Using Design Thinking to Accelerate Progress Toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in the Middle East and North Africa Region
ISBN: 978-1-80071-518-9, eISBN: 978-1-80071-517-2
Publication date: 2 March 2022
Abstract
Purpose: This study examines the use of Design Thinking by international development actors in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region. Factors contributing to Design Thinking’s adoption, its evolution, and contributions to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are identified.
Methodology/approach: The study used a desk review, survey questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews with purposefully selected experts to capture experiences from across the MENA region. Snowballing enabled more experts to be reached.
Findings: Over the past decade, Design Thinking has been successfully adopted by a growing number of organizations and sectors. Its low-resource requirements and focus on mindset enable it to empower communities to find solutions by and for themselves. Its human-centered approach, use of empathy to deepen understanding of the user makes it well suited for advancing the 2030 SDGs vision of “no one left behind.”
Research limitations/implications: This was a small exploratory study that involved 13 respondents in 4 countries. All experts interviewed lead Design Thinking projects across the MENA region. The chapter identifies actions to enhance research/knowledge in this area.
Practical implications: A systematic mapping of Design Thinking actors and initiatives across the MENA region and the establishment of communities of practice could improve knowledge and resource sharing and more effective/wider application of Design Thinking.
Social implications: Design Thinking can contribute to the 2030 SDGs in the MENA region. As a low-resource methodology, Design Thinking can empower grassroots actors to make and own needed changes.
Originality/value of paper: This chapter appears to be the first one to examine Design Thinking’s contribution to achieving the 2030 SDGs in the MENA region.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments
The author would like to express appreciation to the numerous persons and institutions who contributed their time, invaluable experience, and insights that informed the elaboration of this study. Below are the names of some of these respondents.
Mr Abdelhamid Abdellatif, Communication Specialist, Innovation Lab, UNDP Egypt.
Mr Ashley Barlow, Programmes Manager – The Station Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Iraq.
Ms Ramona Canaan, CEO, D-Venture for social innovation and development, Egypt.
Ms Germaine Haddad, Assistant Representative, UNFPA Arab States Regional Office, Egypt.
Ms Darine El Hage, LLM in Human Rights, Peace Building and Development practitioner, Independent Consultant, Lebanon.
Ms Katriena, Koedam-Wiersma, Program Manager, Twelve Degrees, Jordan.
Mr Aymen Salman Khalaf, Communications and Fundraising Officer - The Station Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Iraq.
Dr Gihan Osman, Associate Professor, The American University in Cairo, Egypt.
Mr Ibrahim Serafi, Business Head, Sunstream Research and Consulting, United Arab Emirates.
Ms Amina El Shazly, Product Design Consultant and Design Thinking Coach.
Citation
Hector, P.G.C. (2022), "Using Design Thinking to Accelerate Progress Toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in the Middle East and North Africa Region", Sindakis, S. and Aggarwal, S. (Ed.) Entrepreneurial Rise in the Middle East and North Africa: The Influence of Quadruple Helix on Technological Innovation (Advanced Strategies in Entrepreneurship, Education and Ecology), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 125-148. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-517-220221007
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022 Emerald Publishing Limited