Design for a Better Future

Kericho, in Kenya's highlands is a lush, green region containing some of the richest farmland in all of Africa. It's where a large amount of the world's tea is produced. And it's also home to some of the worst malnutrition, including infant stunting, in all of Kenya. We delve into this wicked problem to examine why malnutrition is high among farmers and their families in a region that is an ideal foodbowl. And we take you inside an ambitious project that is using the power of human-centred design to change that situation for the better. Host - Dan Silkstone, ThinkPlace Guests - Michael Ngigi, Studio Lead, ThinkPlace Kenya James Gacheru - GAIN FIND OUT MORE: www.thinkplaceglobal.com Support the show: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/CIPI See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you woke up this morning to go to work, did you feel excitement? Dread? Something in between? How can we make work feel meaningful? What will the future of work look like? And does it really matter if we're all going to be replaced by robots? Dan Szuc and Jo Wong, UX legends and founders of Hong Kong-based Make Meaningful Work collaborate with leaders and organisations who are seeking a new relationship with careers and workforces. One that replaces "sleepwalking" with "sparkle". They are joined by digital transformation leader and ThinkPlace global partner Darren Menachemson for a fascinating chat about the future of work, the skills and mindsets workers will need and the cataclysmic changes that are already reshaping how employers and employees regard each other. Guests: Dan Szuc and Jo Wong - Make Meaningful Work https://makemeaningfulwork.com/ Darren Menachemson, Chief Digital Officer, ThinkPlace www.thinkplaceglobal.com Dan Silkstone - Host.     Support the show: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/CIPI See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Across the world, trust in governments and other institutions has been steadily declining as citizens respond to political gridlock around so many of the critical issues that face humanity. Why does this matter and how might we use the tools and power of co-design to arrest it? Professor Mark Evans is a former adviser to the Blair Government, the UN and the World Bank and author of 26 books. He is currently Director of Democracy 2025 and Professor of Governance at the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis at the University of Canberra, Australia. Mark's latest book,The Trust Divide, includes findings from comprehensive study into trust in government across Australia and how it has changed over time. He is joined in conversation by Dr Nina Terrey, Global Partner at ThinkPlace and an expert in design-led citizen engagement, for a fascinating chat about the role design can play in rebuilding trust in democracy and in government institutions.   Guests: Prof Mark Evans - Museum of Australian Democracy Dr Nina Terrey - Global Partner, ThinkPlace Dan Silkstone - Host Find out more: Democracy 2025 https://www.moadoph.gov.au ThinkPlace www.thinkplaceglobal.com           Support the show: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/CIPI See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would you live your life differently if you knew you were going to live to be 100? How would it change how you plan your life? How you think about its different stages? This is the future that awaits many of those born in the West today. And it's one that Dr Claire Craig, founder of the UK's Lab4Living is leading a global design discussion around. Claire's research, funded by a massive grant from the British Government, looks at how design thinking and co-design can help us reframe ageing, so that we see older people as valuable contributors to our society rather than a growing burden. You can find out more about ThinkPlace at: www.thinkplaceglobal.com and about LAb4Living at: https://lab4living.org.uk Guests: Dr Claire Craig (Lab4Living, Sheffield Hallam University) Cybelle Ledez (ThinkPlace) Host: Dan Silkstone (ThinkPlace)  Support the show: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/CIPI See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are young people much better at innovation than adults? What can we, as change makers, do to apply their unbounded creativity to the problems adults have created in the world? And how might we all learn to think and innovate a little more like the younger members of our society? In this episode, innovation leader Dr David Ireland joins us to discuss how we might tap the innovation superpowers of the young. David and ThinkPlace's Dr Laura Kostanski have been running a program for Australia's top scientific body, CSIRO, to teach the skills of a startup and innovation accelerator to a group of passionate high school students who want to change the world. We'll meet them and hear about the ideas they've been working on, as well as exploring why they might be our best hope for a better future. Guests: Dr David Ireland, Dr Laura Kostanski Host: Dan Silkstone Find out more: www.thinkplaceglobal.com Support the show: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/CIPI See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Part 1, Harvard University Physicist Fawwaz Habbal and ThinkPlace Founding Partner John Body discussed the new class of emerging 'gridlock problems': Challenges like climate change and global malnutrition where many parties are motivated to act but none feel able. In Part 2, Fawwaz and John discuss how to go about tackling this new kind of problem. They outline new forms of thinking and collaborating that can help break the gridlock and move towards designing better futures.   Episode guests Fawwaz Habbal, senior lecturer on applied physics and executive dean for education and research of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University John Body, Principal and Founder, ThinkPlace   Episode host Daniel Silkstone, Global Director, Positioning and Digital Media, ThinkPlace   Find out more at: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/company/podcast Join our online community at: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/CIPI LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/702120 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thinkplaceglobal/ ThinkPlace.com.au © ThinkPlace 2019 Support the show: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/CIPI See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When a Harvard physicist and a Canberra mathematician met at Lake Como over several summers a collaboration was born that is now taking on and defining a new class of global challenges. So what are 'gridlock problems' and what do you need to know about them?   Episode guests Fawwaz Habbal, senior lecturer on applied physics and executive dean for education and research of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University John Body, Principal and Founder, ThinkPlace   Episode host Daniel Silkstone, Global Director, Positioning and Digital Media, ThinkPlace   Find out more at: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/company/podcast Join our online community at: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/CIPI LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/702120 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thinkplaceglobal/ ThinkPlace.com.au © ThinkPlace 2019 Support the show: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/CIPI See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world we live in is complex. It throws up complex challenges, like poverty, climate change and global malnutrition.  Action can feel impossible. Problems seem intractable. Neither is true. We'll introduce you to the passionate change-makers who are driving innovation around the world, using their brilliant creativity to design and pursue better futures for all. ThinkPlace.com.au © ThinkPlace 2019 Support the show: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/CIPI See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.