I realized that I notoriously don’t finish my own projects (a.k.a. things with no real deadlines), so to break that crappy habit, I’m going to keep posting my thesis, edited for blog format. Once I’m finished with this, I’m working on remixing parts of this version (with correct citations from the original, boring, researchy version) into a book for people who want to partake in my Tokens of Kindness experiment.
Anywho, for those of you who get my updates on Facebook or in a feed aggregator (Feedly, etc.) … sorry (not sorry?)? There’s a slew of back-dated posts I’m going to be publishing in the next few days (i.e. it’s actually July, but these posts are dated in April). I promise that the last chunk of them will be exciting — once I get past the researchy stuff. 
You should have read these before I edited them for public consumption, btw.
Without further adeiu, let’s pick up where we left off last.
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So, as a social designer you need to understand behavior change. We covered that in the last post. But beyond that, you’ve got to understand how to work with (and in) a community. Designers have traditionally worked behind a desk, and in recent years, behind a Mac. But to make relevant and helpful societal work, you’ve got to get out there and experience what the people you’re designing for are experiencing — firsthand.
Your work needs to be relevant to the community you’re aiming to serve. Experts in community-based design research explain that
“Communities have to see the need for the research.”
And they go on to explain that community-based researchers should strive to have a relationship with the community they’re trying to serve so that
“… partners can learn about and understand each other’s needs,” (2007, p. 213).
Basically? Social designers should use the opportunity to immerse themselves in a new (or perhaps familiar) community if they plan to design something worthwhile.
