Measuring Impact and Success
Expert-defined terms from the Professional Certificate in Introduction to Social Impact Design course at London School of Business and Administration. Free to read, free to share, paired with a professional course.
A/B Testing refers to a method of comparing two versions of a product, service,… #
A/B Testing refers to a method of comparing two versions of a product, service, or design to determine which one performs better, it is used to measure the impact of changes and identify areas for improvement, related terms include split testing and randomized controlled trials, A/B testing is commonly used in social impact design to evaluate the effectiveness of different design elements, such as user interface or marketing campaigns, and to inform data-driven decisions.
Accessibility refers to the design of products, services, and environments that… #
Accessibility refers to the design of products, services, and environments that are usable by people with disabilities, it is an important consideration in social impact design, as it can help to promote inclusion and equity, related terms include universal design and inclusive design, accessibility can be measured through the use of accessibility guidelines and evaluation tools, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Accountability refers to the responsibility of organizations and individuals to… #
Accountability refers to the responsibility of organizations and individuals to answer for their actions and decisions, in social impact design, accountability is critical for building trust and credibility with stakeholders, related terms include transparency and governance, accountability can be measured through the use of performance metrics and evaluation frameworks, such as the Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework.
Action Research refers to a methodology that combines action and resea… #
Action Research refers to a methodology that combines action and research to address social and organizational problems, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and improve design decisions, related terms include participatory action research and co-design, action research involves collaboration with stakeholders and the use of iterative design processes.
Behavioral Design refers to the use of insights from psychology and behav… #
Behavioral Design refers to the use of insights from psychology and behavioral science to design products and services that influence human behavior, it is commonly used in social impact design to promote behavioral change and improve health and well-being outcomes, related terms include behavioral economics and nudges, behavioral design involves the use of user-centered design principles and experimentation to test and refine design solutions.
Capacity Building refers to the process of strengthening the capacity<… #
Capacity Building refers to the process of strengthening the capacity of organizations and individuals to achieve their goals and improve their performance, in social impact design, capacity building is critical for sustaining and scaling social impact initiatives, related terms include technical assistance and training, capacity building can be measured through the use of capacity assessment tools and evaluation frameworks, such as the Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT).
Co #
Creation refers to the process of collaborating with stakeholders to design and develop products and services, it is commonly used in social impact design to ensure that solutions are relevant and effective in addressing social problems, related terms include co-design and participatory design, co-creation involves the use of inclusive design principles and stakeholder engagement strategies.
Collective Impact refers to the process of collaborating with multiple st… #
Collective Impact refers to the process of collaborating with multiple stakeholders to address complex social problems, it is commonly used in social impact design to leverage resources and expertise and to achieve greater impact, related terms include partnership and collaboration, collective impact involves the use of shared goals and metrics to track progress and evaluate impact.
Community Engagement refers to the process of engaging with communities t… #
Community Engagement refers to the process of engaging with communities to build trust and credibility and to inform design decisions, it is commonly used in social impact design to ensure that solutions are relevant and effective in addressing community needs, related terms include participatory research and community-based design, community engagement involves the use of inclusive design principles and stakeholder engagement strategies.
Community #
Led Design refers to the process of empowering communities to lead the design and development of products and services, it is commonly used in social impact design to promote community ownership and sustainability, related terms include community-driven design and participatory design, community-led design involves the use of inclusive design principles and capacity building strategies.
Cost #
Benefit Analysis refers to the process of evaluating the costs and benefits of a design solution or social impact initiative, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform decision-making and to evaluate the effectiveness of solutions, related terms include cost-effectiveness analysis and return on investment, cost-benefit analysis involves the use of financial metrics and evaluation frameworks, such as the Cost-Benefit Analysis Framework.
Data #
Driven Design refers to the use of data and analytics to inform design decisions and to evaluate the effectiveness of solutions, it is commonly used in social impact design to optimize and refine design solutions, related terms include data analytics and evaluation, data-driven design involves the use of data visualization tools and statistical analysis techniques.
Design Thinking refers to a human #
centered approach to design that empathizes with users and iterates to refine solutions, it is commonly used in social impact design to develop innovative and effective solutions to social problems, related terms include human-centered design and co-design, design thinking involves the use of inclusive design principles and prototyping techniques.
Disaster Resilience refers to the ability of communities and organizations to <b… #
Disaster Resilience refers to the ability of communities and organizations to withstand and recover from disasters and other crises, it is commonly used in social impact design to promote community resilience and sustainability, related terms include disaster risk reduction and emergency management, disaster resilience involves the use of risk assessment tools and emergency planning strategies.
