On the Value of Diversity

Innovation thrives in conditions of diversity, not efficiency, and spaces designed for a single function—be it movement, sport, entertainment, or culture—are unlikely to foster innovation. (p.104)

To me, Thackara’s conclusion would seem to be pretty obvious: when you encourage diversity, you open the door for more ways of framing design problems and solutions. But it’s still a welcome callout, especially in the book’s context of technology design where the mindset is usually to sanitize and standardize the idea of interaction.

Thackara talks about diversity in a few ways. He states that design should focus on situations—the context around interactions—in order to facilitate the potential for a wide range of emergent interactions, not just ones dictated by the designer.

Design does not take place in a situation; it is the situation. As planners, designers, and citizens, we need to rethink our spaces, places, and communities in order to better exploit the dynamic potential of networked collaboration. (p.99)

He also talks about edge spaces, places where two different communities interact, as rich sources for design.

As in nature, so too in a networked economy: Variety, density, and interaction are success factors. But the way we organize things now, the potential benefits of edge effects are designed out, not in. (p.216)

In part, design becomes a smart recombination of existing ideas, communities, and processes.

Putting old knowledge into a new context creates new knowledge. We need to become hunter-gatherers of models, processes, and ways of living. (p.218)

The mixing of diverse perspectives nurtures resilience and innovative ideas.