Articulating theories of change towards more just and transformative design practices

Abstract

In any collaborative change-making process, team members hold individual, and often differing, ideas about how change happens. These ideas may address whether to work top-down or bottom-up, what leverage points are to be targeted, or who should be involved in the work, in what capacity, and when. If these differences in perspectives are not examined and discussed, they can lead to conflicting actions, lessen positive impact, and may even do harm. Mapping “Theories of Change” is an approach that has been used to clarify strategies for initiating change across many sectors. Yet, when it comes to complex design engagements, we propose that a different approach is needed. Rather than utilizing a formal modeling process, we believe that teams can find alignment and build more productive working relationships through conversations that engage and clarify beliefs about transformation. In this paper, we propose that designers should acknowledge, reflect, and discuss change theories within collaborative teams. We offer a framework to support dialogue about change that reflects three common phases of designing: Situate & Relate, Understand & Reframe, Intervene & Observe.