with your team. Choose a location that suits your needs, such as a park, forest, beach, or just outside the office. While walking, team members should pair up and discuss the current project, sharing any ideas, thoughts, or impressions. Upon returning, have a check-in with the entire team.
As an individual:
Bring a notebook and immerse yourself in your surroundings. Find a comfortable spot to sit in silence for 5 minutes, using all your senses to soak up your environment. Then, jot down any ideas or thoughts about the project that you can share with your team later.
What do you think of design walks? Would you give them a try?
🐅 LCD in the Wild - The Pollinators
The Pollinators is a Dutch initiative which focuses on developing abundant habitats for pollinators to survive and thrive!
"We do so by reaching out to individuals, communities and businesses. We involve them in low-key, fun campaigns and activities and provide them with knowledge and practical tools to work on effectively restoring biodiversity. We offer workshops on topics such as pollinators, and we also get our hands dirty by organizing planting or sowing days that everyone can join.
Pollinators are keystone species that show us how everything in nature is connected. They teach us about the importance of biodiversity and they inspire us to restore nature.
With our approach we create a bottom up movement dedicated to the well-being of bees and butterflies, so that all life can thrive."
They have two big campaigns focused on spring and autumn:
Voer de bij bij (Feed the Bees) : April 22
Treevember: November
Check out their website for more details!
🪄 Inspiration- How to be an Explorer of the World -the Portable Life/Art Museum
Hands down, one of my favourite books! Written by the great Canadian artist and writer Keri Smith. How to be an Explorer of the World will awaken all of your senses and creativity! We love to use it here at the LCD School! One of our favourite exercises goes hand in hand with a design walk:
🕵️ Exploration #59: How to Wander Aimlessly
🔥 Hot in the school- Course and Retreat!
🐝 Less than a month to go!
Our Fundamentals Course, Shifting from Human-Centered to Life-Centered Design, is open for enrollment. Spots are filling up quickly!
For the first time, we are opening a second group! For Asia-Pacific time zones. Or if you are at CET an prefer an earlier time.
Naming a few time zones for reference, every Friday for 6 weeks, starting from March 15, 2024:
Singapore: 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Sydney: 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
New Delhi: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
CET: 9:00 am -11:30 am
We have two scholarship applications available; you can find more information here.
Over the course of six weeks, you will participate in six online sessions where you will work on a design project of your choice. During the sessions, you will apply life-centered design attributes, such as ecosystem mind mapping, making non-human personas, and co-designing with life and regeneration. We will collaborate using Zoom and Slack/Whatsapp Community, and you will receive your own Mural board.
The moment to take action is now! Enrol today!
🏔️ Life-Centered Design Retreat
Want to live with us in the Spanish Pyrenees for a week?
The Life-Centered Design Retreat dates are out! Join us for an exclusive design immersion on May 19-24, 2024. With only 4/5 spots available, we will ensure this will be an unforgettable (design) experience. Sign up to the waiting list here.
👋 Until another Monday,
Marce
