Cognitive Bias + Ethics + Dreaming the Future of Design with David Dylan Thomas — DT101 E112
05/02/23 • 44 min
David Dylan Thomas is the author of Design for Cognitive Bias and the creator and host of the Cognitive Bias podcast. Dave has consulted with major clients in entertainment, healthcare, publishing, finance, and retail. As the founder and CEO of David Dylan Thomas, LLC, he offers workshops and presentations on inclusive design and the role of bias in making decisions. We talk about cognitive bias, ethics, and dreaming the future of design.
Listen to learn about:
>> How cognitive biases affect the way we think and design >> Inclusive design >> David’s Assumption Audit >> How participatory design shifts power >> Why businesses can struggle with ethics >> Where should we go in the future of design?
Our Guest
David Dylan Thomas, author of Design for Cognitive Bias, creator and host of The Cognitive Bias Podcast, and a twenty-year practitioner of content strategy and UX, has consulted major clients in entertainment, healthcare, publishing, finance, and retail. As the founder and CEO of David Dylan Thomas, LLC he offers workshops and presentations on inclusive design and the role of bias in making decisions. He has presented at TEDNYC, SXSW Interactive, Confab, Button, An Event Apart, UX Copenhagen, UX Days Tokyo, and more on topics at the intersection of bias, design, and social justice.
Show Highlights
[01:51] How Iris Bohnet’s talk, What Works: Gender Equality By Design helped David connect his work in UX/content strategy with cognitive bias. [02:28] The role of pattern recognition in racial and gender discrimination. [03:20] How David started learning about cognitive biases and starting the Cognitive Bias podcast. [03:59] Writing a book, and shifting his consulting into inclusive design and designing for cognitive bias. [05:37] Why it’s important for designers to slow down and take time to think about how cognitive biases may be affecting the design decisions they are making. [07:29] David’s advice for those wanting to start to learn about cognitive bias and inclusive design. [07:47] Using what you value most as a north star when designing. [08:40] David’s “assumption audit” five-question exercise to do before starting a project. [10:56] Two places where a lot of people struggle when it comes to inclusive design. [13:18] Giving a voice and power to the people you are designing for. [15:17] Dawan mentions the fear of starting, and the need for discomfort training. [15:42] David mentions Mike Monteiro, who talks about needing to be able to wrestle with your discomfort. [18:33] A look at the problems with, and ethics of, collecting personal data. [19:33] It’s always best to think about inclusivity and cognitive biases as early as possible in a project, but at least before you take an expensive step. [21:21] David offers a great question for an applicant to ask in a job interview. [23:26] Facebook’s natural engagement graph, and why businesses can struggle with ethics. [28:29] How people approach design research and ethics is changing. [28:44] Participatory design’s power map. [29:43] Looking at the city of Philadelphia’s work with the Office of Homeless Services. [31:46] Connecting the locus of power to the locus of insight. [32:35] David talks about how to get leadership buy-in to what you’re designing. [36:14] How much of what we’re using today should we take into the future of design? [38:26] Envisioning a world outside of ownership. [39:34] Designing for sharing. [41:22] Resources David recommends for people wanting to learn more. [41:57] We can design something better for the future.
Links
David on Twitter David on LinkedIn David’s website Design for cognitive bias: Using mental shortcuts for good instead of evil, presentation for UX New Zealand 2020 The Cognitive Bias podcast Design x David Dylan Thomas interview on DxU The Content Strategy Podcast Ep 48: David Dylan Thomas - Understanding design, content and bias Iris Bohnet | What Works: Gender Equality by Design | SXSW Interactive 2016 Project Inkblot Weekly Fluctuations in Risk Tolerance and Voting Behaviour, by J.G. Sanders and Rob Jenkins Báyò Akómoláfé
Book Recommendations
David Dylan Thomas is the author of Design for Cognitive Bias and the creator and host of the Cognitive Bias podcast. Dave has consulted with major clients in entertainment, healthcare, publishing, finance, and retail. As the founder and CEO of David Dylan Thomas, LLC, he offers workshops and presentations on inclusive design and the role of bias in making decisions. We talk about cognitive bias, ethics, and dreaming the future of design.
Listen to learn about:
>> How cognitive biases affect the way we think and design >> Inclusive design >> David’s Assumption Audit >> How participatory design shifts power >> Why businesses can struggle with ethics >> Where should we go in the future of design?
Our Guest
David Dylan Thomas, author of Design for Cognitive Bias, creator and host of The Cognitive Bias Podcast, and a twenty-year practitioner of content strategy and UX, has consulted major clients in entertainment, healthcare, publishing, finance, and retail. As the founder and CEO of David Dylan Thomas, LLC he offers workshops and presentations on inclusive design and the role of bias in making decisions. He has presented at TEDNYC, SXSW Interactive, Confab, Button, An Event Apart, UX Copenhagen, UX Days Tokyo, and more on topics at the intersection of bias, design, and social justice.
