#18 - What the Heck is Human-Centered Design? Designing Solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa with Carly James, Anthropologist and Design Researcher

Carly James is the Executive Director of Global Development at ThinkPlace Global, a strategic design thinking firm that tackles the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Carly is trained as a cultural anthropologist, and she’s worked on design research projects like behavior change in the health system for Somali women, disaster resilience in Myanmar, HIV testing in West Africa, and co-designing the future state of male contraceptives. Carly holds two Master's degrees — an MDes in Risk and Resilience from Harvard, and an MA in Anthropology from McGill University. In this episode, we talk about how Carly’s upbringing in Alabama, her early career in rural development in Delaware, and French colonial studies in college coalesced into a fascination with international aid and development in sub-Saharan Africa. Carly shares what it’s like to work and live in contexts like Kenya and Somalia where you feel like a complete outsider, what she’s learned about imposter syndrome, and what it’s like to work side by side with your (romantic) partner! >> Connect with CarlyEmail: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlynjames/ ThinkPlace: https://www.thinkplaceglobal.com/ >> Resources MentionedThe Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni https://www.tablegroup.com/topics-and-resources/teamwork-5-dysfunctions/  >> Connect with usInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/insideoutwithjane/Website: www.insideoutwithjane.comEmail: [email protected] 10% off delicious local farm-fresh food delivered to your door with my link for FarmMatch: https://farmmatch.com/jane Get 15% off high-quality Italian olive oil with code FARMTOFUTURE: https://shop.vignolifood.com/FARMTOFUTUREGet 40% the CircleDNA’s Premium DNA test with code JANEZHANG: https://circledna.com/premium Connect with Jane Z. Instagram: @farm.to.futureEmail: [email protected]: farmtofuture.co