Tales of the Field is a podcast series which gives voice to social activists and social innovators who work in and with their communities to create social impact and sustainable change. They share with us their work in the field - where they  tackle complex social issues and aim to create sustainable change and social impact. At its core, their work is human-centered, systemic and always informed by a deep understanding of the context and people’s lives. In this episode, we talked with...

Tales of the Field is a podcast series which gives voice to social activists and social innovators who work in and with their communities to create social impact and sustainable change. They share with us their work in the field - where they  tackle complex social issues and aim to create sustainable change and social impact. At its core, their work is human-centered, systemic and always informed by a deep understanding of the context and people’s lives. In this episode, we talked with...

Tanya Bhandari is a communication designer from India who has been working in the social impact space for over a decade. Currently she is the Design Director at ⁠YLabs⁠ in Kigali, Rwanda. She was previously Design Lead at ⁠UNICEF’s Office of Innovation⁠ (New York), Design Fellow at ⁠Center for Urban Pedagogy⁠ (New York), and Designer at ⁠Teach for India⁠ (Mumbai.) In this episode, reflecting on the projects she has been involved, Tanya stressed the power of co-design, where young people lead...

Liz Gerber is a professor at Northwestern University, co-director of Northwestern’s Center for Human Computer Interaction + Design, and faculty founder of Design for America, a national award-winning network of interdisciplinary students who work together to solve problems they care about in their community. Liz works at the works at the intersection of design, social computing, and organizational behavior to understand the future of collaboration and in particular. for social impact. Gerber...

Sara Camnasio is a multi-disciplinary designer and researcher focused on government (public services), science, and climate projects. Her work spans from integrating design mindsets into environmental and conservation projects, creating educational curricula to engage students on STEAM topics, to helping improve public and private services and products.  After spending 5 years conducting Astrophysics research at the American Museum of Natural History and at telescopes around the world for 5...

Isaac is the founder of Mideva Labs - a research, design and innovation consultancy studio based in Nairobi Kenya, and a co-founder of Idea Studio Africa - a community-powered learning, skills development and apprenticeship studio helping young professionals build meaningful career pathways in innovation and entrepreneurship. Isaac previously co-founded the Africa YES Program - a 6-month leadership and entrepreneurship accelerator program for young social entrepreneurs in Kenya, which has...

Harmonie Coleman is a Senior Community Engagement Manager at IDEO.org. In this role, she collaborates closely with design teams, partners, and local community members to advance equitable practices in design research and community co-design methods across the organization. She specializes in designing transformative experiences, healing-centered facilitation, participatory design methods, and recruiting community members with lived experience. Her past experiences as a teacher and community...

Ezio Manzini  is one of the world's leading and provocative thinkers in design for sustainability and social innovation — considered a major driver of sustainable changes. These two joint interests led him to start DESIS: an international network of schools of design specifically active in the field of design for social innovation and sustainability. Currently, Ezio is President of DESIS Network and Honorary Professor at the Politecnico di Milano. He has been guest professor in several design...

Bon Ku is an emergency physician, professor and host of the Design Lab podcast. He is the Assistant Dean for Health and Design and leads the Medicine+Design initiatives at Thomas Jefferson University. As the Director of the Health Design Lab, he created the first design thinking program at a medical school. Bon is creating design-minded solutions to improve patient health. Bon co-wrote the book, Health Design Thinking, with Ellen Lupton and was a regular panelist on the primetime medical TV...

In this episode, our guest was Laetitia Wolff,  a creative strategist, design curator, published author, and self-described cultural engineer and the former director of strategic initiatives at AIGA in NY. Laetitia lives, works and teaches in the South of France following 20+ years spent in New York. She consults and creates projects that generate new discourses, meaningful practices and experiences using design as a tool for social change, impact, and innovation. She brings design to cities,...

Karine Sarkissian is a founding partner at Tamar Capital (2016), a single-family office based between the Middle East, the UK, and the US. She oversees the FO’s Impact and Venture portfolio. Designer and Design Strategist by background, Karine has extensive experience in social innovation for urban and economic development initiatives within New York City and Internationally. Leveraging her expertise, she co-founded Le Studio as part of Tamar Capital to actively support portfolio companies...

Tales of the Field is a podcast series which gives voice to social activists and social innovators who work in and with their communities to create social impact and sustainable change. They share with us their work in the field - where they  tackle complex social issues and aim to create sustainable change and social impact. At its core, their work is human-centered, systemic and always informed by a deep understanding of the context and people’s lives. In this episode, we talked with Tonya...

