Humility, autonomy, and simplicity: three principles for humanitarian design

This article proposes three key principles for humanitarian design, drawing on historical and ethnographic research into previous attempts to produce innovations in the nutrition and shelter sectors. It begins by recounting a post-war scheme for humanitarian nutrition in order to illustrate three recurring failings in innovation: triumphalism, under-representation, and over-complexity. The first failing can be seen when ideas are inappropriately and publicly celebrated as game changing while delivering only marginal improvements and leaving structural inequalities intact. The second occurs when designs are created without consulting the final recipient, whose desires and needs are assumed from limited knowledge. The third is apparent when a design introduces complicated and burdensome elements that make it inappropriate for the task at hand. After outlining these three problems the article moves to consider some more recent shelter projects, particularly those developed after the 2015 ‘summer of migration’ in Europe. From these examples, the article draws out three corrective principles for humanitarian design: humility in approach, simplicity in application, and the promotion of autonomy as a final aim. The article develops these in detail and then concludes that such principles can help re-orient humanitarian practice.