Democratizing Design is a mindset and practice that makes design understandable, accessible, approachable and inclusive—shaped through meaningful community participation.
To support organizations in applying design with technology as tools for innovation, problem-solving, and strategic planning, the UC San Diego Design Lab, in partnership with The Design Academy and CETYS University, created this limited PROTOTYPE playbook. The goal of the Playbook is a guide for using design to engage communities, address complex challenges, and build more responsive, equitable systems.
This is not a step-by-step manual. Instead, it is a flexible guide to help leverage the value of design to improve quality of life, foster empathy, increase adoption, strengthen collaboration, and reduce risk in decision-making.
About Democratizing Design Playbook
A Prototype
Acerca de la Guía para la Democratización del Diseño
Primer prototipo
La Democratización del Diseño es una forma de pensar y de actuar que vuelve el diseño más comprensible, accesible, cercano e inclusivo, al ser construido a través de la participación real de las comunidades.
Con la intención de ayudar a las organizaciones a aplicar el diseño y la tecnología como herramientas para innovar, resolver problemas y planear estratégicamente, UC San Diego Design Lab, en alianza con The Design Academy y CETYS Universidad, creó este PROTOTIPO inicial de playbook. Su meta es ofrecer una guía para usar el diseño en la colaboración con comunidades, enfrentar retos complejos y crear sistemas más equitativos y sensibles a las necesidades reales.
No es un manual rígido ni lineal. Es una guía flexible que inspira a aprovechar el valor del diseño para mejorar la vida de las personas, cultivar empatía, facilitar la adopción de nuevas ideas, fortalecer la colaboración y reducir riesgos en las decisiones que impactan a todos.
The CaliBaja area, spanning Baja California in Mexico and Southern California in the United States, is defined by a strong sense of regional identity. First Nations communities long inhabited both sides of the border, their enduring presence reminding us that CaliBaja has always been a connected territory. Later, the explorations of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo and the legacy of the missions added new layers to this shared identity.
The term CaliBaja reinforces this connection, framing the region as a unified whole and suggesting an interdependence across the border. Deep economic and cultural ties continue to strengthen this sense of belonging.
Within this dynamic context, the Democratize Design project seeks to make design accessible and highlight its value in improving life throughout the cross-border region. Our goal is to foster inclusive collaboration and co-design through a Playbook with people of all backgrounds and skill levels.
Regional Context
El área de CaliBaja, integrada por Baja California en México y el sur de California en Estados Unidos, se caracteriza por un sólido sentido de identidad regional. Durante siglos, comunidades originarias habitaron ambos lados de la frontera, recordándonos que este siempre ha sido un territorio interconectado. Posteriormente, las exploraciones de Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo y el legado de las misiones aportaron nuevas dimensiones a esta identidad compartida.
El término CaliBaja refuerza este vínculo, presentando a la región como un todo unificado y revelando su interdependencia transfronteriza. Hoy en día, profundos lazos económicos y culturales siguen consolidando este sentido de pertenencia.
En este contexto, el proyecto Democratización del Diseño busca hacer del diseño una práctica accesible y resaltar su valor como herramienta para mejorar la vida en la región transfronteriza. Su meta es fomentar la colaboración inclusiva y la co-creación mediante una Guía para todas las personas, independientemente de su orígen y nivel de experiencia.
Contexto Regional
Let’s align - design definitions
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Design is a creative, intentional practice that iteratively solves problems and creates value for people, communities, and the planet.
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Great Design is inspiring, functional, and inclusive—shaped by context, mindful of impact, and aimed at creating measurable, lasting benefit for people and the planet.
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Democratizing Design is a mindset that makes design understandable, accessible, approachable and inclusive—shaped through meaningful community participation.
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Design Thinking is a mindset and cross-disciplinary approach that uses empathy, creativity, and iteration to create human-centered, equitable solutions.
