Building Thinkers: Accessible Blueprints for Learning & Life

Designing Environments Where Learning Actually Sticks


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What if the real challenge in learning isn’t what we teach, but how we think about access and behavior?


In this episode, I’m joined by design researcher Nick Petch to dig into one of my twelve favorite problems: “How might we close the research-practice gap across social impact sectors?” Or as I like to call it, bridging the knowing–doing gap.


Nick and I cover a lot of ground. From redefining what learning really means to rethinking the environments we create for people to grow and thrive. We talk about why human-centered design isn't just a buzzword, it’s a responsibility. Nick shares thoughtful insights on the power of self-reflection, why it matters to understand yourself as a designer, and how developing an ethnographic practice can lead to better, more inclusive outcomes.


Key Takeaways: 


Human-centered design transfers power to the people being impacted by the design process.


Design plays a crucial role in the field of learning and development.


Design is about de-risking and understanding the problem space and context in order to solve the right problem.


Empowering the people being designed for and involving them in the design process leads to better outcomes.


Design leadership is about influencing how design is seen and valued in organizations.


Resources Mentioned:


Being Ecological by Timothy Morton: https://amzn.to/4dujZ3D

This Human: How to Be the Person Designing for Other People by ⁠Melis Senova⁠: ⁠https://amzn.to/3YIwPGy⁠

Doing Sensory Ethnography by ⁠Sarah Pink⁠: ⁠https://amzn.to/3Ap9MGI


Connect with Nick:


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickpetch

More About Building Thinkers: 


I'm your host, Tracy Clark, and this is where potential becomes reality through deliberate curiosity, reflection, practice, and play. The Building Thinkers podcast is based on the realization that there's exponential potential in the things we build.


And so, in my little corner of the internet and podcasting land, I want to take my 12 favorite problems, these are my constant curiosities, and I want to go deeper. I want to build thinkers. This is a community of multi-potentialites who may be disoriented by all the possibilities of success we envision but haven't yet achieved.


If any of that sounds like you, come listen in. Welcome to the Building Thinkers podcast.

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Building Thinkers: Accessible Blueprints for Learning & LifeBy Tracy Clark