Human Centered Design for Empathy in the Landscape | Anna Stachofsky | TEDxBallStateUniversity

TEDx Talks

23 Jul 201906:37

Summary

TLDRThe speaker, a landscape architecture student with a Type A personality, shares their enthusiasm for people and design. They discuss the importance of human-centered design, which involves diverse designers and users in creating communities that reflect individual and collective identities. Emphasizing the need for empathy in design, the speaker argues that architects and planners must include people in decision-making to foster a sense of value and purpose. They conclude by urging designers and community members to embrace diversity and work together to create empathetic, inclusive environments.

Takeaways

🌟 The speaker is enthusiastic and loves people, which sets them apart from their peers.
😴 The speaker's Type A personality contrasts with their friend Dan's Type B personality, leading to some initial friction.
🏛️ The speaker's experiences in landscape architecture have made them feel different from their peers who are less enthusiastic about people.
🧠 There's a growing lack of empathy among younger generations, as indicated by research showing increased narcissism and decreased empathy.
🌐 The speaker believes their outgoing personality can contribute positively to landscape architecture, countering a trend of antisocial designers.
🌳 The speaker is inspired by human-centered design, aiming to create spaces that promote equity and empathy.
📚 The concept of human-centered design involves diverse designers and users planning communities based on individual and collective identity.
👥 This design approach is important for citizens as it allows them to see the impact of their opinions and worldviews on their community.
🔗 Human-centered design links creativity and philanthropy, fostering a deeper understanding between community builders and residents.
🌍 The speaker calls for architects and planners to include people in decision-making, not just relying on public agencies and traditional platforms.
💪 Embracing diverse personalities in design and community building could be key to creating an empathetic nation.

Q & A

What are the two main characteristics the speaker claims to have about themselves?
-The speaker claims to be a plethora of enthusiasm and to love people.
How does the speaker describe their personality type compared to Dan's?
-The speaker describes themselves as a Type A personality, while Dan is described as a Type B personality.
What does the speaker believe has been the impact of their personality on their architectural peers?
-The speaker believes their enthusiasm has made them feel out of place among their peers, who are not as enthused by people.
According to the speaker, what is the current state of empathy and narcissism among students today compared to 30 years ago?
-The speaker states that approximately 70% of students today score higher on narcissism and lower on empathy than the average student did 30 years ago.
What does the speaker suggest is the role of outgoing personalities like theirs in landscape architecture?
-The speaker suggests that outgoing personalities like theirs can contribute to the overall progression of landscape architecture by balancing the potential antisocial tendencies of other designers.
What is the speaker's inspiration for their undergraduate thesis?
-The speaker's inspiration for their undergraduate thesis is Crown Fountain and Millennium Park.
What does the speaker believe is the importance of human-centered design?
-The speaker believes that human-centered design is important because it encourages empathy and shows how individual opinions and worldviews affect the community.
How does the speaker define 'human-centered design'?
-The speaker defines 'human-centered design' as an idea that involves a diverse array of designers and users coming together to plan communities based on individual and collective identity.
What is the speaker's call to action for architects and planners?
-The speaker calls for architects and planners to reach out and include people in decision-making, and not leave it to public agencies and traditional platforms alone.
What does the speaker believe is the potential outcome if designers and community members of all personalities embrace one another?
-The speaker believes that if designers and community members of all personalities can learn to embrace one another, it may be what the country needs to become an empathetic nation.
What does the speaker suggest as a way to improve the quality of life for all people?
-The speaker suggests engaging in political, social, and ecological debates as a way to improve the quality of life for all people.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Embracing Individuality in Design

The speaker introduces themselves as an enthusiastic and outgoing individual, contrasting their 'Type A' personality with their friend Dan's 'Type B' personality. They share their experiences as a Landscape Architecture student and how their love for people sets them apart from their peers. The speaker discusses the broader implications of personality types on design, noting that the design community is diverse and that their enthusiasm is not a flaw but a strength. They touch on the issue of narcissism in Western culture and its impact on empathy, suggesting that outgoing personalities like theirs can contribute positively to landscape architecture by promoting equity and empathy in design.