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Human-Centered Design is a collaborative, research-driven, and iterative practice that creates meaningful outcomes rooted in people’s needs, desires, and context
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Humanity-Centered Design is a systems thinking approach that considers individual needs within the broader cultural, social, environmental, and ethical context—aiming to create positive, lasting impact for humanity.
Vamos a alinearnos - Definición de diseño
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El DISEÑO es una práctica creativa e intencional que resuelve problemas de manera recurrente y crea valor para las personas, las comunidades y el planeta.
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EL GRAN DISEÑO es inspirador, funcional e inclusivo; está moldeado por su contexto, es consciente de su impacto y busca generar un beneficio medible y duradero para las personas y el planeta.
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DEMOCRATIZAR EL DISEÑO es una mentalidad que hace que el diseño sea comprensible, accesible, cercano e inclusivo, a través de una participación comunitaria significativa.
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EL PENSAMIENTO DE DISEÑO es una mentalidad y un enfoque interdisciplinario que utiliza la empatía, la creatividad y la iteración para crear soluciones centradas en las personas y equitativas.
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EL DISEÑO CENTRADO EN LAS PERSONAS es una práctica colaborativa y recurrente, basada en la investigación, que genera resultados significativos arraigados en las necesidades, deseos y contexto de las personas.
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EL DISEÑO CENTRADO EN LA HUMANIDAD es un enfoque basado en un pensamiento sistémico que considera las necesidades individuales dentro de un contexto cultural, social, ambiental y ético más amplio, con el objetivo de generar un impacto positivo y duradero para la humanidad.
Let’s align - Guiding principles
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Create a culture/community by developing solutions that address immediate human needs while also considering long-term impacts on people, our planet as well as unintended consequences on future generations. This approach emphasizes sustainability, adaptability, and ethical responsibility, ensuring that designs address improving the quality of life today without compromising the well-being of tomorrow. By prioritizing humanity and future resilience, this principle empowers communities to co-create solutions that are both impactful and enduring.
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Put people first by understanding stakeholder motivations, the root context of your challenge, and creating meaningful solutions through an iterative process of prototyping and testing.
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Design enhances the way we live, work, and interact with the world around us. When we prioritize improving the quality of life, we focus on creating solutions that make life simpler, more enjoyable and more inclusive. Design has the power to uplift individuals, strengthen communities, and create positive change in society and on our planet. To do this we believe the impact needs to be measurable, equitable and scalable.
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We believe creativity exists in everyone, regardless of their background or expertise. We make the design process more inclusive, encouraging diverse perspectives and allowing people from all walks of life to contribute to solving complex problems and shaping meaningful solutions. This principle breaks down the barriers between professional designers and the broader community whereby designers, as well as their tools, methods and expertise are valued, approachable, understandable and accessible to all to solve complex challenges.
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Transparent, open communication and feedback is necessary to create trust between partners. Compromise may be necessary to meet the desirability, feasibility and viability of the majority of key stakeholders while still working toward a longer term vision.
These guiding principles ground the Democratizing Design Playbook in shared values. They serve as a compass to ensure that design work remains inclusive, ethical, and community-driven. Whether you're a practitioner, policymaker, or partner, these principles help align actions with purpose—centering people, equity, and impact in every step of the design process.
Estos principios rectores fundamentan la Guia de Democratización del Diseño en valores compartidos. Sirven como una brújula para garantizar que el trabajo de diseño sea inclusivo, ético y centrado en la comunidad. Ya sean profesionistas, servidores públicos o colaboradores, estos principios ayudan a alinear las acciones con un propósito, colocando a las personas, la equidad y el impacto en el centro de cada paso del proceso de diseño.
Vamos a alinearnos - principios rectores fundamentan
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Crear una cultura o comunidad mediante el desarrollo de soluciones que atiendan necesidades humanas inmediatas, pero que también consideren los impactos a largo plazo en las personas, el planeta y las posibles consecuencias no intencionadas para las generaciones futuras. Este enfoque enfatiza la sostenibilidad, la adaptabilidad y la responsabilidad ética, asegura que los diseños busquen mejorar la calidad de vida hoy sin comprometer el bienestar del mañana. Al priorizar la humanidad y la resiliencia futura, este principio facilita a las comunidades a co-crear soluciones que sean tanto impactantes como duraderas.
