WILL EVANS @semanticwill Melbourne, Australia

“Forapartfrominquiry,apartfromthepraxis,
individualscannotbetrulyhuman.Knowledgeemerges
onlythroughinventionandre-invention,throughthe
restless,impatient,continuing,hopefulinquiryhuman
beingspursueintheworld,withtheworld,andwitheach
other.”-PauloFreire,PedagogyoftheOppressed

Outline for Tonight
§ Assumptions
§ Boundaries
§ Context
§ Framing
§ Divergence
§ Externalization
§ Convergence
§ Dissent
§ Take-Aways

Assumption 1
We allexist (beingness) with(in) system(s).

Assumption 2
Weareallresponsibleforthedesign,
development,andmaintenceof
systemsthat createvalue.

Assumption 3
Weareinthistocreate.
Specifically wearein this tocreatevalue–
thatis tocreate things the solve problems
for customers for which they are willing to
exchangesomevalue.

On Doubt
“Ifamanwillbeginwithcertainties,heshall
endindoubts;butifhewillbecontenttobegin
withdoubts,heshallendincertainties.”
-SirFrancisBacon

LeanUX Kata
Whoisthecustomer?
Whatistheirproblem?
Whatdoyouknowandhowdoyouknowit?
Whatareyourassumptions?
Howwillyoutestthem?
Howwillyouconsumeuncertainty?
Whatareyourconstraints?
Whatareyourfreedoms?
Whatisyourverynextexperiment?
From “Exploration versus Exploitation in Design-Driven Enterprises,” Will Evans

On Praxis
Our process by which theory, lesson, or skill
is enacted, practiced, embodied, realized,
reified and reflected in & through action.
Facilitationisultimatelyaboutguidingagents
throughthepraxisofpurposefulaction.

Ontological Design
OntologicalDesignisthedesignofwaysofbeing
-notjustthepurposefulcreationofmental
scafolding,butratherfacilitatingtheevolutionof
humancapabilitywithinsocialsystems.
Socialsystemsfocussedoncatalyzing,facilitating,
andenablingsituatedandembodiedhuman
cognitionandaction.

Problem Setting Facilitation
Thinkaboutthelastsession,meeting,brainstormingmeeting
thatyouheld.
Thinkaboutwhatthepurposeofthatsessionwas.Who
facilitatedit?Whywereyouthere?Whatdecisionshadtobe
made?

Problematizing Facilitation
• On post-its
• 1ideaperpost-it
• 3 words
• AllCaps

Question One
Writeonapost-itsilently:
Whatproblemaroseduringfacilitation,which
preventedthegroupfrommovingforward,for
whichtherewasasimple,easysolutionthat
everyonecouldsee?
1minute

Question Two
Writeonapost-itsilently:
Whatproblemaroseduringfacilitation,which
preventedthegroupfrommovingforward,which
requiredsomeonewithdeepexpertise?
1minute

Question Three
Writeonapost-itsilently:
Whatproblemaroseduringfacilitation,which
preventedthegroupfrommovingforward,which
requiredthemeetingtogathermoredatabeforea
positive
Outcomecouldbeachieved?
1minute

Question Four
Writeonapost-itsilently:
Whatproblemaroseduringfacilitation,which
causedthewholesessiontogosideways,where
therewasnoclearoutcome,nogoal,andpeople
just
Feltliketheywerethrashing?
1minute.

Setting Boundaries
THEREwasawall.Itdidnotlookimportant.Itwas
builtofuncutrocksroughlymortared.Anadultcould
lookrightoverit,andevenachildcouldclimbit.Where
itcrossedtheroadway,insteadofhavingagateit
degeneratedintomeregeometry,aline,anideaof
boundary.Buttheideawasreal.Itwasimportant.For
sevengenerationstherehadbeennothingintheworld
moreimportantthanthatwall.
Likeallwallsitwasambiguous,two-faced.Whatwas
insideitandwhatwasoutsideitdependeduponwhich
sideofityouwereon.
-UrsulaLeGuinTheDispossessed

Setting Boundaries
§ Beontime
§ Nolaptops orcellphones
§ Respecteachother(Don’tdominateconversations,Don’t
talkoversomeone).
§ Writeyourquestions onpost-its
§ ChathamHouseRules
§ Followinstructions
§ Nolaptops orcellphones.
Meta:
“Is there anyreasonyoucan’tbe 100%presentforthe entiretyof the next90 minutes?.”
“The purpose of this sessionis to create Options,notsolutions.”
“Do we have the rightpeople inthe room?”

