Design Thinking Roundtable

Hanieh Khosroshahi is an independent design consultant, researcher, and community organizer working in pursuit of people and the planet. Her work spans multiple sectors from international development and public health to women’s rights and technologies. She also worked in many geographies including Canada, Rwanda, Tanzania, Nepal, and Afghanistan.  She applies principles and methods of Human-centred Design, participatory research, and systems thinking to design, test, and scale innovative and impactful solutions, both online and offlineHer mission is to advance the health, opportunities, and rights of those on the margins, with a particular focus on youth and women in under-served and low-resource settings, from or with roots in the global majority.
In this episode, Hanieh shares with us the journey that led her to English Literature, Visual Arts and Journalism to Human-Computer Interaction and UX design, to her work today at the intersection of design, social change and community organizing. She shared her perspective and work on participatory design and decolonizing practices, providing us with a sense of what designing for collective liberation and justice-centered futures looks like. Community, care and relationships are at the core of her work as a researcher, a designer and a social activist.
To learn more about Hanieh's work, follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haniehk/
and check her website: https://hanieh.me/
Learn about Thousand&One, a global, feminist community co-founded by Hanieh. It supports Women of Colour to thrive in their personal and professional lives.: https://thousandone.org

Credits:
Conception, host and production: Anne-Laure Fayard
Sound design & Post-production: Valter Gouveia
Music & Art Work: Guilhem Tamisier

Tales of the Field is a podcast series which gives voice to social activists and social innovators who work in and with their communities to create social impact and sustainable change. They share with us their work in the field - where they  tackle complex social issues and aim to create sustainable change and social impact. At its core, their work is human-centered, systemic and always informed by a deep understanding of the context and people’s lives.

In this episode, we talked with with Shane Casey, Creative Lead, and Fergus Gleeson, Research Lead in Applied Human Sciences, at The Dock, Accenture’s global innovation center in Dublin, who share the outcome of a research project Accenture did with CARE International in order to understand the challenges and opportunities of AI in the Global South. We talked about the design and development of Raise Your Voice, a strategic game to create participatory engagement of communities in the Global South, and give them a voice in the development and governance of AI. They highlighted the value of games for inclusive and participatory engagement in humanitarian and development contexts, and beyond.
To learn more about the research done by Accenture with Care International on AI and the Global South: https://www.careinternational.org.uk/news-stories/ai-and-the-global-south-making-ai-more-ethical-and-effective-through-inclusive-participation/
About the game:
https://www.100archive.com/projects/raise-your-voice
To download the game: https://github.com/Accenture/raiseyourvoice
Conception: Melchior Tamisier-Fayard
Co-conception: Anne-Laure Fayard
Voice, Sound design, and Post-Production: Melchior Tamisier-Fayard
Music : Guilhem Tamisier
Artwork: Jyoti Tamisier-Fayard

Jorge Lagarto, founding member and currently Director of LabX – Center for Innovation in the Public Sector. After starting his career working in consulting and project management, he spent many years in the public sector, particularly in the areas of innovation, digital transformation, and servicedesign. He holds a degree in Environmental Engineering and a specialization in eLearning Pedagogy and Instructional Design.
In this episode, Jorge shares with us the journey that led him to co-found and lead LabX. He highlights the importance of understanding the diverse needs of all citizens in order to create inclusive public services. He shares with us the multiple roles LabX play: from developing projects (from research to implementation) to creating capability (through training), supporting innovation teams and nurturing an ecosystems of innovation labs. He shares some of the challenges associated to innovation in the public sector but also shares the value of the design process in creating meaningful solutions and trigerring culture change.
To learn more about Jorge's work, follow him on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorge-lagarto-7a712468/⁠
and check LabX's website:
⁠https://labx.gov.pt/o-labx/?lang=en⁠

Credits:
Conception, host and production: Anne-Laure Fayard
Sound design & Post-production: Claudio Silva
Music & Art Work: Guilhem Tamisier

Jon Alexander, a Storyteller, Strategist, and Visiting Fellow atHarvard University. Jon started out in advertising and co-founded in 2014 with Irenie Ekkeshis a consultancy, the NewCitizen Project which works with organisations across sectors to explore what it would mean to treat people as citizens, not just consumers. In 2022, he published a book, Citizens, which won numerous book of the year awards, was reviewed by the Financial Times as an “underground hit”, selected by the World Economic Forum for its CEO Book Club.
Jon wears a few other hats: as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Manchester, a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, a founding member of the OECD's Innovative Citizen Participation Network, and a member of the Advisory Councils of DemocracyNext, the Apolitical Foundation, and the Democracy and Culture Foundation. Jon holds three Masters degrees spanning humanities and business.
In this episode, Jon reflects on his journey from advertising to starting a consultancy The New Citizen Project to writing a book and become an author, public speaker and actionist. He reflects on human history as a journey from subject to consumer to citizen. He proposes a definition of citizen as a practice rather than status and as verb as a noun. He explores how storytelling is not only a way to inspire and agitate, but also a form of action. He shares many inspiring stories that can help imagine a citizen future. Jon highlights the value of collaborations especially at the intersections, and invites us to embrace a citizen-centered design approach.

To learn more about Jon's work, follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-alexander-11b66345/
and check his website:
⁠https://jonalexander.net/⁠

Two references he shared with us in the podcast:
Using Emergence to Take Social Innovation to ScaleMargaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze
Navigating Societal Change through Design
by Sara Gry Striegler and Julie Hjort.

Credits:
Conception, host and production: Anne-Laure Fayard
Sound design & Post-production: Claudio Silva
Music & Art Work: Guilhem Tamisier

Pushpa Joshi is a young activist from Nepal with over a decade of experience advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), adolescent sexuality, and gender equality at national and international levels. She co-founded YoSHAN(Youth-led SRHR Advocacy Nepal), where she leads youth-centered, feminist initiatives.
An experienced educator, Pushpa has trained healthcare providers on rights-based SRHR services, supported teachers in delivering human rights-based sexuality education, and empowered thousands of young people in advocacy and movement building. Her work emphasizes structural reform, intersectionality, and creating inclusive spaces, especially for marginalized communities. Beyond her activism, Pushpa also uses photography and filmmaking to amplify gender justice and lived experiences. Pushpa was the Fall 2025 Social Innovator in Residence with the ERA Chair in Social Innovation and the DESIS Lab at NOVA SBE.

Follow Pushpa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pushpa-joshi-31b881a4/
Credits:
Host: Anne-Laure Fayard
Post-production: Claudio Silva
Music & Art Work: Guilhem Tamisier
Recorded at the Fidelidade Creative Studio, Nova SBE