Economic Empowerment refers to the process of empowering individuals and… #
Economic Empowerment refers to the process of empowering individuals and communities to improve their economic well-being and to reduce poverty, it is commonly used in social impact design to promote economic development and sustainability, related terms include financial inclusion and microfinance, economic empowerment involves the use of financial literacy training and entrepreneurship development programs.
Education for Sustainable Development refers to the process of educating … #
Education for Sustainable Development refers to the process of educating individuals and communities to promote sustainable development and to address social and environmental challenges, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and engage stakeholders, related terms include education for social impact and environmental education, education for sustainable development involves the use of experiential learning and community-based education approaches.
Environmental Sustainability refers to the ability of organizations and communit… #
Environmental Sustainability refers to the ability of organizations and communities to reduce their environmental impact and to promote sustainable development, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and evaluate design decisions, related terms include green design and sustainable design, environmental sustainability involves the use of life cycle assessment tools and sustainability metrics, such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
Evidence #
Based Design refers to the use of research and evidence to inform design decisions and to evaluate the effectiveness of solutions, it is commonly used in social impact design to optimize and refine design solutions, related terms include data-driven design and evaluation, evidence-based design involves the use of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to synthesize research findings.
Funding Models refer to the ways in which social impact initiatives are funde… #
Funding Models refer to the ways in which social impact initiatives are funded and sustained, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and evaluate funding decisions, related terms include grants and social entrepreneurship, funding models involve the use of financial projections and business planning tools, such as the Social Enterprise Business Model Canvas.
Global Citizenship refers to the process of engaging individuals and comm… #
Global Citizenship refers to the process of engaging individuals and communities to promote global awareness and social responsibility, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and engage stakeholders, related terms include global education and social justice, global citizenship involves the use of experiential learning and community-based education approaches.
Human #
Centered Design refers to a human-centered approach to design that empathizes with users and iterates to refine solutions, it is commonly used in social impact design to develop innovative and effective solutions to social problems, related terms include design thinking and co-design, human-centered design involves the use of inclusive design principles and prototyping techniques.
Impact Evaluation refers to the process of evaluating the impact a… #
Impact Evaluation refers to the process of evaluating the impact and effectiveness of social impact initiatives, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and improve design decisions, related terms include program evaluation and outcome measurement, impact evaluation involves the use of evaluation frameworks and metrics, such as the Theory of Change framework.
Inclusive Design refers to the process of designing products and services… #
Inclusive Design refers to the process of designing products and services that are usable and accessible to all users, it is commonly used in social impact design to promote inclusion and equity, related terms include universal design and accessibility, inclusive design involves the use of inclusive design principles and stakeholder engagement strategies.
Innovation refers to the process of developing new and improved pr… #
Innovation refers to the process of developing new and improved products, services, and processes, it is commonly used in social impact design to address complex social problems and to promote sustainability, related terms include social innovation and entrepreneurship, innovation involves the use of design thinking and prototyping techniques.
Logic Model refers to a visual representation of a social impact initiati… #
Logic Model refers to a visual representation of a social impact initiative, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and evaluate design decisions, related terms include theory of change and program logic, logic models involve the use of causal diagrams and outcome measurement tools.
Monitoring and Evaluation refers to the process of tracking and evalua… #
Monitoring and Evaluation refers to the process of tracking and evaluating the progress and impact of social impact initiatives, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and improve design decisions, related terms include performance measurement and outcome evaluation, monitoring and evaluation involve the use of evaluation frameworks and metrics, such as the Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation (RBME) framework.
Needs Assessment refers to the process of identifying and analyzing</i… #
Needs Assessment refers to the process of identifying and analyzing the needs of stakeholders, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and evaluate design decisions, related terms include needs analysis and requirements gathering, needs assessment involves the use of stakeholder engagement strategies and survey research methods.
Outcome Measurement refers to the process of measuring and evaluating<… #
Outcome Measurement refers to the process of measuring and evaluating the outcomes of social impact initiatives, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and improve design decisions, related terms include impact evaluation and performance measurement, outcome measurement involves the use of evaluation frameworks and metrics, such as the Outcome-Based Evaluation framework.
Participatory Design refers to the process of collaborating with stakehol… #
Participatory Design refers to the process of collaborating with stakeholders to design and develop products and services, it is commonly used in social impact design to ensure that solutions are relevant and effective in addressing social problems, related terms include co-design and human-centered design, participatory design involves the use of inclusive design principles and stakeholder engagement strategies.
