Human Systems is a network of people who care about designing better social systems. We run a club where social designers get feedback on their designs. We have trainings and a methodology for social designers. And you can talk to us about everything from ritual design to organizational process change to social app redesign (see below).
Social Systems
Human Systems is for designers of social systems: systems made of people, where there are codified and mutually understood roles and responsibilities. These designs can range from dinner table conversation games to social networks and global governance structures.
Examples of Social Systems
The Social Design Club
Every week we host an online event where someone presents a social design and gets feedback. Soon we'll add presentations of successful and interesting social designs, and debates about what kind of social designs will best serve society.
Last week Malcolm Ocean presented social features for a work tracking platform. This week, Ed Sapiera presents a next generation online video platform. You can RSVP for our next meeting at thestoa.ca.
The SDC is a collaboration between Human Systems, the Stoa, and แธreyjแบก.
Trainings and Methodology
We also teach a method for designing social systems that focuses on human values, on the evolution of social norms in a system, and on the structural features which make it easier or harder for participants in a system to live and interact in the ways they value.
โข
Learn to precisely articulate valuesโyours and those of othersโ and see when and how they are crowded out by other motivations and situational factors.
โข
Redesign systemsย (workplaces, schools, family structures, social apps, etc) so as to support meaningful lives, interactions, and work. Use the HSย Redesign Method.
โข
Make rituals, games, group practices, organizational policies, institutions, or social technologiesย around values that are important to your community but lack space for full expression.
โข
Join a vibrant and diverse networkย of meaning-first designers, and collaborate on your designs.
Structural Features
Redesign Method
Imagine redesigning โ News Feed, Family Dinners, Classroom Workgroups
โข
[Facebook New Feed] around the suppressed value of [open-minded political debate]
โข
[family dinners] around the suppressed value of [free expression of feelings and desires]
โข
[classroom workgroups] around the suppressed value of [learner self-direction]
We've been improving the Human Systems trainings for the last 3 years. Our school has trained 300+ well-positioned product people in our design methods and metrics. Our alumni have applied our methods at Facebook, Github and Apple; they've changed product direction at startups, and redesigned smaller systems like schools, co-living settlements, and families.
Learn more at ๐HS101 Deluxe.
Talk to Us
Department of Ritual Design
โข
Hire help for a thorny ritual design task. Members of the Department of Ritual Design create customized rituals based on what is meaningful to the people involved. They start by articulating values in an interview. Then they design a custom ritual that supports participants in showing up in ways they find inspiring.
Learn more at the ๐ฑDepartment of Ritual Design
Design of Org Processes and Governance
โข
Hire people to think about org change and flag values at risk. You can now hire HS-trained and certified teams to add to your organizational change process. These teams will assess the impact of potential features or redesigns on the values of users or workers. These "Values-at-Risk Assessments" will surface important values in the user or worker population that could be suppressed by an organizational change. The teams will present these potentially suppressed values, along with actionable steps that could be taken for each value at risk.
Learn more at the ๐ผDesign of Org Processes & Governance Dept
Design of Social Apps and Environments
โข
Hire people to join a design process and flag values at risk. You can now hire HS-trained and certified teams to add to your social app design process. These teams will assess the impact of potential features or redesigns on the values of users or workers. These "Values-at-Risk Assessments" will surface important values in the user or worker population that could be suppressed by a social design. The teams will present these potentially suppressed values, along with actionable steps that could be taken for each value at risk.
Learn more at ๐Design of Social Apps and Environments Dept
Questions?
Departments
Programs
Miscellany