Canadian wildfires are ravaging millions of hectares of forests prompting the evacuation of thousands of people and smoke plumes that are affecting millions. It’s a case study in how we address the psychology of climate change, invoke systems thinking about health, and apply what we know about design to it all. In a recent interview …
Wildfires: When Sparks Lead to Flames Across Systems Read More »
Canada was recently taught a valuable lesson about networks and systems fundamentals when it lost nearly 1/3 of its telecom capacity in a single day. What this outage teaches us about networks and systems is worth paying attention to. What would happen if you couldn’t access your phone? What if you couldn’t withdraw money from …
This date is an auspicious one in Canada and represents one of the greatest opportunities for social innovation and healing in our lifetime. Every year, from November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) to December 10 (World Human Rights Day), Canadians observe the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. In …
The Canadian province of Alberta has a reputation for fostering innovation. From strategic foresight to systemic design this reputation is well-earned. Alberta is a province in Western Canada known internationally for its expansive landscape of prairie and mountains, oil industry, and prehistoric riches. Its weather can be extreme — from large temperature swings (including the …
Innovation might be doing things different to produce value, but there’s little value if we as a society are not able to embrace change because we’re hiding from mental illness either as individuals, organizations or communities. Without wellbeing and the space to acknowledge when we don’t have it any new product, idea or opportunity will …
A recent study found looked into the experience of cyberbullying by university professors at the hands of their students. This disturbing phenomenon points to much larger issues beyond mental health promotion and calls into question many of the assumptions we have about the systems we’ve designed to foster education and what it means to be a …
Bullying, the market for education and the damaged quest for learning Read More »
If public health is important, should the presumably ‘top job’ in the field in a particular country not be highly coveted? Not if that position is tied to the government’s discretionary decision making. Andrea Hill looks the matter of replacing David Butler-Jones, Canada’s outgoing Chief Public Health Officer, and how there is a real risk …
Low-profile public health job could mean best candidates won’t apply Read More »
Design’s relationship with space is complex and well documented in the literature on architecture, interior design, and product innovation. The relationship with time is much more complicated particularly with the rise in popularity of the concept of design thinking. The discourse on design thinking largely focuses on applying the cognitive patterns and creative techniques more …
After more than four weeks of travel, conferences and events it is good to return home. CENSEMaking’s sabbatical is over and over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing the insights gained from a brief, but deep immersion into of the biggest design cultures in the world (Italy and Finland) and spending time exploring …
