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Assignment 2: Design Thinking Challenge – Initial Design Challenge Concept (Team)

CAL501 Design Challenge Context

This assignment is cumulation of the work you have done with your team in the CAL501 Learning Intensive on the CAL501 Design Challenge. It represents the accumulative learning from and about the challenge as you have worked through the CAL501 Design Challenge worksheet, specifically Steps 1 – 3 (Stanford Stages: Empathy & Defining the problem). For this assignment, your team will create a 10 min team presentation with 10 minutes for discussion and Q and A that showcases the process and the product of your team’s work on the design challenge to date including the shared team sketch (end of Step 3 in the worksheet).

Contemporary approaches for climate adaptation leadership are as varied as the sectors involved. As an example, six statements are provided below from your readings:

“[T]he more scientists understand the significance of the practice and renewal of Indigenous knowledges for Indigenous peoples’ own purposes of preparing for climate change and Whyte | 159 protecting their ways of life (sometimes called the governance value of Indigenous knowledges23), the more scientists will grasp richer senses of their responsibilities to work with Indigenous collaborators mutually instead of exploitatively. “(Whyte, 2017)

“We envision an important share of the new generation of scholars on climate change adaptation to be generalists, educated to assist addressing real world problems. But this means that there is also an increasing need for a science of adaptation—to provide substantive insights and recommendations to support transdisciplinary research.” (Swart et al, 2014)

“Whenever you study a complex system, human being, being part of it, you have to realize that different groups of human beings will have different values, different culture, different ideas, and you have to try to take everything into account…We need to realize that not everybody thinks the same way we think and so whenever we go out to try to understand a complex situation, we need to further realize that we’re going to have different voices, we’re going to have different groups with different ideas and we have to listen to all of it to be able to get a better picture of what’s happening.” (Edwin Castellanos, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5xGi9EFCSY)

“Inside the teaching lodge, we engage in a process I’ve termed relational systems thinking where awareness-based systems change centers mutual benefit, a foundational principle that Uncle Dan shared with me, between all the humans, the non-humans, the unborn generations and our Earth Mother.” (Goodchild et al, 2021)

“Given the novelty, complexity and magnitude of the crisis, organisations are forced to think beyond tried-and-tested ways of thinking and doing. Designers “conceive and plan what does not yet exist” (Buchanan, 1992, p. 18), making design thinking a particularly wellsuited way for organisations to address the complex challenges in the broader business environment (Kolko, 2015) and solve wicked problems (von Thienen, Meinel, & Nicolai, 2014).” (Cankurtaran, 2020)

“The interconnections between players in any given system are complex, and poorly designed attempts to make changes can have negative unintended consequences or introduce new failures or inequalities. Supporting transformational adaptation requires the capacity to inquire systematically. This means to inquire into a system of interest, to understand the history of that system (e.g. around sources of control, legitimacy and knowledge) and challenge the assumptions that underpin existing structures and ways of doing things. Reproducing ‘solutions’ without assessing what holds the current system in place may result in simply reinforcing existing failures and inequality.” (Lonsdale and Turner, 2016)

Design Rationale

You have already reviewed and analyzed some of the literature concerning issues of climate adaptation, resilience, and Indigenous perspectives to date in the MACAL 501 Learning Intensive. Therefore, you and your team (the designers), are in a powerful position to engage in the design thinking process to answer the following question:

What are ways we might encourage the public [businesses, politicians, educational institutions, not for profits, communities] to to use their voice and understanding to become more actively engaged in creating and implementing climate adaptation strategies?

Problem Scenario:

You and your team have been selected by your respective organizations to design and develop a prototype of a component of an open educational program designed to empower and engage end users. You are the designers in this problem scenario. You have access to your faculty, guest speakers, and the literature to inform and mentor you along the way. Your design should help end users begin to understand their role, responsibilities, and actions towards climate action, whether you focus on adaptation or mitigation, or co-benefits. You and your team, the designers, will determine who your end users are. It could be general public, a specific age group in the general public, Rights Holder or Stake Holders in your organizations. Remember, in human centred design, we recognize that the end users hold a portion of any solution.  Your prototype should encourage end users to use their voice and understanding to become more actively engaged in inclusive climate adaptation strategies.

Parameters:

  • You and your team will go through an adapted design thinking process asynchronously and synchronously. Please download the CAL 501 Design Challenge Worksheet May 17 2021 Full before you start and use it to work through the steps.
  • In the Learning Intensive your team will focus on Steps 1 – 3 (Standford Stages: Empathy & Defining the problem). The work you do in these steps will result in 10 min team presentation with 10 minutes for discussion and Q and A. The presentation will be recorded. You may choose to post the link to your presentation on your blog (if the whole team agrees, or with the permission of all team members).
  • Following each presentation the class will be given an opportunity to provide some immediate peer feedback.
    • The team presentation will be done ‘live’ and recorded. the presentation should address your analysis and synthesis of the design challenge to date and the specific issues related to the challenge that your team investigated. The presentation should be well produced, as professionally as could be expected without the use of trained media specialists. Each team member must contribute to the presentation creation and delivery in some manner. It is up to each team to manage their own planning, organization and distribution of roles and effort.
    • Teams should upload their Assignment 2 presentation  materials (ppt or other used; presentation script if used) to the Assignment 2 – Design Thinking Challenge – Initial Design Concept dropbox in Moodle
  • Your team will be assessed on your presentation based on the Assignment 2 rubric.
  • You will receive  instructor feedback on your presentation along with the peer feedback from the session. This feedback will inform the next phase of the design process that you will take up in MACAL 501 Unit 2 (online).

