We're delighted to announce an important and timely project to help museums, libraries, and performing arts organizations work more directly with their communities during the Covid-19 crisis, funded by the Aspen Tech Policy Hub.
This month we spoke with Tania Anaissie of Beytna Design about Liberatory Design, which expands upon the traditional design thinking framework to create greater equity for those most impacted by oppressive systems.
As we enter 2020, here are some emerging themes in the human-centered design landscape. From a "back-to-basics" focus on the fundamental mindsets and skills to a growing awareness of the role of equity in design, here are some trends to watch in the next decade.
Imagining the worst way to solve a problem can actually help you solve the problem. Learn how we used a bad ideas brainstorm In a four-day design sprint at the National Gallery of Art to arrive at good solutions.
A cultural equity statement is a starting point for museums striving to improve and evolve service to their communities. In this post, Sarah Minegar of the National Park Service provides practical advice for steering organizations toward justice, equity, and inclusivity.
This month I interviewed Sarah Minegar of the Morristown National Historical Park Museum & Library. We talked about the challenges of bringing design thinking into a National Park, adopting an audience-centered dialogue, and how design thinking can create more equitable spaces.
In this interview originally published by IDEO U, Chris Flink, executive director of the Exploratorium, talks about how the museum cultivates creativity with visitors, the broader community, and within the organization.
Henry Trejo is the design thinker in residence at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In his role, Henry advocates for visitors and works to make the museum welcoming and inclusive.
The #FutureMuseum Project invites professionals from around the world to share their ideas about the future of museums. My view is that the museum of the future will be more visitor- and guest-centered than ever before in the history of museums and cultural institutions.
The Einstellung Effect—when preexisting knowledge or experience prevents us from considering alternative possibilities to a problem—can seriously impede a team’s innovation capacity. Here are some small steps to mitigate its effects.
In an interview with Jennifer Stencel of the Akron-Summit County Public library, I learned how a scrappy, makeshift space is transforming the library from the inside out, making it a more human-centered place for the community.
Museum professionals are the "designers" of the visitor experience, and the key to developing an engaging and human-centered experience is understanding the people for whom you are designing. These quick wins, adapted from the School Retool fellowship, are things you can do next week to build deeper empathy for visitors.
How can small arts organizations with limited budgets and lean teams leverage the power of design thinking? Learn how the Nanaimo Art Gallery on Vancouver Island is using design thinking in this interview.
I’ve observed a set of common errors that practitioners new to design thinking often make when implementing the process. By leveraging the learnings of others, you can more successfully champion, utilize, and apply design thinking.
Are you curious to hear from other practitioners who are dipping their toes into the waters of design thinking and human-centered design? We've launched a new LinkedIn group and have started a Twitter hashtag for professionals to share stories, ask questions, and join the conversation.
The Computer History Museum, in collaboration with the design firm IDEO, is using human-centered design methods to research the needs of local communities, generate creative concepts, and build consensus for a new Education Center opening in fall 2017.
What small strategies can you use to create the workplace you want? This story outlines how staff at the Getty are leveraging human-centered design practices to increase internal digital literacy and build a more joyful and human-centered culture.
Play is essential for innovation, creativity, and collaboration, and the most successful design thinkers are the ones who embrace the notion of play. In this post, I share five reasons play is critical to design thinking.
This is the second in a two-part series about running design sprints in museums. This post examines how the British Museum is experimenting with design sprints in the Product Development Group.
For a series of printed visitor guides, The Phoenix Art Museum adopted an innovative approach to content development: a design sprint. For this post, I interviewed Christian Adame, Assistant Education Director, about the sprint and what they learned.