Social Impact

Social Impact

We believe in the power of design thinking to create significant social change. As perhaps the purest example of our human-centered approach, Social Impact at IDEO enables design as a tool to address such global social issues as poverty, health, water, economic empowerment, environmental activism, and the need for basic services. Design for social impact seeks to incite transformational change in underserved, underrepresented, and disadvantaged communities.

We believe that engaging in design for social impact advances the craft of human-centered design, as social design challenges are typically complex, systemic, and inherently human. We work domestically and internationally to bridge markets and inspire multidisciplinary conversations about the role of design in large-scale problem solving. We engage in projects with a variety of clients in the private, public, and social sectors to enable communities, individuals, and economies to grow through thoughtful design approaches.

Ongoing Alliances

Acumen Fund is a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty.

Base of the Pyramid Learning Lab Network is a global consortium of private and public stakeholders using business to address the needs of the poor.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation works to reduce inequalities in the U.S. and around the world and has supported IDEO projects related to agriculture, water and sanitation, and basic health services. See the work IDEO has done with the Gates Foundation.

The Rockefeller Foundation supports global efforts to expand opportunities for poor or vulnerable people, and to help ensure that globalization’s benefits are more widely shared. See the work IDEO has done with the Rockefeller Foundation.

Related News & World Influence

Guest post by Jocelyn Wyatt about the Better World by Design Conference on NextBillion.net

Socialedge.org features a video conversation with Tim Brown about design for social impact.

Socialedge.org presents a message board hosted by Jocelyn Wyatt inviting dialogue about design's role in the social sector.

Design for Social Impact - What Does It Mean and Why Should We Care? Guest post on NextBillion.net

Design as Strategy for Social Change: IDEO, the Pop!Tech blog entry about the ways in which IDEO uses design to influence consumer products, purchasing, interactions, and behaviors.

Changing the Change - a call to action, an article on Core 77 summarizing the conference that took place in Turin, Italy, July 10–12, with Bill Moggridge on its panel.

Aquaduct mobile filtration vehicle, a post on Core 77 showing a video of the winner of the Innovate or Die competition.

Team Aquaduct wins Innovate or Die competition, an announcement on the Official Google blog about the winning vehicle by IDEO designers.

Learning Empathy from the Innovation Experts, a post on Social Edge by a participant in an IDEO workshop with Jane Fulton Suri.

The Ripple Effect and the Water Crisis, a post on World Changing about clean water access in the developing world that includes mention of IDEO's work with Acumen Fund.

Calling for Creative Partnerships, Acumen Fund blog

IDEO + Acumen Fund = Great Design for the Greater Good, a post on Project H Design about IDEO's clean water partnership.

Design 21 Social Design Network promotes better design for the greater good.

Good is media for people who give a damn.

NextBillion.net compiles stories about the connections between development and enterprise.

Social Edge is a blog by social entrepreneurs for social entrepreneurs.

Project H Design is a charitable organization that supports, creates, and delivers humanitarian and life-improving product design solutions.