Design estratégico e seeding para promover processos ecossistêmicos de inovação social. O caso do laboratório de inovação social da Mercur

Abstract

The paper contributes to the debate on design for social innovation and to the work of researchers that focus on understanding how to structure a design process for social innovation able of promoting systemic changes. The text, starting from an analysis of the concept of social innovation and the contextualization and reinterpretation of the design practice in this perspective, some key concepts are explored, discussed and articulated: learning, design strategy, seeeding –among others. The reflection on these concepts supports the proposition of a strategic design approach capable of promoting creative ecosystems of social innovation through the activation of collaborative processes, design discourse and seeding. Within the scope of this article, this approach is exemplified and discussed through the case study of Mercur’s social innovation laboratory, a company located in the city of Santa Cruz do Sul, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The case exemplifies the relevance of seeding as dissemination processes, and how it can be designed and led by the strategic design. The strategic design approach presented allow the sustainability of processes and proposals of social innovation in the creative contexts in which they are developed and inserted. Finally, discussion it is highlighted how the design approach shifts from the design of sociotechnical devices to designing a design process that involves, supports and articulates processes that contribute to learning and social innovation