Sensemaking Systems
““Ultimately,allorganizationsaresocio-
technicalsystemsinwhichthemannerof
externaladaptationandthesolutionofinternal
integrationproblemsareinterdependent”
-EdgarSchein
From “Organizational Leadership and Culture,” Edgar Schein

Discuss Problems
Withthepeopleatyourtable,presentallthe
problemsthatpeoplecameupwithontheirpost-
its.
Trytoquicklyprocessallthepost-itswhilegiving
enoughtimeforpeopletounderstandthenature
oftheproblem.

Exploring Complexity

Exploring Complexity
From “Exploration versus Exploitation in Design-Driven Enterprises,” Will Evans

On Context
“The notion of context has been adapted to computing
from its original use referring to language, which is
reflected in the structure of the word itself: con(with)
text, either written or oral, intended to be interpreted by
one or more people.
The text is not an encapsulated representations of
meaning, but rather a cue that allows the anticipated
audience to construct appropriate meaning.”
- Terry Winograd

Three Horizons View
From “Exploration versus Exploitation in Design-Driven Enterprises,” Will Evans

Dispositions to Domain
Wardley, Simon, “OnPioneers, Settlers, TownPlannersandTheft.”

Situational Dynamics
Wardley, Simon, “OnPioneers, Settlers, TownPlannersandTheft.”

CONTEXTUAL AWARENESS
What are requisite variety of dispositions and practices
for pioneers (heretics*), as well as the processes and
methods deployed which are fundementally different in
the Complex Domain?

CONTEXTUAL AWARENESS
What are requisite variety of dispositions and practices
for pioneers (heretics*), as well as the processes and
methods deployed which are fundementally different in
the Complex Domain?
It’s about the movement between domains, and the
interactions between teams and across domains where
novelty can turn into capability.

CONTEXTUAL AWARENESS
What are requisite variety of dispositions and practices
for pioneers (heretics*), as well as the processes and
methods deployed which are fundementally different in
the Complex Domain?
It’s about the movement between domains, and the
interactions between teams and across domains where
novelty can turn into capability.
Exploration is expensive, and must be managed through
the appropriate application of constraints.

Mapping
Spend 10 minutes clustering all the problems together
that seem to be similar.
All the ones where the problem / solution was relatively
obvious
Ones that required an expert to help out
Ones that needed more information, more data, perhaps
some experimentation
Ones that seemed completely hopeless, no one knew
what to do, why they were there, what the goal was.

Constraints
Just as the constraints of syntax allow
meaning to be expressed, constraints
on behavior thus make meaningful
actions possible.
-Alicia Juarrero
From “Enabling Constraints,” Alicia Juarrero, LeanUX15

Constraints
• Within different groups, introduce new constraints
related to context, channel, customer, budget,
timeframe to spur new ideas.
• Introducing different contexts can catalyze
exaptative innovation (application of a solution from
one context into a totally new context).
Example:
“You team’s solution cannot rely upon digital devices, smart phones, or the internet. Only analog
solutions you can buy at a hardware store.”
“Your concept cannot use language or words to provide affordance to the customer/user.”
“Your concept should be something the team can execute in 5 days.”

“Thereseemstobesomepurposeful
correlationbetweenculturesthat
seektocontrolvariabilityin
throughtthroughtheimpositionof
rigidgrammaticalstructures,and
thedeathofthosecultures.”
-JabeBloom

Framing
“A frame is, simplistically, a point of view; often, and
particularly in technical situations, this point of view is
deemed “irrelevant” or “biasing” because it implicitly
references a non-objective way of considering a situation
or idea.
But a frame – while certainly subjective and often biasing
– is of critical use to the designer, as it is something that is
shaped over the long-term aggregation of thoughts and
experiences.”
- Jon Kolko

Timeboxing
The first constraint to apply in
facilitating co-creative
activities in the complex
domain is time.
It is better to have 4 cycles of 10
minutes than 1 60 minute cycle.

Externalization
By taking ideas, concepts, perspectives out of the
cognitive domain (your head), removing it from the
linguistic realm (oral/aural/ talk), and making it tangible
in the physical world in one cohesive visual structure
(post-it, sketch, wall), designers are freed of the natural
memory limitations of the brain and teams can begin to
map visualizations to internal patterns and mental
models.
Example:
Sketch concepts that solve for the problem. No bulleted lists, no
sentences. Just sketches that solve the problem. If it’s not in the
sketch, the element doesn’t exist.

