2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
Now
comes good sailing...
Here's a few 'suggested'
ways for navigating this
'dymaxion' story map.
But really, this a
map so feel free
to choose your
own path and
adventure!
With added Superheroes.
Print. Cut. Fold. Connect.
+
Have a ball!!
The story of...work
Studyville
Now Leaving
come again!
(with Honours)
Please look
after this grad.
Thank You!
B.L.
Me
(Ready for adventure)
Other
study
Hippie
Work
Travel
Mystery Tour
Consulting 101
>
Hey there! How's it going?
Yeah Good I guess. I'm busy
but its all a bit um, same-y
Oh...so you're down
with the whole business
problem solving thing?
Working in project teams?
Yeah pretty much...
How 'bout computer skills?
Can never know enough Excel!
Oh I played around and
read up on it...pretty solid
with all Excel functions now!
Oh i see - Managing
any projects yet?
Yeah a couple...
Hmmm...coffee?
.
(Specialist generalist)
(Chained to work)
Me
Investment Management
#!@$! I broke the %$#@
model again...anyone
good with Models?
Yeah...Onto it
Great! Um, no.
pressure but..
Is it fixed yet?
(sigh)
(path to specialist)
101101
010101
1110zz
zzzzzz
Wait....This
is worse!?!
Maybe if i
study...
101000111010111ZZZ
Nup...this isn't doing
it for me...
Studyville
Welcome to
(again)
Banking
Lets design
these services
to work from
...offshore!
hmm...ok
You ok with
process and
user mapping,
observation and
interviews?
Yep, can do
Excellent!
Investment Banking
Shame about those
Lehman Brothers...
Yeah, it's looking
pretty grim..
Nah!! Our models
say its just a blip.
ooo..kay
(cue the final scene
of fight club)
(short sprints in contracting)
Means i can do
complicated math
and modelling (and
get confused with
economists).
As above (a 2 for 1 deal)
Hmm I'll take a short break
and volunteer locally -
explore the arts, perhaps
work out what the deal is
with this 'greatest' moral
dilemma of our time...
å
Research and Advisory
(Specialist Expert)
So, Carbon markets Eh?
Yep! business is gonna be great!
How's that crazy market
valuation model going?
It's pretty huge. I think i
broke Excel streaming live
data to it...anyhow I made some
interesting data visualisations...
Phwoar! Let's publish those!
say, you Know anything about
this Tony Abbott Dude?
No. Not really...
Ah you're right he's probably
harmless...Go Kevin! Go carbon!
Consulting 401
>
Welcome back!
We're calling you
a manager now.
Thanks! Nice to
see everyone...
is...still...here.
Yeah, weird that.
Here long?
Up to much?
Nup just passing by
- am building a tool
to manage portfolio
risk...Bit odd this
doesn't already exist.
So um...coffee?
Hell yeah!
*Contracting to have a flexible
job to travel and start studying
Studyville
Welcome to
(Really?! Again!!!)
Sustainability Consulting
So sustainability
consulting then...
Yes! It's more than just climate
change: its about the environment,
people social and the money one!
You can model that, Right?
Model what, exactly?
Sustainability!
Um...well I can design models
that capture forms of economic,
environmental and social 'value.'..
but they're toy worlds and
can be dangerous if...
Excellent!
...Wait...I'm not sure you're
quite understanding this
(General Specialist)
Please look after
this volunteer.
Thank You!
B.L.
(Ready for adventure)
Me
Haiti 2010
well, this feels....
kinda right. Wonder
if I can do more of this
Time to go outside and do
something other than work
and study...something adventurous.
But I should make myself useful -
perhaps I'll put my hand up to
volunteer somewhere...
Japan 2011
Back again? Why?
Yeah I just heard the call
out and came along - I'm
kinda like batman!
I'm batman
Oh...hey
Philippines 2012
Hello again,
here for long?
Just a month.
I gotta fit
this around
work back home.
Working with local
communities to
plan and rebuild
Experiencing the
pressures in
humanitarian
design and response
Learning about the
humanitarian aid
network and politics
of NGO's in the field
...But mostly shovelling
lots and lots and lots
of rubble
Working alongside
everyday superheroes
Universal
Declaration
of Human
Rights
UNHCR Refugee Charter
IPCC 5th Assessment
Cluster Coordination
The Bottom Billon
Sphere Project
d
ok so I'm across everything we do in climate change, Economics and policy, clean
energy, waste and resource recovery, and um, most of the strategy stuff - I'm
even building tools and visualisations for our social impact work..
I think we can do better...
Bet----ter? How?
Well I've spent some time exploring
ways to bring design thinking into....
We have a graphic designer!
Um no... that's not what i mean...
What else?!
Ok, well I've been learning about Web
technologies and interaction desi...
STOP!!! Learning is not in
your performance plan
Stick to modelling!