NOTE: In CAL 501 Unit 2 – 5:

    • The feedback you receive during your Assignment 2 presentation will inform the next phase of the design process. You will take this up again in MACAL 501 Units 2 – 5 (online) – which are assessed in Assignments 4 – 7. The CAL501 Design Thinking Worksheet will be continue to be your process guide as we move into Unit 2 – 5.
    • As you move along with the design, you will finalize your design sketch (part of  Unit 2) and either upload it to the Moodle Forum thread or provide a hyperlink to it in your discussion thread. It is helpful to provide some context for the sketch  by briefly describing your sketch (intent, key elements, and what the prototype might achieve or contribute to) and also any questions you have that you might like some feedback on. Each team should initiate a separate forum thread so that it is easier to track.
      The expectation is that you will participate in giving each other some feedback on these sketches. This is not marked but will provide an opportunity for your peers and your instructors to provide some feedback on the sketch. Helpful if this is completed prior to Unit 3 start.
    • You are not expected to work on the CAL501 design challenge while you are in other courses however, you will be asked to bring the learnings and connections you have made in those courses to your team when you reconnect in Unit 2 – 5 of CAL501.

Success Determinants:

Success will be determined by:

  • Alignment to design motto: “design is an optimistic stance.”
  • Degree to which your prototype addresses the problem posed in the Design Challenge
  • Degree to which your prototype aligns with your group’s design sketch
  • Considerations of the range of openness opportunities evidenced by your prototype
  • Evidence of interdisciplinary with your prototype
  • Functionality illustrated within your prototype
  • Uniqueness

Working in Teams

We encourage you to visit the Royal Roads Teamswork page to explore practical strategies for working in teams. The “How will we work together” section provides resources and links to templates to develop team charters. Identifying your team goals, your role, equitable workloads and what final outputs are needed are important steps in working successfully toward completing your teamwork.

Assignment Two Assessment Rubric

Assignment Two will be graded according to the following rubric:

Course Learning Outcome/Assessment Criteria Excellent
(A+ to A)		 Proficient
(A- to B+)		 Satisfactory
(B to B-)		 Unsatisfactory
(F)
Citation and APA format All citations and APA format are correct. Most citations and APA formatting are correct. Some citations and APA formatting are correct. Citations and APA formatting are not correct.
Style, Grammar, Spelling Writing is clear and effective for potential audiences with minimal errors in grammar, spelling, mechanics, and punctuation. Paragraphs are well-organized and adhere to proper academic paragraphing structure. Writing is clear and effective for potential audiences, for the most part, with minor errors in grammar, spelling, mechanics, and punctuation. Paragraphs are fairly organized and mostly adhere to proper academic paragraphing structure. Writing is somewhat unclear and/or ineffective for potential audiences with multiple errors in grammar, spelling, mechanics, and punctuation. Paragraphs somewhat adhere to proper academic paragraphing structure. Writing is unclear and ineffective for potential audiences with significant and repeated patterns of errors in grammar, spelling, mechanics, and punctuation. Paragraphs do not adhere to proper academic paragraphing structure.
Summary of Solution The solution is thoughtful and original and demonstrates an inter-discipline approach. It demonstrates the design thinking process. It clearly addresses the design challenge, adheres to parameters and success determinants and showcases evidence of iterations along the way based on the deepening understanding of the problem informed by multiple perspectives. The solution demonstrates adequate development of ideas and some connections beyond specific disciplines but would benefit from more specific development of relevant points through more discussion. Some of the design parameters are addressed and some success determinants are adhered to. The solution has some development but seems to lack insufficient discussion or contain irrelevant details that do not yet develop a clear sense of purpose. The solution does not address the design challenge as outlined. It does not adhere to the design parameters or consider all of the success determinants in the solution as presented. The solution requires more details on every level and lacks relevance and originality.
Documentation of the Design Thinking Process Thoroughly documents the design thinking process and provides an insightful discussion of the experience.

Clear, detailed examples are provided, as applicable.

 Documents the design thinking process and provides a discussion of the experience.

Appropriate examples are provided, as applicable.

 Documents some of the design thinking process and provides a limited discussion of the experience.

Some examples, when applicable, are provided, but they are minimally connected to the assignment.

 The design thinking process is minimally documented and there is little to no discussion of the experience.

Examples, when applicable, are not provided.

Weight: 20%

Submit: your teams Assignment 2 presentation materials to the Assignment 2 – Design Thinking Challenge – Initial Design Concept dropbox in Moodle