Divergence
Abduction goes upon the hope that there is sufficient
affinity between the reasoner’s mind and nature’s to
render guessing not altogether hopeless, provided each
guess is checked by comparison with observation… The
effort should therefore be to make each hypothesis…as
near an even bet as possible.”
- Charles Pierce
Example:
Quantity over quality. Generate at least 6 different concepts that
solve for the problem. Each concept must be unique.

Assent and Expansion
In the first few rounds of critique, only positive aspects
of the concepts can be commented on.
Similar to Improve’s “Yes, and…”
Absolutely nothing negative can be said. Only positive
additions to the design.
Example:
“Highlight two concepts you absolutely love, or elements that
you would steal, integrate into your own concept.”

Cognitive Displacement
In the second round of generative ideation, it’s
important to seed the ideas of one person into the head
of another. The easiest way to do this is through
“Cognitive Displacement,” or having a person pitch a
designed concept they have not created.
Example:
“Hand your concept to the person to your left. You cannot explain it and you cannot look them in
the eye. They have 5 minutes to pitch your concept back to you.”
This allows the person who’s work is being presented to check their concept for coherence and
identify gaps in their communication. It also has the benefit of building empathy.

Convergence
Convergence is the slow contraction of available options
through the application of constraints and the checking
for coherence.
Does a concept or designed element make sense? How
does it solve the problem? Of all possible options, which
are most elegant.
Example:
Youhave4 minutes,using coloureddots,to indicateonlythedesignsandelementsthat
shouldbecarriedforwardto thenextround.Thesemaybeintegratedwithother
concepts,withweakerideasfalling behind.

Ritual Dissent
From ” Everything is fragmented—The art of “ritual dissent”, David Snowden, Cognitive
Edge
“Acomplexproblemisnotthesumofits
parts.Itcannotbebrokendownwith
eachsolutionaggregated;itmustbe
solvedasawhole.Anotherissueisthatof
entrainment,especiallyinconsensus-
seekingenvironments.Themoretimewe
spendinagroup,themoregroupthink
setsin,andwecancreateourown
reality,onlytosufferarudeawakening
whenweengagewiththeexternal
world.”
-DaveSnowden

Ritual Dissent
• Theapproachinvolvesaspokesperson(forateam)presentinga
seriesofconceptstoagroupofstakeholderswholistensinsilence.
• Spokespersononlyhas5minutestoprepare,5minutestopresent
• Teammustimaginetheyareagroupofstakeholdershearingapitch
tofundanewinitiativetobeaddedtotheportfolio
• Noquestionscanbeaskedofthespokesperson
• Spokespersonmustfaceawayfromstakeholders,andlistenwhilst
takingnotes.Theycannotchallengeanycritique.
• Stakeholdersmustfindallthethingswrongwiththeconcept,whyit
solvesnoproblem,theproblemisnotworthsolving,theconceptis
notelegant,requirestoomanyresources,etc…
• Absolutelynothingpositivecanbesaidaboutthesolution
• Onlydissenttheconcept,notthepeople.
From “Ritual Dissent,” David Snowden, Cognitive Edge

Design Studio Process
1. FramingtheProblem
2. SoloIdeation(Silent,8Concepts)5minutes
3. GenerativeCritique(Yes,and…)5minutes
4. Steal&Integrate
5. SoloIdeation(Silent,1Concept,5minutes)5minutes
6. CognitiveDisplacement(Pitchanother’sconcept)5Minutes
7. SoloIdeation(1Concept,10minutes)
8. Transference&Seeding
9. Synthesis(TeamDesign,1Concept)30minutes
10. RitualDissent(OnlyNegative)10Minutes
11. ActiveDecisionMaking(Ignore,Innovate,Remove,BestPractice)10Minutes
12. KillYourBabies
13. FinalDesign,RitualAssent60minutes.
From “The Design Studio Methodology,” Will Evans

Itishardlypossibletooverratethe
value…ofplacinghumanbeingsin
contactwithpersonsdissimilarto
themselves,withmodesofthought
andactionunlikethosewithwhich
theyarefamiliar.
-JohnStewartMill

Final Thoughts
§ Startwiththecontext.
§ ConcreteExperience,ReflectiveObservation,
Abstraction,ActiveExperimentation
§ Startbyexplicitlystatingfreedoms,removingtacit
constraints
§ Clearlyarticulatetheproblem
§ TightCycles,Timeboxed
§ Adjacencies&Exaptations
§ Displacement&Coherence
§ Optionality&Experimentation

COLOPHON
All typefaces are from Heoffler & Jones.
§ Header Text is in Vitesse Black
§ Body Text is in Quarto Medium
§ Labels are in Quarto Medium Italic

WILL EVANS @semanticwill Melbourne, Australia