From the planetary to the individual, our world is changing faster and more unexpectedly than we can manage. Living systems are nearing collapse, while long-standing man-made systems hang on for survival.
It’s difficult to grasp the complexity of what’s happening around us. Negative news reinforces feelings of anxiety and uncertainty, making it harder to imagine a better future.
Traditional problem solving has long relied on experts applying specialized knowledge and skills to framing problems and finding solutions. While valuable, what this approach often overlooks in complex situations is the bigger context, the hidden interconnections, and above all, the human dimension.
The work of tackling large, messy challenges is fundamentally human, rooted in human capabilities and guided (in part) by human needs. To make progress on our toughest challenges, we need to support and develop the two most critical (but least cultivated) human capabilities for complex problem solving:
Understanding
Making sense of our world, maximizing the knowledge we have, and communicating effectively
Imagination
Readily generating new ideas, thinking expansively, and making connections across domains
Workshops, meetings, brainstorming sessions, and other conventional collaborative activities need a radical rethink if we want to dig into complex challenges in a meaningful way. We need to infuse them with understanding and imagination through proactive bridging, mapping and exploring. We need to challenge safe thinking and leave our comfort zones to break new ground.
Sense is a hybrid design consultancy that helps people see their world more clearly, imagine new possibilities, and take focused action toward their goals. We apply our expertise in information design, research, strategy, applied creativity to a variety of challenges.
We work best as partners with organizations and communities who share our vision of a world of unbound human potential and thriving, living systems — and who are committed to the hard work of getting there.
We collaboratively map and investigate a complex situation, envision an ideal state, and identify areas to intervene for high impact.
We develop communications and experiences that inform and engage diverse audiences. We also bring future visions to life in tangible forms to deepen understanding of their impact.
We offer instruction in the fundamental skills and concepts behind what we do, to support individual and team work on complex challenges.
