haha -- this is precisely the 90% that Google earlier this year stated they do not care about!

;D nmw

(BTW: I still don't "get" the cryptic .gov reference [in the other thread])

oh, and BTW: you've just reminded me of a person I need to add to my "my heroes" list -- thanks!!

:D nmw

Yes it matters! Every little and big effort, from the Architecture for Humanity and Burners without Borders groups that are utilizing unique design skills on the ground with groups in need.....the water pump design competitions and new energy innovation networks emerging to bring greener power around the world.....OLPC's attempts to bring self-generating power to our digital communication tools....none of these are complete answers, but they all give us another building block to bring to the foundation.

too funny nmw - ! not only does he know shortcuts - he's a kickin' copywriter too ;)

indeed evonne! so perhaps the next question is, "matters to whom?"

point of clarification: I inserted E.F. Schumacher in front or Roger Turlock -- and I do see this as a ranked list (sorry, Mr. Turlock -- I haven't met you, but I still think you're great [though I don't really know if you only exist "virtually"])....

ps: Mr. Schumacher's most popular book ("Small is Beautiful") is subtitled "Economics as if people mattered"

Hi Lars--thanks for starting this topic...just found it!

In the opening statement, at the end, it is written:

"In working with people of low to know income, does good design matter to you? What is the relationship between "good" design and "intelligence" ie is good design an expression of merely the fulfillment of functional requirement(s) or are aesthetics important?"

First, I presume you meant "...people of low to no income..." although I do find something quite compelling in the idea of "know income."

I have been reading a book which summarizes the thoughts of Peter Drucker--one of the recognized "experts" on management and organizations who recently crossed over from this world.

He identified a concept of the "knowledge worker" and went further to say that the turn of the century brought to us an opportunity to create "knowledge organizations."

Anyway, one of the points he made in this thinking was that with the older and what can be called, traditional systems of organization and management, it was the job of the manager to meld the individual into the organization for the benefit and enhanced performance of the organization.

With the coming of the "knowledge" worker and organization, he argues that what must be done now is to support the knowledge worker with the organization so that the knowledge worker can grow and enhance the society.

In this work I am reading he goes on to offer "examples" and "case studies" to provide support for this idea he advances...finding that when I organization adopts these ideas and ideals the performance of the individual improves, the performance of the organization improves, and the "contributions" increase---he further teaches that we should encourage and reward "contributions" rather than "achievements" as it is with "contributions" that greater benefit is provided to all who are touched by the events and the organization.

Helping to create ecologically rich, beautiful spaces...rural and urban...critical to the health of the planet...and to our cultural health...places for people to raise children...collectively solve the problems of food and water...jobs....create upward spirals...modest smart solutions

Have there been any good "90% design" competitions? That would be a cool thing to see.

Offer monetary prizes for best urban shelter, best rural shelter, agricultural, water, transportation based on criteria like:

1. Potential to impact the most number of people
2. Beauty
3. Environmental impact
4. Low cost
5. Innovation
6. Marketability

The results could then be broadly shared and good ideas could be deseminated and fostered via the global networks we are participating in.

One of the things that I realized at a quite early age is that many diseases that are life-threatening and/or debilitating and/or whatever are treated in "10%" countries with vast amounts of resources (capital, energy, etc.). People in "90%" countries have no chance whatsoever to receive such treatments -- that is quite obvious when considering the high rate of child mortality due to something so "simple" as the lack of sanitation, hygiene, "clean water", etc.

One way to "design as if the 90% mattered", would be to stop making cars, stop spending resources on "life-support" (remember "Shiavo"?), etc. Such a line of thinking raises some rather controversial issues along the slippery slope that spans from palliative care to euthanasia.

hm, can you explain a little more the design elements of your proposal nmw?

There were many projects that developed out of Schumacher's "Small is Beautiful" approach -- perhaps one of his best known followers was a guy named McRobie (sp?) -- who developed "Small is possible" technology (stuff like bicycle rickshas as to function as ambulances).

