Generous by Design
Design for social impact
What we do
We are social designers that work collaboratively to solve complex human problems linked to climate change, poverty and inequality.
We don’t jump to conclusions, instead our approach is a combination of listening, observing, defining, imagining and testing to find long term sustainable solutions that work for people and the planet. We are inspired by a wide range of well recognised and established design thinking methodologies.
For twelve years we have been working on social and environmental challenges in the city of Leeds.
You can read about our work here including an empty homes service that has brought over 900 empty homes back into use, a people powered school uniform exchange approach that has made accessing second hand uniform easy for those who need it and reduced waste, and a grassroots ‘zero waste’ movement with over 25,000 local people sharing ways to live more sustainably.
How we do it
We use a four-step tried and tested design process. Here's how it works.
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UNDERSTAND - we listen, observe and bring people together to hear what they’ve got to say. This is the research phase where we dig deep to understand as much as we can about an issue, listening to the people with a stake in it.
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DEFINE - we organise, interpret and make sense of the insights gained from step one. We identify common themes and define the problem/ challenge to be solved. We turn those challenges into opportunities for design.
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IMAGINE - we use our combined creativity, experience and knowledge from steps 1 and 2 to come up with the best and most innovative ideas to test.
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PROTOTYPE - we test the idea(s), turning them into a reality. We involve people at every stage of the process with the aim of finding a desirable, feasible and viable long term solution that works for all.