Design for social innovation is about using design principles to foster social change, especially in marginalized communities. This involves various design approaches like open-source design, user-centered design, service design, and more. The goal is to create solutions that improve social wellbeing and are accepted by the communities they're intended for. Examples of this in practice include Worldbike, a grassroots organization creating locally manufactured bicycles, and Playpumps, a charity developing water supply solutions in economically underdeveloped parts of the world. However, understanding local context and culture is crucial for these solutions to work as anticipated. Ultimately, design for social innovation aims to meet community needs effectively, fostering natural and straightforward social growth.

Social innovation is about fostering social change by implementing mindsets for inclusivity, diversity, locality, and respect for livelihoods. 

Design for social innovation deals with interventions for improving social wellbeing, especially in communities which have historically been marginalized. 

There are many examples of different design approaches being used for creating social innovation. These include: Open-source design, user-centered design, service design, meta-design, experience design, empathetic design, universal design, co-design, slow design, and design activism.

In an ideal world, a general switch from consumption-oriented design to socially responsible design is required in order to make the first steps toward creating a more just and equitable society. We, as designers, are becoming more and more aware of the complex societal issues which need to be addressed immediately and which we have a responsibility to influence.

The umbrella term ‘Design for sustainability’ covers a vast amount of societal issues such as climate change, material supply issues, and clean energy. 

‘Design for social innovation’ initiatives are focused and aim at generating improved livelihoods in economically developing and under-developed countries. This will likely encompass aspects of people's lives, such as developing accessible transportation for all, healthcare solutions for remote communities, and clean water and food security. 

International corporations are increasingly keen to support and be associated with social responsibility projects, yet when these projects are led as a top-down initiative, their longevity and impact can be limited.  

Therefore, perhaps the most important principle for design for social innovation is acceptability and continuity among the communities that the design is intended for. Likewise, the notion of cultural acceptance is also significant, especially if the design team does not have local people included in the design process. First-hand familiarity with the societal issues at hand is required for a longer term, stable design solution. 

Designers might have good intentions towards solving complex societal problems, but, as Everett Rogers noted, designers also need to carefully consider societal norms, legal frameworks, budget, governance, financial access, cultural beliefs, continuity of use, and the availability of materials for any given project. 

So what do these principles of design for social innovation actually look like in practice? 

Well, a good example is perhaps Worldbike. This project was described by Pilloton as a grassroots organization operating in rural Africa, whose approach was to create and distribute bicycle designs that can be manufactured locally. Pilloton suggests that apart from adjusting production to local constraints, the bikes are products of open-source design, which allow producer and biker to be co-designers. 

Playpumps is an example of a charity attempting to develop a solution to water supply in economically underdeveloped parts of the world. The water pumps, which have been installed in rural villages across Africa, are designed on the principle of the merry-go-round, with the rotation of the mechanism, driven by children playing, drawing water upwards into a high water tank. 

Freschi raises some ethical questions as the idea directly uses child power, but in reality, children have so far lacked interest in playing with the system. It was later established that the village women had to spin the Playpump to get water. 

There are various ways of improving the quality of life in rural areas, however, where there is a lack of understanding about the local context and culture, it may not work as the designer anticipated. 

These two examples perhaps illustrate that the aim of the designer and design activities might be to offer solutions and systems to enhance and work with local knowledge and local resources, synthesize home-grown ideas and support pioneers’ perspectives to ensure an appropriate and sustainable development.