Much of my "proposal" is more fundamental. Basically, having the 10% people "design" solutions for the 90% people is kind of exactly the wrong way around. I think this is what David is trying to wrap his head around in "Is Poverty A Problem That Needs To Be Solved?" (and just earlier today I was thinking how similar these two thread seem to be).

i like fritz schumacher - in particular that he baked the week's bread for his family every sunday. anyway, who says the 10% people have to be the folks doing the designing?

yes, I guess it could be done by a design.firm or a design.org in/the-90 ....

;D nmw

I respectfully suggest that part of the "problem" of having 10% design for 90% is that it may well ignore the "needs" and "aspirations" of the 90%.

I further respectfully suggest that we should look at ways to bring into collaboration the 90%--whom ever and where-ever they are.

What say you?

I say there are a billion people in India (and estimates are that about 1/3 of them speak passable English -- I think that's more than the population of the USA and the UK combined)....

Remember that discussion we started called "Shift Happens" http://www.omidyar.net/group/com munity-general/news/1682/?search term=shift%20happens

It notes in there that the top 25% most intelligent people in China is a greater population than the entire United States and that it is the top 26% most intelligent in India is greater in number than the entire population of the United States.

I don't think speaking English has anything to do with being able to make contributions and to be able to collaborate in improving designs of society---

Brian Lewis said:

I don't think speaking English has anything to do with being able to make contributions and to be able to collaborate in improving designs of society---

Right -- but speaking the "same" (or almost the "same") language might make "collaboration" simpler.

Brian Lewis said:

I further respectfully suggest that we should look at ways to bring into collaboration the 90%--whom ever and where-ever they are.

I was talking with someone from Sudan recently and he was telling me how bad globalization is for the world -- especially the underdeveloped populations because it just means that developed countries now have more places to dump their goods and destroy local markets. I would imagine that globalization can occur in a more positive manner - which is what I think you are talking about here.

Esther wrote:

I would imagine that globalization can occur in a more positive manner

I think many of us would truly like to. There are very great concentrations of power and wealth that tend to favor niches at a cost to very great numbers. If you just look at the single greatest threat to the quality of life for billions of people in the south (climate change), you could say it is the carbon-excessive lifestyles of a minority of us in the north that have created this - and have absolutely no solid proposal to change this. Any single local, national, and regional conflict today could well pale in the face of the very great dislocation that will occur if we get the levels of ice melting that some climate models predict. And you can bet those roughly 50,000 daily iPod sales against the futile effect of microlending in a country like Bangladesh in a banking for its future...

This video came in a copy of Wired Magazine today. I liked the idea - how do we scale it? Leaves one with the impression that the best ideas come from that roughly 1% of the 10% with advanced education... Nonetheless, I thought it was pretty good (warning: 9min vid).

Interesting choice to represent the best of the best...

How do you scale "creativity?"

Well...you provide people with the support to learn and study and think...

One of the most important aspects, I suggest, of this video--returns to the idea which is considered "revolutionary" within REED but is "normal" within Shell or other large corporations.

This is: "The infrastructure is in place or can be put into place to support and optimize the capabilities and capacities of people to achieve and accomplish goals."

Thanks, Lars...

What do you think makes the idea "revolutionary" in REED and "normal" at a place like Shell, Brian? One thing that is interesting about a group like Shell is that they have pioneered the use of storytelling in large organization systems as a way to build knowledge. Have you heard of the Shell Scenarios process, which has become an industry 'standard'?

I'd also be interested in other folks' insights into Small-scale solar desalinization. Particular flexible "principles" (for example, distilling) that could be achieved in different ways depending on local context (ie materials available).

Brian asked:

How do you scale "creativity?"

Well, I think its a little more challenging than that. In this story, some really bright, high-achieving dude has to travel half-way around the world to a place where he can encounter a young person with the right combination of tools (a bong-bottom glass and a straw) which creates a situation (yummy scuzz in a hard to reach place) that provides an opportunity for problem-solving (how to reach yummy scuzz) and innovation (ha! use straw differently from its designed purpose). This situation gives the high-achieving dude the opportunity to see his own problem differently, and adapt his son's solution to that problem.

Alot in there... I think its mostly about the "conditions" in which creativity can thrive. Something about information, play, experimentation, application...