Humans, heat, and hygiene

What role does design play in an over populated world, where temperatures are continuing to rise and there is an influx of informal settlements due to conflict and natural disasters? How do you innovate in a well established sector and what are the ethical concerns that you have to be mindful of when designing in the humanitarian context? To answer these questions, we will unpack some of the systemic issues involving humans, heat and hygiene through our experience working with global humanitarian agencies such as the Red Cross, The Humanitarian Innovation Fund and Oxfam.

We will share our learnings on how we trained community members and NGO’s to apply lean and user-centered approaches to identify problems, people and solutions for disasters such as cyclones, hurricanes, and the spread of diseases due to poor sanitation. We will also share some of our stories about cultural differences and ethical concerns that came up in our work in the UK, Indonesia and Vanuatu.