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What is the purpose that brings us together?
We envision a world of plural equitable futures, in which people’s human rights are realised within the ecological boundaries of our planet
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We facilitate cross-disciplinary, research-backed design processes to support different partners in sharing their knowledge and collaboratively tackling complex systemic problems. We do this in humanitarian and social sectors, most prominently in global health and peacebuilding.
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“Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.” ― Charles Eames
At Sonder, there are a few principles we want to carry in our hearts as we design:
Design gives shape and form. Design always serves a system (e.g. a capitalist system, a health system) by making its concepts tangible through real world or digital artefacts, services or experiences. As designers, we should be aware that we may be following or influenced by the concepts, rules or power dynamics of the system we are working within, even when we are seeking to change it. It is important to keep in mind how this may allow for or limit our thinking and actions when we design.
Current systems create multiple inequities, often by design. Hence, the practice of design itself is not inherently good or bad, as it is closely interlinked with the system in which it exists. For example, much city infrastructure has been designed without adequately taking into account the needs of diverse population groups, such as people with disabilities. While this failure to take needs into account may be unintended, it could potentially exclude some population groups from participation. On the other hand, identifying user needs in a design process can actually lead to an exploitation of these needs when companies are driven by a goal to sell more to customers. These examples illustrate how, even when we may feel positive about the things we design, they may bring unintended harm or negative consequences. It is important that, while we design, we remain conscious of this and ask ourselves what the potential harm or negative consequences of our design could be.
Products, services and experiences carry messages of what is valued and accepted in a system. As designers we must recognize that making things visible and tangible carries power. Each designer will design something in a different way, leading to reactions and interactions with others. We must be aware that, from these reactions and interactions, emerge new power dynamics and structures. As designers we want to ask ourselves when and how our designs challenge, validate, support or critique the inequalities within a system. For example, if we design a product that better enables a homeless person to stay warm and dry, is this a ‘positive’ action or a ‘negative’ action? Does this design alleviate inequality or does it support a system that enables oppression and homelessness in the first place?