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Poner a las personas en primer lugar, comprender las motivaciones de los interesados, el contexto profundo del desafío y crear soluciones significativas a través de un proceso iterativo de prototipado y prueba.
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El diseño transforma la manera en que vivimos, trabajamos e interactuamos con nuestro entorno. Con un enfoque en la mejora de la calidad de vida, busca crear soluciones que hagan la vida más sencilla, disfrutable e inclusiva para todas las personas. El diseño tiene el poder de empoderar a individuos, fortalecer comunidades y generar cambios positivos tanto en la sociedad como en el planeta. El impacto debe ser medible, equitativo, escalable, y asegurar beneficios tangibles y sostenibles para el presente y el futuro.
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Creemos que la creatividad existe en todas las personas, sin importar su origen o experiencia. Hacemos que el proceso de diseño sea más inclusivo, fomentando perspectivas diversas y permitiendo que personas de todos los ámbitos contribuyan a resolver problemas complejos y a generar soluciones significativas. Este principio derriba las barreras entre los diseñadores profesionales y la comunidad en general, haciendo que tanto los diseñadores como sus herramientas, métodos y conocimientos sean valorados, accesibles, comprensibles y al alcance de todos para enfrentar retos complejos.
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La comunicación abierta, transparente y la retroalimentación son necesarias para crear confianza entre los colaboradores. Puede ser necesario llegar a compromisos para satisfacer la deseabilidad, viabilidad y factibilidad de la mayoría de las partes interesadas clave, mientras se trabaja hacia una visión a largo plazo.
Why Design Matters
Design shapes the world around us—from the systems we rely on to the experiences we live every day. When done well, design solves problems, improves lives, and creates meaningful, lasting impact.
Why Democratizing Design Matters
Democratizing design ensures that people and communities most affected by decisions have a voice in shaping them. It leads to more inclusive, equitable, and relevant solutions that reflect diverse needs, values, and perspectives.
¿Por qué importa el Diseño?
El Diseño da forma al mundo que nos rodea, desde sistemas de los que dependemos, hasta las experiencias cotidianas que definen nuestra vida. Cuando el diseño se lleva a cabo exitosamente, resuelve problemas, mejora la vida de las personas, y genera un impacto significativo.
¿Por qué Democratizar el Diseño importa?
La Democratización del Diseño asegura que las personas y comunidades más impactadas por las decisiones participen en su construcción. De este modo, se generan soluciones más inclusivas, equitativas y relevantes, que incorporan la diversidad de necesidades, valores y perspectivas.
The Quadruple Diamond created and prototyped by the DD team demonstrates a framework to apply a Humanity-Centered Design to tackle large, complex challenges. It consists of 8 phases of convergent and divergent methods. A design professional should be engaged as a partner to facilitate and provide guidance with the framework. For less complex challenges, the process can be quicker or could be started in later phases.
How - Framework
At every stage of the Humanity-Centered Design process, tools help teams spark ideas, build empathy, and collaborate effectively. They make it easier to focus, align with strategy, and turn insights into action. Here are examples of some of the key tools you can use. For in-depth details, contact info@ddsdtj.com.
How - Tools & methods
STRATEGY SPACE: UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT & DEFINING THE CHALLENGE
Goal: Understand people, systems, and context
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Use
Identifies all key persons and their relationships
Application
Used at the outset to identify influences and vested interest
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Use
Builds deep understanding of persons lives
Application
Helps uncover unspoken needs and perspectives
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Use
A structured framework for observing and organizing insights about Activities, Environments, Interactions, bbjects, and Users.
Application
It is applied during research to capture observations, identify patterns, and inspire design opportunities.
