Design with/and/for Value

Abstract

Design is increasingly applied across government, business, and policy domains as a means of responding to social and economic challenges. While its strategic potential is celebrated, less attention has been given to understanding how design might support non-profit organisations (NPOs) to achieve their intended visions. This doctoral research explores how design can support Australian non-profit organisations in their pursuit of value – the realisation of their collective ambitions in practice, often shaped by multiple voices, shifting priorities, and layered definitions of success.

Combining theoretical inquiry with practice-led research, this work explores both how value is conceptualised and how it plays out in real-world collaborations. A series of design engagements with non-profit organisations serve as sites of exploration, providing insight into how designers can work with – and within – existing non-profit organisational practices. The research pays particular attention to the conditions, relationships, and design modes that enable design intent to be generative rather than extractive.

The thesis makes two central contributions. First, it develops a critical understanding of value in relation to design praxis – an offering informed by real-world applications and braced by theory. Second, it demonstrates designerly ways of engaging with non-profit organisations that are responsive, situated, and aligned with the evolving needs of non-profit practice. In doing so, it contributes to ongoing conversations about design’s role in community and public life – not only as a set of tools or methods, but as a practice of sustaining hope, making space for uncertainty, and imagining more generous futures into being.