What is this?

Social impact organizations worldwide are tackling some of society’s most challenging problems. We’ve had the opportunity to work with leaders taking on issues including food insecurity, housing and homelessness, sexual violence, and the opioid epidemic in their non-profit, government and for-profit organizations. With limited resources, they must understand complex challenges, innovate on their approaches and interventions, all the while running their existing day-to-day programs.

In our Designing for Social Systems program, at the d.school, we develop and teach design practices that integrate methods from human-centered design, systems thinking, and strategic planning, grounded in a commitment to equity and anti-racism. These case studies highlight meaningful work and hard-fought impact by some of our program participants, and how design played a role.

Tackling The Opioid Crisis At The Human And Systems Levels

For the past several years, the health of the Lummi People has been threatened by opioid addiction. In response, members of the Lummi Tribal Clinic deeply investigated the causes and needs of those suffering from opioid use disorder, and redesigned at the service- and systems levels.

Using Design To Navigate The Pandemic Uncertainty

Peabody, one of the oldest and largest housing associations in the UK, provides housing and support across London and the South-East of England to over 133,000 residents, including 7,000 over the age of 70. When the health risks and lockdowns due to COVID-19 came in March 2020, it was essential for them to respond with resourcefulness and agility to successfully carry out their long-standing social mission: to make people’s lives better.