STRATEGY SPACE: UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT & DEFINING THE CHALLENGE
Goal: Deepen empathy, synthesize insights and frame the right problem
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Use
Helps teams understand and visualize what users think, say, and do to build deeper empathy
Application
It is applied to synthesize research insights and align teams round user needs, motivations, and pain points
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Use
Captures the goals, needs, and behaviors of key user groups
Application
Ensure solutions stay aligned with real people’s experiences.
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Use
Visualizes and clarifies the user experience over time
Application
Identifies pain points, moments of delight, & opportunity areas
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Use
Clarifies a person’a challenges & root causes
Application
Serves as a jumping off point for potential approaches
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Use
Helps to visually rank ideas or initiatives by importance
Application
Focuses attention on the most critical opportunities at the center
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Use
Useful where some may be less vocal or when you want to avoid groupthink and ensure every voice is heard
Application
Ideas are written individually then passed around for others to build upon
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Use
Ideal for generating a large number of ideas in a short time, especially during the early stages of design when quantity can lead to unexpected innovation
Application
In this rapid ideation exercise, participants fold a piece of paper into eight sections and sketch eight different ideas in eight minutes - It encourages quick thinking and quantity over quality
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Use
Great for refining existing products or processes and generating variations on a theme
Application
Prompts innovation through a series of questions based on seven actions: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse - It encourages participants to think critically about existing products or processes
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Use
Quick and democratic way to prioritize ideas in group settings by letting each person 'vote' with dots or stickers
Application
Each person gets a fixed number of dots placing them on their favorite ideas. Most dots = group priority
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Use
Helps to visually rank ideas or initiatives by importance
Application
Focuses attention on the most critical opportunities at the center
SOLUTION SPACE: CONCEPT PRototype
Goal: Ideate
SOLUTION SPACE: CONCEPT PRototype
Goal: Make ideas tangible and ready for testing
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Use
Encourages fast, low-risk testing
Application
Useful for early feedback before investing heavily
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Use
Shows the flow of a concept over time
Application
Helps communicate and refine ideas
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Use
Builds empathy and better understanding of the proposed solution
Application
Reveals behavioral insights and emotional responses
SOLUTION SPACE: CONCEPT PRototype
Goal: Test prototyped solutions with real users to gather feedback, surface assumptions, and identify strengths and limitations.
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Assumption Testing
Surface the assumptions embedded in the approaches being developed to prioritize testing and learnings against them to improve the solution
Application
Map assumptions on a quadrant chart with Low Impact / High Impact on the horizontal axis and Not Proven Yet and Proven True on the vertical axis
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Use
Focuses and narrows the goals of the process of testing a prototype to the specific assumptions to be tested, how, when, and how we will know it is successful
Application
IF WE - Action to test the Assumption.
THEN - Hypothesized result of the experiment
WHICH WE WILL MEASURE BY: How you will know if you are successful
OUTCOMES OR GOALS: Minimum Threshold for success
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Use
Shows the flow of a concept over time - helps communicate and refine ideas
Application
Helps communicate and refine ideas
implementation SPACE: analyze and scale
Goal: Measure impact and assess outcomes / goals.
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Use
Define the key indicators and key results to evaluate the performance
Application
Measure specific design outputs against strategic goals - create a clear GOAL, identify SUCCESS FACTORS and make them MEASURABLE, set the TARGET by defining the performance, TRACK data and REVIEW
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Use
Sets realistic milestones to ensure progress is strategic, coordinated, and adaptive to change - helps visualize the sequence, timing, and priorities
Application
Document key Areas of Focus, Key Project Goals, Success Metrics, Key Actions Needed
training
Contact us to learn how to use the playbook prototype and apply to your challenges!
Join us in our journey to Democratize Design. Learn more, get involved, share your feedback, and be part of a transformative movement that seeks to make design accessible to all. Email us at info@ddsdtj.com to get in touch!
