Make the World a Better Place: Design with Passion, Purpose, and Values

“This book is a must read for all with an interest in the future of design.”
―Jim Spohrer, PhD, Retired Industry executive, International Society of Service Innovation Professionals

“The world is in need of better design, and Kozma’s book shows us how to get there.”
―Mark Guzdial, Director, Program in Computing for the Arts and Sciences, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering, University of Michigan

Design services, products, experiences, and places that transform the world for the better

Make the World a Better Place: Design with Passion, Purpose, and Values presents an insightful and hands-on discussion of design as a profoundly human activity and challenges us all to use design to transform the world for the better. The book explains how and why the design industry lost its way, and how to re-ignite the idealism that once made it a force for good.

Make the World a Better Place describes a set of moral principles, based on our shared humanity, that can be used to create “good” designs: designs that reduce harm, increase well-being, advance knowledge, promote equality, address injustice, and build supportive, compassionate relationships and communities.

Dr. Kozma applies philosophy, psychology, sociology, and history to the world of design, including:

• Examples and case studies of designs―both good and bad
• Seven principles of good design, based on the impact designs have on people
• An approach to design as a “moral dialog among co-creators,” in which the seven principles can be applied to intentionally improve the world
• Comprehensive explorations of a person-resource-activity model that explains how technology shapes designs
• Detailed analyses of the strengths and pitfalls of five design traditions, which include the scientific, technical-analytic, human-centered, aesthetic, and social movement traditions

Robert Kozma, PhD, is Emeritus Principal Scientist at SRI International. During his fifty-year career, he has served as a grade school math teacher, a research scientist and professor, and a design and innovation consultant. He has counseled high tech companies, multinational organizations, and ministries of education to use technologies and methodologies to improve learning, teaching, and education.