Tactics for Norm-Creative Innovation

This paper presents a set of norm-creative innovation tactics developed in collaborative design research projects with the objective of creating more inclusive solutions. Unawareness of social norms are exemplified through some of the flaws design has contributed to. The norm-creative approach explored in this paper involves a first step of being norm-critical, i.e. challenging social norms that contributes to inequalities and social exclusion, and a second step of being norm-creative, i.e. developing design solutions that counteract such norms through design thinking of what might be. The tactics were developed by extracting and articulating knowledge and experiences from various strands of design methodologies, successively tweaked with norm-creative perspectives and then probed in a series of collaborative design projects. The resulting tactics serve three key roles: Firstly, they contribute in iterative explorations of several stances and action possibilities. Secondly, they promote change of awareness through increasing understanding of diverse user experiences and social exclusion, and thirdly, they contribute both in thinking new about what is and what might be, thereby affording innovative prospects. Tactics for norm-creative innovation can for these reasons be one way of raising awareness and contributing to social sustainability through design.