As a designer working on a complex social issue, have you ever stopped to wonder where the power lies in your project? What has the client trusted you to do and for what audience? How does your place of power (as a creator and an individual) hinder your ability to relate to that client and audience? We often use power unknowingly in creative work. But, when we recognize the influence of our training, politics, access, and privilege we allow ourselves to understand our client, user, and abilities more deeply. During this intimate conversation, George Aye of Greater Good Studio will help us understand the mechanics of power and how to wield it with care.

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5. Can we? ≠ Should we?
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Numb.

9. Incrementally
Better
Studio

10. #PISSSEDOFFOPTIMISTS

11. The Gut Check
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12. The Gut Check
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Does this client serve
a vulnerable or
underserved population?
Are the client’s profit
motive and impact
motive aligned?
Is human-centered design
the right approach?
Has the client expressed
interest in learning
from us?
What is their tolerance
for new things?
Will this work
be intellectually
challenging for us?
Will we learn
new things?
Does this project have a
chance of being profitable?
Check out our blog
post on Medium!

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defines your
portfolio
Yes

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defines your
portfolio
Yes
defines your
reputation
No

17. 12© Greater Good Studio 2017
• 826 National
• Academy for Global Citizenship
• AIDS Foundation of Chicago
• Alliance for Strong Families and
Communities
• Alphawood Foundation
• Axelson Center for Nonprofit
Management
• Big Shoulders Fund
• Center for Care Innovation
• Center for Economic Progress
• Center for Neighborhood
Technology
• Chicago Department of Public
Health
• Chicago Public Library
• Chicago Public Schools
• City of Chicago Department of
Cultural Affairs and Special Events
• Communities in Schools Chicago
• Donnell-Kay Foundation
• Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Fdn
• Grand Victoria Foundation
• The Richard H. Driehaus
Foundation
• Enlace Chicago
• First Five Years Fund
• Forefront
• Genesys Works
• Grand Victoria Foundation
• Hennepin County Medical Center
• Impact Engine
• Indiana Nonprofit Resource
Network
• Infiniteach
• LISC Chicago
• Logan Square Neighborhood
Association
• Lyric Opera
• Metropolitan Tenants Organization
• MHA Labs
• Mikva Challenge
• New Voice Strategies
• Now is the Time
• OneGoal
• Pilot Light
• Portapure
• Reading in Motion
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Schools That Can
• SouthWest Organizing Project
• The Chicago Community Trust
• The Chicago Public Education Fund
• The University of Chicago
Consortium on School Research
• The Ihangane Project
• Toru
• Volunteers of America
• YMCA of the USA

18. We want ________________________________________
to ________________________________________________.
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a person/group of people
adopt a new behavior

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Check out our
post on Medium!

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Social sector clients holds us
[designers] at arms length

24. affordable housing / aging populations / autism /bullying / chemical
dependency / child slavery / childhood obesity / civil rights / clean
water / criminal justice / domestic abuse / drug-related
incarceration / food deserts / gang-related retaliations / gun
violence / hate speech / healthcare disparities / HIV/AIDS /
homelessness / human rights / hunger / immigration / infectious
diseases / LGBTQ rights / literacy / mental health / workers’ rights /
physical disability / predatory lending / public health / public
schools / recidivism / refugees / religious intolerance / reproductive
health / segregation & discrimination / sex trafficking / sexual
abuse / sexual harassment / suicide / systemic racism / tenants
rights / truancy / unemployment / unplanned parenthood /
urban resilience / veterans with PTSD / wage inequality

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Can we? ≠ Should we?

26. POWER:
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The ability to affect an outcome

27. Designing social services at scale
demands an understanding of power.
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Power asymmetry
affects every relationship.
1.

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Law Enforcement
Doctors
Employers
Funders
Teachers
Local Government
Leadership
Detainees
Patients
Employees
Grantees
Students
Community
Front line staff

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Law Enforcement
Doctors
Employers
Funders
Teachers
Local Government
Leadership
Detainees
Patients
Employees
Grantees
Students
Community
Front line staff
Designers

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Power profoundly affects
your world view.
2.

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How the world sees you
How far ahead you can plan
How predictable the world feels
vs

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How the world sees you
How far ahead you can plan
How predictable the world feelsHigh
vs

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How the world sees you
How far ahead you can plan
How predictable the world feels
Years/Decades/Generations
High
vs

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How the world sees you
How far ahead you can plan
How predictable the world feels
Rational
Years/Decades/Generations
High
vs

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How the world sees you
How far ahead you can plan
How predictable the world feels
Rational
Years/Decades/Generations
High Low
vs

38. 25© Greater Good Studio 2017
How the world sees you
How far ahead you can plan
How predictable the world feels
Rational
Years/Decades/Generations
High
Days/Weeks/Months
Low
vs

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How the world sees you
How far ahead you can plan
How predictable the world feels
Rational
Years/Decades/Generations
High
Irrational
Days/Weeks/Months
Low
vs

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Power transfer must be
explicitly designed.
3.

41. We want ________________________________________
to ________________________________________________
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care providers
build trust with their complex patients

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Which came
from this
• How might we uncover
patients true priorities?
• How might we
understand their
barriers to getting the
help they need?

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Specifically this

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Which came
from this

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Understanding power
Being trauma-informed
ACEs (Acute Childhood Experiences)
Managing implicit biases
Class consciousness
WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, Democratic)
+
Gaps:

48. People adopt the change
they were a part of making.
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49. When given away,
power generates power.
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