Abstract

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was cursed with a prophetic knowledge of the future that no one would believe. The premise of this mythological prophet is also an apt description of the challenge facing scientists in communicating climate change. Central to addressing this challenge is the ability to examine, interpret and understand the individual scaffolding that underlies people's perception of climate change. Human-centered design incorporates a deep assessment of human needs in the design of systems and services, providing an alternative lens to engage in action towards climate change. Over the course of three separate design classes, attracting a diverse array of students from undergraduate to PhD to professional degrees, from engineers to humanists, we have explored the intersection of design education and climate change communication. In Design for a Habitable Planet, students conducted broad unstructured interviews to populate a matrix of beliefs and experiences around climate change, allowing them to bridge a perceived empathy gap. Their subjects included local fisherman, who are experiencing climate change but are ideologically opposed to the concept, and Alaska Native students who are experiencing climate change as part of a larger portfolio of challenges facing their communities. Leveraging theories from behavioral psychology, students then developed and prototyped an array of climate action campaigns, using an array of mediums from Snapchat filters to crowd-sourced climate haiku on beer labels. A unique outcome of the design process was a set of strategies intended to engage voices from all corners of the climate change debate and in turn inspire action. In Design of Data, students were challenged to design a data journalism piece highlighting positive action to address climate change. Students struggled with their pre-conceived negative bias around climate change, but after an examination of their own communities, what emerged were eight compelling stories daylighting positive and collective action to address global change. Ultimately, through our classroom experiments integrating design, behavioral psychology and climate change communication, students have not only learned to engage across differences, but we have developed a first glimpse of the power of design to inspire novel strategies to incite positive action to address climate change.