Dialog Desain Vol. 016 – Entanglements of Designing Social Innovation in the Asia-Pacific

Summary

Key Points

• The speaker co-founded a virtual learning network nearly 10 years ago to support practitioners and researchers in understanding social innovation activities in the Asia Pacific region. 1:30
• The network's methodology involves 'eating together,' using cultural rituals like meals to build deep relationships and facilitate creative practices. 2:08
• Key aims of the network include understanding design activities in social innovation and addressing concerns about design being co-opted without cultural respect. 3:01
• Projects have supported women in craft and social innovation through online mentoring, prioritizing relationship building and personal/professional development. 3:40
• Research has been conducted on how creative and cultural districts generate social value, examining ecosystems, infrastructure, and social capital. 5:33
• A published book amplifies the voices and work of change-makers in the Asia Pacific, highlighting how design is enacted in the region beyond Western-centric definitions. 6:47
• Evaluating social impact is crucial for understanding intervention outcomes and often a requirement for externally funded projects, but it is a significant challenge for practitioners. 8:41
• Dominant evaluation approaches are often externally commissioned, focus on measuring performance with predefined criteria, and can be disempowering for communities. 9:50
• Practitioners often use 'learning and reflection' methods, such as collecting significant change stories, co-designing data collection tools with communities, and using social media for diverse viewpoints. 14:57
• An evaluation framework was developed with three keystone values: building trust and relationships, focusing on participatory collaboration, and grounding practice in place, culture, and locality. 20:20