Powering positive impact with What Design Can Do
Service & Experience Design
Vision & Purpose
Client : What Design Can Do
The challenge
Using design to drive positive social change
The What Design Can Do programme began as an annual conference on the transformational role of design in social change. When its founder wanted to use the conferences to power real positive impacts, he asked us for help.
The approach
Launching the Refugee Challenge with the UNCHR
We worked with founder, Richard van der Laken, on a strategy to reframe WDCD as an activist movement. The concept we co-developed was for a programme of open innovation challenges which involved engaging design teams from around the world on a pressing societal issue of our time.
We then helped implement the first competition: the Refugee Challenge was set up in partnership with the UNHCR and saw more than 600 innovative design solutions. Our Managing Director chaired the first jury panel and has recently helped instigate a new government-led challenge on safeguarding children from abuse.
The impact
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Ideas ignited
The initiative inspires and celebrates hundreds of social design projects every year.
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Programme established
What Design Can Do challenge programme has been running since 2015 and is funded by organisations including the IKEA Foundation.
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Next steps defined
What Design Can Do now runs a packed, popular and impactful challenge programme on topics such as climate change and clean energy.
Leading the fight against single-use plastic with SAP
Leading the fight against single-use plastic with SAP
Driving innovation in the circular economy
Driving innovation in the circular economy
Virtually coaching 150 data scientists in design thinking
Virtually coaching 150 data scientists in design thinking
If you’re looking to
drive innovation within
your business, we’d
love to hear from you.