Application of design as an approach to solving social problems has grown rapidly. However, the real impact of this approach has yet to be demonstrated. Without getting a deep understanding of what works and what doesn’t, designers will continue to struggle with defining the field and, ultimately, gaining funding support.
Measuring a design project’s social return on investment depends on the project itself, it is important to begin with the basics of setting goals, defining outputs, outcomes and benchmarks. Design::Effect provides that first step by offering a basic, step-by-step tool for plotting out the components of impact measurement.