Next 24 Session 1

1. Life as an entanglement of mutual obligation

Human institutions (whether they’re formal organisations or just cultural expectations) entangle us in mutual obligations. We’re happy and prosperous when we we’re doing our bit for others and they’re doing theirs for us. When they don’t work so well, it’s usually because private interests have colonised our institutions to turn social expectations to their own advantage.

For decades, human-centred design has been the driving force behind innovation. However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that placing the user at the centre of the design process may be doing more harm than good for our global systems and collective wellbeing.

In this talk, we'll explore a new approach – life-centred design – that encourages a balanced consideration of human, environmental, and ethical perspectives. Diving into the role of systems thinking and futuring, the talk will demonstrate how life-centred design can help organisations reduce their planetary impact and create responsible innovation in an increasingly complex world.

Since the release of Thaler and Sunstein's famous Nudge book in 2008, the popularity of nudge theory has skyrocketed, with over 200 Nudge units now operating worldwide. The appeal is clear: small, low-cost interventions yielding measurable effects on large populations. But have we leaned too heavily on these individual-level strategies? Critics argue that while nudges are effective, they often neglect the bigger picture—overlooking the systemic factors driving human behaviour.

In this talk, we'll explore the potential of tools from systems analysis to bridge the gap between the current practice and the potential of applied behavioural science to develop and implement value-creating systems-level change.