Evolving Focus

Within every phase of research, I noticed a shift in focus of my research.

The systems sight enabled me to more clearly see the structures and patterns which limited community-based conservation, and the anthropocentric mental models of society which govern so many of our decisions.

The designing of strategy helped me to see how diluting my resources across too many initiatives would be like building a house on sand, and brought a shift to a more limited set of coordinated actions.

With the design and evolution of the portfolio of concepts came a shift from abstract directions to a more grounded form and associated learning goals.

As the project was part-time over 2.5 years, I have had a rare opportunity to engage in both quick iteration and a less hurried form of pattern spotting and evolution.

These two modes (and the shades in between) have enabled much deeper recognition of the real challenges facing the system, but also rapid advances in the stories and visual artefacts which serve to provoke discussion, test assumptions and draw preferable futures more sharply into view (Dunne & Raby, 2013 [68]).