Partnership refers to the process of collaborating with other organizatio… #
Partnership refers to the process of collaborating with other organizations or individuals to achieve shared goals, it is commonly used in social impact design to leverage resources and expertise and to promote collective impact, related terms include collaboration and coalition building, partnership involves the use of partnership agreements and memoranda of understanding.
Program Evaluation refers to the process of evaluating the effectivene… #
Program Evaluation refers to the process of evaluating the effectiveness and impact of social impact initiatives, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and improve design decisions, related terms include impact evaluation and outcome measurement, program evaluation involves the use of evaluation frameworks and metrics, such as the Program Evaluation Framework.
Prototyping refers to the process of developing and testing pro… #
Prototyping refers to the process of developing and testing prototypes of products and services, it is commonly used in social impact design to refine and improve design solutions, related terms include design thinking and human-centered design, prototyping involves the use of rapid prototyping techniques and usability testing methods.
Randomized Controlled Trials refer to a type of evaluation design that <i… #
Randomized Controlled Trials refer to a type of evaluation design that randomly assigns participants to treatment or control groups, it is commonly used in social impact design to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, related terms include quasi-experiments and evaluation research, randomized controlled trials involve the use of statistical analysis and data visualization tools.
Return on Investment refers to the ratio of returns to investme… #
Return on Investment refers to the ratio of returns to investments, it is commonly used in social impact design to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of social impact initiatives, related terms include cost-benefit analysis and social return on investment, return on investment involves the use of financial metrics and evaluation frameworks, such as the Return on Investment (ROI) framework.
Social Entrepreneurship refers to the process of developing and implem… #
Social Entrepreneurship refers to the process of developing and implementing innovative solutions to social problems, it is commonly used in social impact design to promote sustainability and scalability, related terms include social innovation and impact investing, social entrepreneurship involves the use of business planning tools and financial projections, such as the Social Enterprise Business Model Canvas.
Social Impact refers to the positive or negative effects of social… #
Social Impact refers to the positive or negative effects of social impact initiatives on stakeholders and the environment, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and evaluate design decisions, related terms include social value and social responsibility, social impact involves the use of social impact assessment tools and evaluation frameworks, such as the Social Impact Assessment framework.
Social Innovation refers to the process of developing and implementing… #
Social Innovation refers to the process of developing and implementing innovative solutions to social problems, it is commonly used in social impact design to promote sustainability and scalability, related terms include social entrepreneurship and impact investing, social innovation involves the use of design thinking and prototyping techniques.
Social Return on Investment refers to the ratio of social returns … #
Social Return on Investment refers to the ratio of social returns to investments, it is commonly used in social impact design to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of social impact initiatives, related terms include return on investment and cost-benefit analysis, social return on investment involves the use of evaluation frameworks and metrics, such as the Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework.
Stakeholder Engagement refers to the process of engaging with stakeholder… #
Stakeholder Engagement refers to the process of engaging with stakeholders to inform and evaluate design decisions, it is commonly used in social impact design to promote inclusion and equity, related terms include community engagement and participatory design, stakeholder engagement involves the use of stakeholder analysis tools and engagement strategies, such as the Stakeholder Engagement Matrix.
Sustainability refers to the ability of organizations and communities to redu… #
Sustainability refers to the ability of organizations and communities to reduce their environmental impact and to promote sustainable development, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and evaluate design decisions, related terms include environmental sustainability and social responsibility, sustainability involves the use of sustainability metrics and evaluation frameworks, such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
Systems Thinking refers to the process of analyzing and understanding<… #
Systems Thinking refers to the process of analyzing and understanding complex systems and their interrelationships, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and evaluate design decisions, related terms include system dynamics and complexity theory, systems thinking involves the use of system mapping tools and dynamic modeling techniques.
Theory of Change refers to a visual representation of a social impact ini… #
Theory of Change refers to a visual representation of a social impact initiative, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and evaluate design decisions, related terms include logic model and program logic, theory of change involves the use of causal diagrams and outcome measurement tools.
User #
Centered Design refers to a human-centered approach to design that empathizes with users and iterates to refine solutions, it is commonly used in social impact design to develop innovative and effective solutions to social problems, related terms include design thinking and human-centered design, user-centered design involves the use of inclusive design principles and prototyping techniques.
Value Chain refers to the series of activities and processes invol… #
Value Chain refers to the series of activities and processes involved in the production and delivery of products and services, it is commonly used in social impact design to inform and evaluate design decisions, related terms include supply chain and value creation, value chain involves the use of value chain analysis tools and business modeling techniques, such as the Value Chain Framework.