Project Description

DesignWISE is a research-based tool rooted in design thinking and systemic leadership. Further, the tool is inspired by the medicine wheel from indigenous wisdom traditions that date back thousands of years, as recognized in indigenous cultures across the globe.

DesignWISE offers an alternative to traditional linear design processes, where we move from idea or brief to final outcome. In the DesignWISE wheel, there is an invitation for a 360-degree reflection on all processes and decisions.

Form follows consciousness

DesignWISE is built on the assertion that in order to enact deeper changes in our organizations and society, we need to learn to reconnect with the deeper layers within ourselves and with the nature we are part of. This requires moving away from reproducing the normal realms of experience and familiar solution approaches.

Therefore, DesignWISE is a tool designed to introduce practices of introspection and contemplation – including mindfulness – into design processes, which can shift us away from the ordinary and bring different forms of inspiration into our practice.

DesignWISE in Eight Phases

The DesignWISE wheel consists of eight phases following the cycle of the medicine wheel, traversing different seasons, elements, and life stages, each representing various fundamental energies in the universe. Along the way, there are opportunities for phases of zooming in and out from the specific and concrete to the planetary level. The fundamental questions behind DesignWISE are: How can we fundamentally shift perspective from human to planetary? How can we create to regenerate?

Learn more about DesignWISE in Ida Engholm’s book: Design for the New World: From Human Design to Planet Design

A detailed methodology guide is currently under development and will be available on this website from June 2024.