DESIS Network: template for project description

Objective

The objective of this template is to produce a description of the DESIS projects which may help to make emerge some transversal knowledge across the DESIS network.
More in particular it aims to stimulate evolved reflections on how design can contribute to foster and support social innovation according to a common conceptual framework.

This template will be used for the next generation of the DESIS Showcase and for the presentation of the projects in the website.

Conceptual framework

The conceptual framework here proposed is a light framework that can help with the reflection about some common issues that will inform the next DESIS Showcases, and a DESIS publication, and the organisation of events related to DESIS at the CUMULUS Milano conference.
The common concepts are the following:

  • governance and policymaking: the interplay between top-down and bottom up actions and its implications on governance and planning; the way diverse stakeholders participate in decision making;
  • activism and civic participation: the capacity of individuals, groups and organisations to undertake initiatives and foster change at an higher level; the democratization and openness of the processes;
  • social interactions and relations: the potential of the initiatives to enhance, collaboration, social cohesion, conviviality, connections and sustainability;
  • city and environmental planning: the impact of social innovation projects on the city, the media, the private and public space;
  • production, distribution and consumption: the new production/distribution/consumption chains, the new technologies and the local assets/resources for more sustainable value creation systems;
  • skill training and design education: the new design education; the need and opportunity of building new competences with and the project stakeholders;
  • job creation: the potential of the initiatives to create new job opportunities and social orientated business.
  • storytelling and visualisation: the stories design tells and the tools/formats it uses, the aims and the target of the communication.

Almost every project or cluster of our DESIS Network can be discussed with reference to more than one of these concepts and therefore compared, adopting some common concept. In other words, they can be used to orient the reflection toward the DESIS publication and the Milano conference.
All together, these concepts will help to define the specific contribution and the role of design in supporting and fostering social innovation.

How to use the framework: projects and clusters description

Each project has to be matched with all the concepts, providing a short description of how it contributes to develop knowledge for each one. If some concept is not applicable to a specific project, it may be left empty:

Initiatives Strands Project 1 Project # Cluster 1 Cluster #
Concept 1 x x x
Concept 2 x x x
Concept 3 x x x
Concept 4 x x x
Concept # x x x

Step by step description (a ppt template is provided in attachment)

  • Slide 1: name of the DESIS Lab and the team, title of project
  • Slide 2: names of the project partners and of the promoter + funder(s)
  • Slide 3: short description of the context and the problem
  • Slide 4: short description of the project, its aims and functioning
  • Slide 5: short caption explaining the design process

From now on, please describe the project strategy and outcomes with regard to the common concepts:

  • Slide 6: how the project relates to governance and policymaking: the interplay between top-down and bottom up actions and its implications on governance and planning; the way diverse stakeholders participate in decision making
  • Slide 7: how the project relates to activism and civic participation: the capacity of individuals, groups and organisations to undertake initiatives and foster change at an higher level; the democratization and openness of the processes
  • Slide 8: how the project relates to social interactions and relations: the potential of the initiatives to enhance, collaboration, social cohesion, conviviality, connections and sustainability
  • Slide 9: how the project relates to city and environmental planning: the impact of social innovation projects on the city, the media, the private and public space
  • Slide 10: how the project relates to production, distribution and consumption: the new production/distribution/consumption chains, the new technologies and the local assets/resources for more sustainable value creation systems
  • Slide 11: how the project relates to skill training and design education: the new design education; the need and opportunity of building new competences with and the project stakeholders
  • Slide 12: how the project relates to job creation: the potential of the initiatives to create new job opportunities and social orientated business
  • Slide 13: how storytelling and visualisation are used to describe the project: the stories design tells and the tools/formats it uses, the aims and the target of the communication.