Be a specialist!!
Ugh...Well we could improve
model power with AI and machine
learning using R and pytho..
Huh?
Can't you just make
things pretty!
Small
is Beautiful
Economics
as if people
mattered
EF Schumacher
A Smile in the the Mind
Walden
Thinking in Systems
The art of looking
sideways
Whole Earth
Catalog
(Rediscovering curiosity,
and the power of play)
...and 'graphic' design
...And Strategic design
...and Experience design
...and Web design
...and Interaction design
...and Story and animation design
Sensemaking tools to uncover what
matters to real people.
so. many. Languages.
And Frameworks.
And Algorithms.
And communities.
Hacking our brains to understand how
to fix our clumsy, rational system
Designing narratives
and experiences
to illuminate...
and delight!!
Exploring non-linearity, socio-
cultural and ecological systems
...And how systems
might be modelled.
And much, much more
Looking for open
source appropriate
technologies
Challenging sacred
assumptions and ways
of knowing
Erm...
Should I actually be
some kind of designer?
Or a developer?
A creative coder?
But I'm drawn to complex, wicked problems.
I want to find the why...Exploring
the possibilities to change
meaning...
And what about the 'last mile' - I love
the challenge of explaining complex
ideas and solutions, so that
everyone is inspired and
empowered to change.
I want to delve
deeper into data
science and emerging
technologies
Actually Why should I be trapped
in a 'mode' of thinking, confined
to a set of 'tools', or be mired in
a single domain of expertise.
How do I hack all of this
together, to work across siloes
of specialisation...and actually
tackle problems that matter?
Little Sketches is the
vessel created to bring
together all of these
experiences, skills,
and curiosities...
(Working with interesting people on interesting problems)
Hello! Can you help us?
Hi! Maybe...What are you
having problems with?
Well it's complicated and fuzzy...It
affects lots of people. I'm not even
sure how to define it!
Ok, well we always start with
problem 'finding' - it really
helps with creative solutions
Oh great! I don't want to scare you but we
have loads of stakeholders and messy 'data'!
No worries! We love to weave
human insights and analytics.
And oh, we really need this to
make sense 'business-wise'....
Sure thing! We develop
robust and innovative
business cases
Yay! Can you come and play with us?
Be part of our project team?
Perhaps! We're happy to embed into NGO's
and social enterprises to help with
with projects and initiatives -
it's a great way to really
understand their needs.
This sounds marvellous...Can you
tell me about who you've helped
and the projects you've worked on?
Of course! We design with public
and private sector clients, and
with purpose-led organisations.
The common threads being
sustainabilty and social benefit.
For project work see
www.littlesketch.es
For past project work see
www.linkedin.com/in/littlesketches
For more information (or a conventional
CV!) contact brendan@littlesketch.es
Inspiration
from radical design
101101
010101
1110!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How might we weave human
centered design with artifical
intelligence
Experimentation
in immersive and
pervasive design
Humanitarian Design
Water, sanitation and health
Food and Nutrition
Disaster Preparedeness
& Risk Reduction
Displacement and Migration
Education
Bucky
Space to play with ideas and technology
and to spend time in the field.
Hey! I heard
Aquaman
is here?
Really? Havent' seen him
Now seriously,
Where is Aquaman?!
He's got my tools!
(Tee-hee)
No-oooo!!! Come back to this side!!!
It's not as dark as you think!!
Help!
Welcome my friends!
Museada
Komak!!
Aidez!!
Oh hey guys look!
I'm the king of the
wo-ooorlrrd!
Oh Commander
please no...its
embarassing.
Malawi 2015
Greece 2016
Turkish waters
Nepal 2015
Design of
Appropriate
technologies
...and systems
Practising
Ethnographic methods -
building empathy
(not really that hard)
Hmm... this volunteer work
really does complement
my day job...
Social and local
economic resilience
to natural and
climate disaster
Could I bring my 'work'
skills and curiosity
together in the field?
I wonder what that
might look like?
Please look after
this dreamer.
Thank You!
B.L.
About me: I want to help people make sense of the
world: by connecting ways of thinking about design,
technology and our future; by creating environments
for agency; and by building economies where people
matter. I am passionate about cultures of
sharing, speculation, and world domination (the
good kind). I don’t want to change the world
to suit us. I want to change us to suit the
world. I am not afraid of wicked
problems. I think that these are problems
that are worth solving. I enjoy problem
solving but am drawn to problem
finding.I use technology, storytelling
and design as tools. I make
connections between disciplines, ideas
and people: to make better sense
of the world. I believe in creative
thinking and I believe in
analytical thinking. I admire
specialists but seek elastic
minds. I want my work to
be human-centered. I want
my work to make people
think. I want my work
work to not just
provide answers, but
to ask questions. I
want my work
to move beyond
innovation to
provocation.
This is the
work I do.