Originally published on Core77. As contrary as it sounds, in 2014 designers should be more ambitious and less worried about being socially responsible. That way, we will all get to benefit more from their efforts. Take the reaction to how India launched its probe to Mars in November. As soon as the Mangalyaan taken off, critics […]
Continue ReadingDoes design make good policy?
Originally published in Design Week. It’s welcome news that a new government-backed design lab, to be launched this month, will aim to influence how government services are run. Yet it’s also cause for concern. There can be no doubt that designers make a positive impact on many people’s lives — especially when they help people access […]
Continue ReadingBehavioural design: a public dis-service
Originally published on spiked. A team of designers, led by PearsonLloyd and commissioned by the UK Department of Health, has managed to reduce the instances of aggressive behaviour in UK accident and emergency (A&E) wards by half. This is according to new research based on trials of newly designed A&E wards at two hospitals. Waiting times […]
Continue ReadingIntranets: Too Big to Fail?
Originally published on CMSwire. As contradictory as it sounds, some intranets, social platforms, knowledge exchanges and internal communities run the risk of being too successful. They’re in danger of reaching a stage in their development where their size, success and growth can cause complacency. Weighing the RisksThis problem could be summed up with the economic […]
Continue ReadingAnglo-Israel Colloquium on “Ethics and Responsibility in an Interconnected World”
Read the report back on the event (PDF). Colloquium themes: THEME A: The Social Media in Open and Closed Societies. The impact of social media on governments, communities, education, protest movements, etc., in the UK and Israel – and in controlled societies such as in the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, China, North Korea, Myanmar, et al; […]
Continue ReadingWhat does privacy mean in a connected world?
Originally published in Battle of Ideas. Zunftsaal, Blue Monkey, Zunfthaus zur Schneidern. Stüssihofstatt 3 – 8001 Zürich, Switzerland From Google and Facebook to government surveillance, our data is being mined behind our backs. But should we be surprised? When the product is free, we should realize we (in the form our data) are the product. […]
Continue ReadingInfrastructure and investment: have we lost our nerve?
Originally published in Battle of Ideas. With HM Treasury having recently set up a new body to oversee £350bn of infrastructure investment, are we about to see an explosion of large projects around the UK? Or can we expect large-scale infrastructure projects to be used as political footballs and kicked into touch by a government […]
Continue ReadingIs Social Business All Talk and No Trousers?
Originally published on CMSwire. Measuring Inputs Rather than Outputs If there is one thing we can be certain about, it is that many businesses appear uncertain about how to include social initiatives in their day-to-day operations. The recent NetStrategyJMC Digital Workplace Trends 2013 survey confirms this. Only one third of those surveyed have managed to align their […]
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