Show Highlights
[01:51] How Iris Bohnet’s talk, What Works: Gender Equality By Design helped David connect his work in UX/content strategy with cognitive bias. [02:28] The role of pattern recognition in racial and gender discrimination. [03:20] How David started learning about cognitive biases and starting the Cognitive Bias podcast. [03:59] Writing a book, and shifting his consulting into inclusive design and designing for cognitive bias. [05:37] Why it’s important for designers to slow down and take time to think about how cognitive biases may be affecting the design decisions they are making. [07:29] David’s advice for those wanting to start to learn about cognitive bias and inclusive design. [07:47] Using what you value most as a north star when designing. [08:40] David’s “assumption audit” five-question exercise to do before starting a project. [10:56] Two places where a lot of people struggle when it comes to inclusive design. [13:18] Giving a voice and power to the people you are designing for. [15:17] Dawan mentions the fear of starting, and the need for discomfort training. [15:42] David mentions Mike Monteiro, who talks about needing to be able to wrestle with your discomfort. [18:33] A look at the problems with, and ethics of, collecting personal data. [19:33] It’s always best to think about inclusivity and cognitive biases as early as possible in a project, but at least before you take an expensive step. [21:21] David offers a great question for an applicant to ask in a job interview. [23:26] Facebook’s natural engagement graph, and why businesses can struggle with ethics. [28:29] How people approach design research and ethics is changing. [28:44] Participatory design’s power map. [29:43] Looking at the city of Philadelphia’s work with the Office of Homeless Services. [31:46] Connecting the locus of power to the locus of insight. [32:35] David talks about how to get leadership buy-in to what you’re designing. [36:14] How much of what we’re using today should we take into the future of design? [38:26] Envisioning a world outside of ownership. [39:34] Designing for sharing. [41:22] Resources David recommends for people wanting to learn more. [41:57] We can design something better for the future.
Links
David on Twitter David on LinkedIn David’s website Design for cognitive bias: Using mental shortcuts for good instead of evil, presentation for UX New Zealand 2020 The Cognitive Bias podcast Design x David Dylan Thomas interview on DxU The Content Strategy Podcast Ep 48: David Dylan Thomas - Understanding design, content and bias Iris Bohnet | What Works: Gender Equality by Design | SXSW Interactive 2016 Project Inkblot Weekly Fluctuations in Risk Tolerance and Voting Behaviour, by J.G. Sanders and Rob Jenkins Báyò Akómoláfé
Book Recommendations
Previous Episode
5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About Appreciative Inquiry with Joan McArthur-Blair and Jeanie Cockell — DT101 E111
This episode of the Design Thinking 101 podcast is 5.5 Things Every Designer Should Know About: Appreciative Inquiry. Joan McArthur-Blair and Jeanie Cockell are co-presidents of Cockell McArthur-Blair Consulting.
Listen to learn about:
>> Appreciative inquiry’s ability to generate hope and help people be creative >> Using generative questions to unlock people’s imaginations and focus on the positive >> How appreciative inquiry can help teams in trouble work through conflict >> Ways we can all start to use appreciative inquiry
Our Guests
Joan McArthur-Blair and Jeanie Cockell are Co-Presidents of Cockell McArthur-Blair Consulting. They profoundly believe that education is the most powerful force for social and economic good in the world. Together they have more than 50 years of experience in higher education and have taken that experience to build a consulting practice. They specialize in collaboratively designing strategies to surface the wisdom of individuals, groups and organizations in order for them to build positive futures and to respond effectively to change. They have co-authored many articles on resilience, leadership, appreciative inquiry and published two books, Appreciative Inquiry in Higher Education: A Transformative Force and Building Resilience with Appreciative Inquiry: A Leadership Journey through Hope, Despair, and Forgiveness.
Show Highlights
[02:42] An introduction to appreciative inquiry. [04:30] The power of appreciative inquiry. [05:36] Building bridges from the strengths we have to the better futures we want. [06:08] The emotional strength appreciative inquiry can help us nurture. [06:51] Asking good questions and focusing on strengths. [08:22] How appreciative inquiry helps us better examine our complex world. [09:48] The origin of appreciative inquiry. [10:43] You get more of what you focus on. [13:18] Problems are yearnings. [14:10] Design is a critical component of appreciative inquiry. [14:29] The simultaneity effect. [15:44] Putting design into action. [17:14] “Don’t create anything without me.” [18:53] Using appreciative inquiry to help groups and teams work through conflict. [19:08] Creating the appreciative climate. [19:23] One of Jeanie’s and Joan’s favorite exercises. [20:11] Creating the agreement by which the team will work together. [21:42] Generative questions unlock imagination and possibility. [25:01] Using questions to help organizations find their strengths and chart their own path. [26:40] The power of a compelling vision. [29:50] Making sure everyone can see themselves and their place inside the vision. [32:34] Taking a look at the “do it phase,” the “destiny” of appreciative inquiry. [34:24] An organization’s strategy doesn’t sit on a shelf, it lives and changes all the time. [35:54] Codifying the plan. [37:28] Carrying appreciative inquiry out into the larger world. [38:42] Appreciative inquiry creates hope. [39:58] How Joan and Jeanie define hope. [42:14] Joan talks about why she became involved in appreciative inquiry. [44:05] Jeanie and Joan offer advice and ways everyone can start using appreciative inquiry in their work and their lives.