In this episode, I talked with Joana Casaca Lemos, a design researcher passionate about sustainability innovation. Joana runs an independent practice where she supports organisations in ensuring that sustainability is at the forefront of business. She is currently launching Unusual Research - the first global collective of creatives with sustainability expertise. Joana shared with me her view on design for sustainability and related terms like planet-centered design and circular design. The...

Tales of the Field is a podcast series which gives voice to social activists and social innovators who work in and with their communities  to create social impact and sustainable change. They share with us their work in the field - where they  tackle complex social issues and aim to create sustainable change and social impact. At its core, their work is human-centered, systemic and always informed by a deep understanding of the context and people’s lives. In this episode, we talked with...

Lisbeth Shepherd is Entrepreneur in Residence at MIT's designX and Visiting Lecturer at MIT's School of Architecture and Planning. Her work focuses on how "climate corps" in cities can promote environmental and economic justice.  Shepherd co-founded the Green City Force (GCF) in 2009 to address the dual imperatives of youth unemployment and climate change.She previously coordinated the Clean Energy Corps working group at Green for All, and co-founded Unis-Cité, the leading national youth...

In this episode, I talked with Ayah Younis, a human centered-designer for social change. With 10-year experience in education in museums, she employs innovative tools and play methods to design learning experiences for children and adults. Ayah shared with me her work using human-centered design to create meaningful experiences in museums as well as in the health centers in Jordan and the region. She emphasized the power of play in reducing boundaries and creating a safe environment. Ayah...

In this episode, I talked with Megan Marini, co-founder and Principal, Director of Strategy and Outreach  of 3X3, an inclusive and participatory innovation studio designing for systemic change, based in New York City and New Delhi. Over the past decade, they have been bringing communities, the public sector, and private entities together as allies to create social transformation and impact. Megan is a designer, architect and strategist passionate about community-centered design and designing...

In this episode, I talked with Eric Ho, co-founder and Director of Architecture Commons based in Hong Kong, a design agency for urban innovation. Eric is an architect, entrepreneur, and urban thinker passionate about architecture and urban environments that have a lasting impact on society. He  described civic design projects he led in New York and in Hong Kong. Eric emphasized the value of cross-sector collaboration (citizens, businesses, institutions and governments) for social innovation...

In this episode, I talked with Javiera Arenas, a design strategist and service designer, from Chile, working at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York. Javi reflected on her practice in designing holistic healthcare experiences. She highlighted the need to take a system view and engage all stakeholders in the process.  While acknowledging the difficulties inherent to designing holistic experiences, she also provided great stories on how to use participatory design to co-create...

In this episode, I talked with Ben Reason, founding partner of pioneering service design studio Livework, created in London in 2001. Ben and I discussed Ben’s article “Designing in the Anthropocene”. Ben reflected on his journey from his early interest in triple bottom line and his current interest in sustainability. He discussed the tensions between theory and practice.  He also shared his thoughts on the role of designers as facilitators and the importance of multi-stakeholders...

Engineering X Design is a Podcast Series produced by the Design Lab at NYU MakerSpace. This podcast complements a series of fireside chats where we invite professionals working at the intersection of design, engineering, and technology. Our guest for this episode is Rinat Sherzer, Founder of Of Course Global (https://www.ofcourseglobal.com/) To watch her TED Talk: The Bloody Taboo With The Power To Change The World:...

In this episode, I talked with Clare Brass, a London-based designer and innovator for business, with a focus on sustainability and circular economy. Clare is the Director of Department 22, which offers consultancy and training in design, innovation and circular economy with a focus on food systems. Clare shared her views on the importance of values in design as well as how to design sustainability and with a circular mindset. She reflected on the new role of designers when they move away...

Engineering X Design is a Podcast Series produced by the Design Lab at NYU MakerSpace. This podcast complements a series of fireside chats where we invite professionals working at the intersection of design, engineering, and technology. Our guest for this episode is Adekunle Oduye, Senior Engineer at Mailchimp. Credits--- conception and production: Anne-Laure Fayard; sound design, music & post-production: Blake Rook; voice: Melchior Tamisier-Fayard; logo design: Florentina Sergiou

Engineering X Design is a Podcast Series produced by the Design Lab at NYU MakerSpace. This podcast complements a series of fireside chats where we invite professionals working at the intersection of design, engineering, and technology. Our guest for this episode is Hannah Chung, Co-founder of Sproutel and Design for America (DFA). Credits--- conception and production: Anne-Laure Fayard; sound design, music & post-production: Blake Rook; voice: Melchior Tamisier-Fayard; logo design:...