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Storytelling by Design

As you probably know, I am a strong believer in designing communication tools and practices around the relationships they are supposed to serve. In Storytelling by Design, David Seah looks at the role of storytelling in helping us do this. He starts with a familiar theme - the failure of thing-focused design - and then explores the reasons why storytelling is such a compelling technique. Posted: 12/27/06; 5:54:06 PM #

Applied Empathy: A Design Framework for Meeting Human Needs and Desires

Dirk Knemeyer has written a thoughtful article entitled Applied Empathy: A Design Framework for Meeting Human Needs and Desires. He challenges some of the conventional notions of user centered design and proposes that we go even further. His innovations include five levels of success in design: participation, engagement, productivity, happiness, and well-being. I'm looking forward to seeing how these ideas develop. Posted: 12/27/06; 5:43:55 PM #

More Money, More Demand: Results of the 2006 GuideStar Nonprofit Economic Survey

In More Money, More Demand, Suzanne Coffman presents the highlights of GuideStar's 2006 Nonprofit Economic Survey. I would question whether most nonprofits have the tools in place to accurately assess demand for their services. (And what exactly does "demand" mean for social change groups anyway?) Nevertheless, these results (also available in more detail than these highlights) are consistent with the devolutionary trend in the U.S. nonprofit sector. Posted: 12/27/06; 5:21:17 PM #