Links
Joan on Twitter Jeanie Cockell on Twitter Joan on LinkedIn Jeanie on LinkedIn Joan on The University of British Columbia, Vancouver Campus Jeanie on The Taos Institute Joan on The Taos Institute Jeanie on The Appreciative Inquiry Commons Joan on The Appreciative Inquiry Commons Cockell McArthur-Blair Consulting The Taos Institute: Dialogue with Joan McArthur-Blair and Jeanie Cockell UBC Education Alumni: Joan McArthur-Blair A Brief Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry by Dr. Jeanie Cockell Appreciative Resilience Facilitator Training – register for April 2023 course
Book Recommendations
Next Episode
Thinking, Solving & Transformative Communication: Design + Visualization with Hazel White — DT101 E113
Hazel White is a designer and a visualizer. She creates simple visuals to help communicate complex ideas. We talk about how design and visualization combine to facilitate thinking, fuel solving, and create transformative change.
Listen to learn about:
>> How visualizations can help us communicate ideas >> Examples of what you can use visualizations for >> Hazel’s visualization projects and their impact >> Advice for those wanting to try creating their own visualizations >> Some tools and resources for those who want to create visualizations
Our Guest
Hazel White is a designer and educator who specializes in creating visuals that simplify complex information.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, she collaborated with healthcare experts to rapidly distill complex information into simple and memorable visuals for frontline staff in hospitals and care homes.
Currently, she is working on visuals of palliative care guidelines for health and care staff, visually recording a sports governing body’s transformation program, and developing internal documentation for a prominent cultural organization.
Previously, Hazel was Founding Director of Open Change - a company which supported organizations to navigate change using Design Thinking. Clients included government, healthcare and national cultural organizations in the UK and Europe.
Hazel spent two decades teaching design in Universities in the UK and South Korea.She is an Associate of the UK Design Council.
Show Highlights
[00:53] Dawan thanks Hazel for the incredible visualization she created for podcast conversation (download it here). [01:46] Hazel’s path from design thinking to visualization. [02:13] Discovering that drawing helped her remember things, such as lectures, better. [03:33] Visualizations are helpful for everyone’s memory recall. [04:49] Hazel gives one example from the healthcare industry of the powerful impact using visualizations has had on those she’s worked with. [08:15] How the pandemic increased the need for getting important information out quickly while also ensuring people understood it. [09:12] Hazel’s work on a series of COVID-19 related visualizations for hospital staff. [12:51] The value of using visualizations in a work environment. [13:40] Working on the Scottish Government’s Framework for Care for Adults in Care Homes [16:22] Visualizations can be used to capture ideas and themes during live workshops and meetings. [17:22] Using visualizations to map out how things interrelate and to see things changing over time. [18:01] Visualizations can help make complex information more accessible. [19:03] Visuals are something that people will remember. [21:04] How working with visualizations has changed how Hazel thinks and works. [23:50] Creating your own visuals, and when to hire a professional. [26:04] Advice for people who want to give creating visualizations a try, but who aren’t “good” at drawing. [27:50] The importance of feedback and collaboration during the creation process. [29:49] The positive feedback Hazel has gotten about her work. [32:37] Dawan gives listeners a visualization challenge. [33:29] Hazel offers tools and resources listeners can use while doing their challenge. [34:51] Drawing visualizations on Magic Whiteboard. [37:35] Thinking about visualizations and accessibility.
Links
Hazel on Twitter Hazel on LinkedIn Hazel White Design Ole Qvist-Sørensen: Draw More, together Magic Whiteboard Scriberia Eva-Lotta Lamm, Sketchnoting: Communicate with Visual Notes
Book Recommendations
Visual Collaboration: A Powerful Toolkit for Improving Meetings, Projects, and Processes, by Loa Baastrup and Ole Qvist-Sørensen
Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like
A Designer’s Journey into Designing for Health and Healthcare with Lorna Ross — DT101 E45 Designing for Healthcare vs Sick Care + The Emergency Design Collective — DT101 E52 Civic Design + Innovation Ops + System Design with Ryann Hoffman — DT101 E62
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