A framework for life-centred design
The Life-centred Design ‘Future Snapshot’ is a speculative life-centred design framework created by merging current variations, for the purpose of inspiring learning and experimentation
Designing to consider the 3 Interdependent Actor Groups
All peoples
- Target users
- Non-users—Individuals, communities, and employees of organisations working within the product lifecycle
- Invisible humans—individuals and communities not involved in the lifecycle but who are impacted by it
- All human knowledge and ways of existing
All animals
Non-humans might include amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals of varying scales:
- Animals of all sizes
- Insects
- Microbes
- On land, sea, air, or underground
- Domestic, livestock, captive, or wild
- Whether ‘proven’ sentient or not
All planet
All planetary resources and ecosystems:
- Vegetation (trees, forests, swamps, etc.)
- Water systems (oceans, lakes, rivers, freshwater)
- Air
- Soil
- Climate
- Landforms (mountains, hills, etc.)
- Sunlight
- Noise
- Temperature
Aiming to uphold the 3 Design Pillars
Sustainable
and regenerative
- Ensuring the social, economic, and resource sustainability of the product lifecycle by extending material value and reducing waste
- Zooming out to share prosperity with the ecosystem of the product/service lifecycle and to regenerate the sources of energy it takes from, nurturing resilience for all
Inclusive
and pluriversal
- Broadening consideration of human experiences beyond what has been stereotyped as normal within the Euro-Western world
- Zooming out to know and champion diverse ways of existing beyond the dominant Euro-Western-centric capitalistic, colonial, white supremacist, patriarchal, hierarchical, heterosexual, and cis culture
Responsible
and Aligned
- Align workplace values with life-centred purpose—from individual employee to business ownership—and embrace transparency and accountability to drive innovation
- Convert product to service, distribute to localise, and utilise data to foster responsible stewardship of resources
- Zoom out to align business goals with global goals and ally with the supply chain to nurture circular, regenerative, and just experience
Designing for the entire Product Ecosystem
Multi-level
- Micro level— the individual user experience
- Meso level— the service or business model
- Macro level— the product’s lifecycle impact at a global or national level
Multi-practice
Switching between design practices to work at all levels and attend to all actors
Time-honouring
Honour alternate perspectives of the past and recognise possible futures to protect all past wisdom and future actors
Switching between Key Design Practices
- Circular design
- Inclusive design
- Pluriversal design
- Systems thinking
- Distributed design
- Sustainable web design
- Behavioural design
- Interspecies design
- Biomimicry
- Foresight
- Human-centred design
Bringing it all together
To ensure 3 Interdependent Actors thrive…
Aim to uphold the 3 Design Pilars…
By designing for the entire Product Ecosystem…
Achieved by switching Design Practices.
Guided by the Compass
A ‘Double-Diamond’ diagram for life-centred design, capturing the scope of consideration and when to use the key practices.
Take the lead
Life-centred design aligns designers and businesses with global goals, and gives them the skills to respond to today’s wicked problems in practical and measurable ways.
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