A reoccurring theme among many of those working upstream is strategic design. Whilst this phrase may take on a different meaning to each person, in the context of my research I have adopted Helsinki Design Lab’s definition of strategic design as the application of select traditional design principles to ‘big picture’ systemic challenges like health care, education, and climate change. “Strategic design redefines how problems are approached, identifies opportunities for action, and helps deliver more complete and resilient solutions. Strategic design is about crafting decision-making.” In comparison to traditional definitions of design, which focus on creating “discrete solutions — be it a product, a building, or a service,” it is evident that strategic design’s roots are inherently upstream.
In addition to principles borrowed from traditional design, strategic design possesses its own set of principles and core competencies unique to strategic designers. Whilst this research aims to explore both the mind and skill set of the strategic designer in more detail, my initial readings suggest there is much for architects to learn from these fellow designers. The following quote from Sir Geoff Mulgan (then CEO, NESTA) back in 2011, summarises this idea rather well,
The challenge for the profession, however, lies in our ability to adopt and apply the tools of strategic design to evolve architecture beyond traditional downstream design practice, towards more upstream design approaches. Without such evolution, we will continue to remain in the 5% problem space as identified by Victor Papanek four decades ago:
Victor Papanek, ‘The Design Problem’ (1975)
“The real problem” lives within the other 95% — along with upstream designers. Strategic design offers to equip architects with the necessary skill set to move upstream and address the complex challenges we as individuals and designers face today.