4 =a mnmyvwx Cc Oo mo Mm wm Hw Start The Culture Container Make the plan +the tool kit Execute the plan Insights ideas and . concepts Make sense of what happened : : i The Generative Toolbox Figure 1: The Culture Container is a framework for generative design research in social innovation. INTRODUCTION This paper describes what you will need to consider when you are planning to do generative design research for social innovation. I will start by discussing generative design research for commercial innovation in comparison to social innovation and then describe what is unique about design for social innovation. COMMERCIAL INNOVATION VS. SOCIAL INNOVATION Designers have long focused on commercial innovation, but today we see increasing interest and activity in social innovation. How are the two forms of innovation similar? They both play out in the front end of the design and development process. They both address a wide range of stakeholders and explore their larger contexts of use. In addition, they use the same general design process, including many of the same methods and tools. How are they different? In commercial innovation, we usually design for others like us. In social innovation, on the other hand, it is more likely that we will be designing with people from other cultures. For example, our co- designers could live in another part of the world or they could live nearby but have very different experiences of living. Commercial innovation uses design to serve the marketplace and to benefit companies, whereas social innovation uses design to improve the lives of people, often people who live with limited resources. But there are also commercial organizations with social aims. I believe that we will see far more interest in social innovation from commercial organizations in the future because of the cracks that have recently appeared. For example, we can see the negative social consequences of commercial innovations such as Facebook and Twitter playing out in front of us on the political landscape. OPPOSING TRENDS IN DESIGN RESEARCH Design researchers in the commercial realm are expected to work more quickly than ever before in exploring the needs of future consumers in order to arrive at insights to drive the next new thing. We can see signs of this trend on the internet where they share ready-to-use playbooks, templates, canvases, starter kits and toolkits for design research. These ready-made tools can be useful for less experienced design researchers, but they should be approached with caution so they are not taken out of context. Design research for social innovation, on the other hand, has been slowing down. Design researchers who work on social challenges have realized that their work must become more connected to the people who will be affected by the results of design. Slow design research for social innovation today embraces a co-design mindset as we can see in the language that social design innovators use. They have shifted from designing for others to designing with others. I do not recommend the use of ready-made generative design research methods and tools for addressing social challenges. These situations call for custom-made methods and tools in the hands of experienced design researchers. Imagine a line with ready-made methods and tools for design research on the left side and bespoke (i.e., custom-made) methods and tools on the right. Designers and design researchers need to be aware of where their work is positioned on the line from ready- made to bespoke. For example, if you lack deep experience, it is best to start by using and adapting ready-made methods and tools. More experienced design researchers can work at the bespoke end with custom-made methods and tools for co-designing. Commercial innovation sits on the left of the line and uses modifications of ready-made methods and tools. Social innovation is best when it sits to the right of the line using bespoke methods and tools. Figure 1 shows a framework for generative design research in social innovation. You can see the core process in the middle (i.e., making the plan and the toolkits; executing the plan; making sense of what happened). At the end of the core process, you can see insights, ideas, and concepts popping out. The core process connects to the Culture Container at the top and to the Generative Toolbox at the bottom. The frame- work shows only one cycle through the process but in design for social innovation, many cycles through the framework will take place. The feedback arrows show that both the Culture Container and the Generative Toolbox grow with iterative cycles through the framework. How is this framework different for social innovation versus commercial innovation? The main difference is in the size and content of the top and bottom components. For commercial innovation, the Culture Container is smaller and would more aptly be named Understanding the Market. The Generative Toolkit for commercial innovation is about the same size but would probably contain more ready-made tools. The first step in generative design research for social innovation is to understand the culture of your co-designers. This understanding is essential for making a good design research plan and creating relevant generative toolkits. The next step is tomake the plan and prepare the toolkits, drawing from the Generative Toolbox that you build during your practice. The third step is to execute the plan. This step is followed by the making sense stage where you figure out what you have learned. It is important to take time for reflection so that you can capture the insights and ideas that pop out. Every cycle through the framework adds to the depth and breadth of the Culture Container and the Generative Toolbox. The Culture Container will grow larger to the extent that you engage in more co-design relationships with people from cultures different from your own.