I ❤ Algorithms

The d.school’s Emerging Tech Initiative

Point of View
AI
BLOCKCHAIN
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
We want to provide
radical access to these
new mediums of design.
 Implications Positive + negative.
Predicted + unexpected.

What is
design Systems Platforms + movements.
Schools + governments.

work?
Experiences Events + spaces.
Moments + feelings.

Products Digital + physical.

Form + function.

Technologies Emerging + exponential.

Standalone + leveraged.

Data Sources + algorithms.

Big + small.
 Implications Positive + negative.

Initial driving
Predicted + unexpected.

questions:
Systems Platforms + movements.
Schools + governments.

How do we design analog prototyping

tools for emerging digital mediums?

Can we design learning experiences

Experiences Events + spaces.
Moments + feelings.
that enable people from all disciplines
to create with emerging tech?

How do we prototype implications of Products Digital + physical.

Form + function.

technologies that scale massively and

quickly?
Technologies Emerging + exponential.
Standalone + leveraged.
What contributions can non-
technologists have on tech
prototyping?
Data Sources + algorithms.
Big + small.
Designing with Machine Learning

Workshop
Learning Arc
 Frame the Problem Profile Generate Scale the Concept
a a with Machine
Person Concept Learning

STEPS 1-3 STEP 4 STEPS 5-6 STEPS 7-10

DESIGNING
WITH
MACHINE
LEARNING
 (8) HEADLINES
Implications

(2) EXPANDED IDEA

Systems

(1) FAMILIAR (6) ALGORITHM

EXPERIENCE EFFECTS
Experiences

Products
(4) MACHINE
LEARNING
Technologies

(5) ALGORITHM CHOICE

Data
(3) DATA IDEAS (7) DATA FINDING, GAPS, BIAS
Designing with Machine Learning

Select
Moments
 Map the
3. Map the problem space. Problem Space

IMPLICATIONS
What societal trends or
phenomena do you see?

Move your ideas into the problem space

framework. Fill in any gaps in the
ecosystem as appropriate.

SYSTEMS
Are there any systemic
issues? Which ones?

EXPERIENCES
What are the problems with
the current experience?

PRODUCTS
Are there any physical or
digital products that are
part of the current
experience?

TECHNOLOGIES
Do you know of any tech
being used in this space
now?

What types of data do you

DATA
believe are available about
this problem?
 Sit, Algorithm, Sit.

0 1
0

0 1
0
1
0

0 0
0 0

0 1
0
1 1
0
1 0
0 1
1
1
0 1 0 1
0
HOLD UP!!
So far you’ve been
designing for one
user, but your idea
is so good that we
should scale it to
10,000 people.
You want to use machine
learning to craft a
solution that will work for
10,000 people and get
better with time.

But what algorithms

might you use?
7. Pass out the I Algorithms cards
to your team. Take turns reading them
aloud to your group. Talk through
what you think each algorithm could
do for your idea.

This might be a big stretch for you…or, you

might know a lot already. Let’s lean into the
learning. Just talk things out for right now.
 y o r ig
l d d e l ight m
It wou .
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _____
_ __ _ _
_____ what)
(create

we us e d
___ _ i f
___
_ _ _ _ _ _____
_ _ _ _ _ _____
a k ep ___
u (system
)
_ _ __ __ _ .
ta ll y s h _ _ _ _ _
i g h t t o _ _ _ _ _ _
It m _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ t o e w h at)
_ _ _ _ _ _ (chang

_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ to
__ __ _ _ __ _
(algori
t h m)
_ _ _ _ __
_ _ _ _ _ _
u s e _ _ m)
e c o u l d (alg or ith

i n g i f w
t e r r i f y
o u l d b e
It w
_ _ _ _ _ .
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _
_____ what)
(do

__ ___ _
_ ___
__ ___ ____
_ __ _ _
_ __ _ _ _ to do wha
t)
(

_ _ _ _ _ _____
u s e _ _ _____ hm)
y to (algori
t
be risk
 Pote
n tial
(list
wha g aps
t or
who (blin
are y
ou n
d spot
ot in s ) in
clud
ing b that
y us
ing t data
ata y are...?
he d
ou’v
e se
lecte
d)

Wha
t are
(list w
hat we p
is both r iorit
inten
tion
iz ing?
al an
d un
W hat
inte
ntio
are our
n al) bias
es...?

How
mig
(l h
Designing with Blockchain

Workshop
Learning Arc
 Explore
Deconstruct a Trust and Build a Explore the Effects
System Incentives Blockchain of that Blockchain

STEPS 1-4 STEPS 5-8 STEP 9 STEPS 10-12

DESIGNING
WITH
BLOCKCHAIN
 (8) HEADLINES
Implications

(1) FAMILIAR SYSTEM

Systems
(7) NEW SYSTEMS +
EXPERIENCES
(3) TRUST MOMENTS
Experiences
(2) STAKEHOLDER
JOURNEYS

Products

(5) BLOCKCHAIN
Technologies

Data
(4) HUMAN INCENTIVES (6) MAKE A RECORD
Designing with Blockchain

Select
Moments