Development by Design (DxD): Power, Perception, and Human Systems
Learn to see and reshape the hidden forces shaping human behavior—within yourself, your relationships, and your environment—through a Development by Design (DxD) approach grounded in neuroscience, systems thinking, and critical theory.
Course Overview
Most systems are designed to produce outcomes, but in the process, they also produce people.
This course introduces Development by Design (DxD), an approach to understanding and intentionally shaping how humans think, relate, and behave within systems. Rather than focusing on products, users, or surface-level interventions, we turn inward and outward simultaneously—examining the internal, relational, and environmental conditions that shape development.
We begin with the brain. Under stress and uncertainty, human cognition narrows—favoring binary thinking, short-term decision-making, and simplified narratives. These are not failures of intelligence, but adaptive responses. From there, we explore how culture, history, and power extend (or constrain) what we are able to perceive and imagine.
Drawing from neuroscience, developmental theory, and critical social thought, we will examine:
How survival-based cognition limits perception and reinforces binary thinking
How dominant narratives obscure alternative ways of knowing and being
How power operates through visibility, absence, and proximity to harm
How time is often flattened into linear progress—and what is lost in the process
How environments shape not just behavior, but identity and relational patterns
Participants will learn to map systems they are part of—organizations, communities, platforms—and identify the developmental conditions those systems produce.
This is not a traditional design or systems-thinking course. It is an invitation to shift how you see—so that what you build, lead, or participate in begins to reflect a more expansive understanding of what it means to be human.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is designed for:
Care workers (educators, mental health professionals, etc.) seeking deeper frameworks for understanding behavior, identity, and development
Designers, product thinkers, and strategists interested in human systems beyond “users”
Community organizers and leaders navigating complex relational and cultural dynamics
Researchers, writers, and thinkers working at the intersection of systems, power, and human development
Anyone who feels that dominant narratives about behavior and progress are incomplete—and is seeking more expansive ways of seeing and acting
No prior experience in design or neuroscience is required—only curiosity and a willingness to question inherited assumptions.
What You'll Learn
- Identify how survival-based cognition (e.g., binary thinking, reactivity) shapes perception and decision-making
- Analyze systems through a Development by Design (DxD) lens across internal (self), relational (team), and environmental (culture) layers
- Recognize dominant narratives and surface the “shadow” dynamics they obscure
- Apply long-term and cyclical thinking to challenge linear assumptions about progress and change
- Map a real-world system and articulate the developmental conditions it produces
What's Included
Live Sessions
Interactive classes with your instructor
Session Recordings
Lifetime access to all recordings
Community Access
Connect with fellow learners
Certificate
Proof of course completion
Real-World Project
Participants will create a Development by Design (DxD) System Map of a real environment they are part of (e.g., organization, school, platform, or community).
This project will include:
• Identifying dominant narratives shaping the system
• Mapping hidden or marginalized dynamics (“shadow”)
• Analyzing behavioral and relational patterns produced by the system
• Assessing how time, power, and perception operate within it
• Proposing shifts that could create more expansive developmental conditions
Participants will leave with a tangible artifact they can use in their own work, leadership, or practice.
Session Schedule
About the Instructor
Designing human development across systems, relationships, and culture
I am a research and design leader working at the intersection of human development, systems, and education. My work explores how environments—schools, organizations, and platforms—shape how people think, relate, and act. I am the founder of Bloom Collective and the creator of Development by Design (DxD), an approach that examines how development is not accidental, but produced through the conditions we create. Drawing from neuroscience, developmental theory, and critical social thought, I focus on helping people see beyond surface behaviors to the deeper systems and narratives at play. Through teaching, writing, and applied work, I aim to support more expansive ways of thinking, relating, and building in a rapidly changing world.
Frequently Asked Questions
1 Course Credit
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Need financial support?
We believe learning should be accessible. A limited number of partial scholarships are available for those who would not otherwise be able to join.
If cost is the only barrier, we invite you to apply thoughtfully below.
Apply for a ScholarshipHaving issues or questions? Contact us
July 12
25 students max
6 sessions
90 min each
