WILD THINKING APPROACH

BIOMIMICRY - creating with wildlife wisdom

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Biomimicry is the core of our Wild Thinking Approach. For us biomimicry is a life philosophy and a design methodology. As a philosophy it teaches us that we humans are just one dot in a complex web of life. As such we are physiologically connected to all life forms and intrinsically dependent on the relationships between them (for oxygen, food, resources). This means that all forms of human activities should be aligned with the biological systems they are part of.

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In order to do this we rely on biomimicry as a methodology. To operate as part of a biological system we need to follow its rules of functioning. In nature organisms have survived for billions of years and ecosystems have flourished for millions of centuries. By doing so they've shown us how to make things that last and flourish within the Earth’s boundaries. This incredibly long working experience anchored within the existence of millions of species across hundreds of environmental conditions is what we call THE WILDLIFE WISDOM.

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SYSTEMS THINKING – being greater then ourselves

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​System thinking is all about zooming out and looking at a big picture. We do not work, create and act in isolation. We make things with others, for others and we use natural resources to do so. Understanding the interconnected web your business, a product or a service is part of gives you the possibility to grow stronger through positive partnerships, build resilience through feedbacks and create sustainably through regenerative actions. 

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System thinking invites us to stop thinking small and to stop acting short term. It obliges us to be big, be inclusive and be greater than ourselves.

 

WILDLIFE WISDOM

Wild ecosystems teach us how to manage resources locally for millions of years while creating abundance and resilience. Who does not want that? Have a look at our TEDx talk “We make complex things, Nature makes them work” for more insights.

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CIRCULAR ECONOMY – YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE

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Systems are nice, but they are complex. They do not fit in a twitter message. Circular economy makes things easier by giving a set of conditions for a system to function. And not function just anyhow, but making them nourishing and regenerative so that they can last long and give meaning.

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Basically if you want to have a system that last it needs to be a circular and collaborative.  Circular because we are working with finite resources on a fine planet. So the only way for our economy not to be finite is by minimizing the waste and keeping the resources cycle throughout the systems as long as possible (through reuse, repair, recycling, etc). Fundamentally it means switching from linear chain thinking to a regenerative network design.

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WILDLIFE WISDOM

One of the most important lessons from Nature is that circular economy should not be just focused on eliminating the waste. Biological systems are full of waste, and jet there is not landfill problem in the forest. By working with toxic free and organic materials the waste of biological processes is easily reused by other organisms creating diversity and abundance through the flow of matter. The most striking example of this is the oxygen, which is a waste product of plant photosynthesis. Yet, early life forms have learn to use this waste, the oxygen, to create a six times more efficient metabolic process, the aerobic respiration, or your breathing to say it plain and simple. So basically you and most of the life forms we know today are here thanks to some bacteria that decided to treat waste as a resource. Now if they could do it, I am sure we can as well. And then, imagine the opportunities ahead!   ​

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HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN - makING from the heart

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​We humans are a social species. We care about what other people think of us and we are wired on what others do which is why social media are so popular. We seek conformity so much that we consciously do things that are wrong just to be socially accepted. We also have a strong need for justice even when it comes at our cost.

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We are also and incredibly emotional species. We need emotional bonding so much that the fear of being abandoned is one of the strongest human fears. It has evolved not to make us weaker, but to make us stronger. Because we are a social species, and only through bonds with others do we thrive. On a neurological level, the limbic system which is in charge of our emotions and memories overrides our rational neocortex in most decision making situations. Simply because it is faster, unconscious (in most cases) and focuses on creating joy and avoiding danger.

 

By paying attention to intrinsic human characteristics we help create products and services that are adapted to our needs, give joy and create meaning. We do so by incorporating human needs in our context analysis, engaging users in the design process and applying the biophilic principals to our design.

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CREATIVITY - unleash the artist, create the unknown

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Creating something original demands us to explore the unknown.  It invites us to imagine the impossible, to think the unusual and to connect what is different. This mental process is so much different from what our brain usually does that we need to use methods to help it jump to this creative space. This is way we incorporate the science of creative thinking into our process. We do so by working with a wide range of creative tools and methods such as Creative Problem Solving, analogical thinking, SCAMPER, brainstorming, metaphorical thinking to name a few.