05:00

🌱 Human-Centered Design for Empathy

The speaker delves into their research on human-centered design, inspired by the Crown Fountain in Millennium Park, aiming to create spaces that foster equity and empathy. They summarize their findings, emphasizing the importance of diverse designers and users in planning communities that reflect individual and collective identities. The speaker argues that human-centered design is not just a concept but an idea that can positively impact communities by encouraging empathy and understanding between community members. They call for architects and planners to include people in decision-making processes and to engage in broader social debates to improve the quality of life for all. The speaker concludes by urging designers and community members to embrace their differences as a strength for the nation's future as an empathetic society.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm refers to a strong interest or excitement about something or someone. In the video, the speaker identifies themselves as being full of enthusiasm, which is a key part of their personality. They mention that their enthusiasm, combined with their love for people, has not always been well-received, particularly by their friend Dan, illustrating how their passion can be perceived as intrusive or overwhelming by others.

💡Type-A Personality

A Type-A personality is characterized by being highly ambitious, aggressive, impatient, and highly motivated. The speaker identifies themselves as a Type-A personality and contrasts this with Dan's Type-B personality. The video uses this concept to highlight the differences in working styles and attitudes towards work and people, suggesting that the speaker's assertive and driven nature is at odds with the more relaxed approach of their peers.

💡Landscape Architecture

Landscape Architecture is the design of outdoor public areas, recreational areas, and the planning of gardens and parks. The speaker and Dan are both students of this field. The video suggests that the speaker's enthusiasm for people and their interactions is unusual in this field, which is traditionally more focused on design and aesthetics rather than social dynamics.

💡Human-Centered Design

Human-Centered Design is a concept where the needs, desires, and limitations of people are central to the design process. The speaker discusses how human-centered design involves a diverse array of designers and users coming together to plan communities, emphasizing the importance of empathy and individual perspectives. This concept is central to the speaker's thesis and their vision for landscape architecture.

💡Narcissism

Narcissism is a personality trait characterized by excessive self-love or self-centeredness. The speaker references research suggesting that today's students score higher on narcissism and lower on empathy than 30 years ago. This is used to argue that there is a societal shift towards a lack of interest and respect for others, which the speaker sees as a problem that landscape architecture could help address.

💡Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. The video discusses how empathy is crucial in human-centered design and how the speaker's outgoing personality can contribute positively to the field. Empathy is presented as a value that designers should foster to create more inclusive and equitable environments.

💡Millennium Park

Millennium Park is a public park in Chicago, Illinois, known for its innovative design and public art. The speaker mentions the park as a source of inspiration, particularly for its Crown Fountain, which is designed to engage the community and promote social interaction. This example illustrates the speaker's belief in the power of design to foster social connection.

💡Equity

Equity refers to fairness and justice in the way people are treated. The speaker talks about designing landscapes that put equity back into communities, suggesting that landscape architecture should not only be aesthetically pleasing but also promote social justice and equal access to public spaces.

💡Identity

Identity in this context refers to the individual and collective characteristics that define people and communities. The speaker emphasizes the importance of considering identity in human-centered design to ensure that the resulting environments reflect and respect the diversity of the people who use them.

💡Philanthropy

Philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes. The video connects human-centered design to philanthropy by suggesting that designers should be motivated by a desire to improve communities, not just to create aesthetically pleasing spaces.

💡Debate

Debate in the video refers to the process of formal discussion or argument on a particular topic, particularly in public settings. The speaker encourages engaging in political, social, and ecological debates to improve the quality of life for all people, suggesting that landscape architecture and design can play a role in fostering these discussions.

Highlights

The speaker is enthusiastic and loves people, which has not always been well received.

The speaker's friend Dan is a Type B personality, contrasting with the speaker's Type A personality.

The speaker feels out of place in architecture due to their enthusiasm for people.

There are hundreds of personalities in the design community, all pursuing better environments.

Humans are reaching maximum capacity in daily lives, leading to mental and physical collapse.

Research shows a rise in narcissism and a decrease in empathy among students.

The speaker's personality can contribute positively to landscape architecture.

Human-centered design involves diverse designers and users planning communities.

Human-centered design is about fostering a deeper understanding between community makers and residents.

Architects and planners must include people in decision-making, not just public agencies.

Architecture can impact levels of empathy.

The speaker envisions a future where designers and community members of all personalities embrace each other.

Human-centered design is the link between creativity and philanthropy.

The speaker calls for boldness, assertiveness, and difference to forge into the future as an empathetic nation.

The speaker's undergraduate thesis is inspired by Crown Fountain and Millennium Park, focusing on equity and empathy.

The importance of citizens seeing how their opinions affect their community.

The speaker summarizes their research on human-centered design in 30 seconds.