Please introduce yourself, your role in the DRS and your research.
I have worked as a design practitioner, manager, educator, and researcher for the past few decades. I have carried out projects at various universities (e.g., Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Polytechnic University of Milan, Malmö University, and University of the Arts London), public organizations (e.g., the European Commission, the World Bank, UNICEF, and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research) and private companies. I now serve as an Associate Professor at Aalborg University, where my core focus is how design and arts can support personal, organizational, and community resilience, innovation, transition thinking, long-term strategic orientation, and positive and impactful change. Within DRS, I serve as a member of the International Advisory Council and co-convenor of the SIG Designing Change. I am also a yoga teacher, and I hope to offer some free yoga sessions to the DRS community on the occasion of future conferences!
Could you talk about the initiatives you’re involved with in the DRS and any upcoming events you’d like to share?
During the past DRS Conference in Boston, the SIG Designing Change hosted a conversation that saw the participation of many conference attendees. It gave us the feeling that it is essential for the design research community to reflect on change dynamics and mechanisms that have the highest potential to transform our societies. This is why, together with my colleagues Sabine Junginger and Mauricio Mejia, we are assembling an edited volume to explore how different change theories and approaches have been used in specific design projects and with which results. Please let us know if you want to collaborate on these initiatives or if you want to be involved in future activities related to the SIG Designing Change.
What do you see as the benefits of being involved with the DRS and how can those interested become more involved in the Society?
Since I started my academic career, I have seen DRS as a welcoming and supportive community. There are several more specialized conferences and initiatives within design research, but DRS remains vital as it somehow manages to bring together all these different and more specialized research strands. The biannual conferences are a fantastic occasion to meet old friends and make new ones.
DRS Digital Library Picks
I would like to share a few papers that are somehow connected to another research interest of mine: how design can be integrated with contemplative practices (e.g., yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, etc.).
Berger, E. (2022) Design as posture: Developing enlightened subjectivity with the philosophy of yoga, in Lockton, D., Lenzi, S., Hekkert, P., Oak, A., Sádaba, J., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2022: Bilbao, 25 June - 3 July, Bilbao, Spain. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.222
Estelle has long worked on how yoga theories and practices can nurture design processes and projects. In this specific paper, Estelle uses the philosophical framework of the Samkhya, an early Buddhist philosophy at the core of Yoga, to propose a holistic model for designers' development. This model emphasizes mindfulness, deep understanding, ethical action, and interconnectedness as key elements in cultivating a more reflective and empowered design practice.
Valentine, L., and Follett, G. (2010) Craft as a Form of Mindful Inquiry, in Durling, D., Bousbaci, R., Chen, L, Gauthier, P., Poldma, T., Roworth-Stokes, S. and Stolterman, E (eds.), Design and Complexity - DRS International Conference 2010, 7-9 July, Montreal, Canada. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2010/researchpapers/119
This beautiful paper redefines craft practice, portraying it not just as "skillful making" but as a more complex, reactive, and evolving process. The authors use Mindful Inquiry, an approach that blends critical social science, hermeneutics, phenomenology, and Buddhist philosophy. As such, craft is portrayed as a transformative journey rich with intellectual depth and personal growth.
Michele Noera, F., Simeone, L., and Neuhoff, R. (2024) Using contemplative approaches in education as a pathway to cultivating hope in design-driven futuring, in Gray, C., Ciliotta Chehade, E., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.317
This paper reports on a study we ran in the past couple of years. We explored the potential of contemplative approaches, such as mindfulness and visualization, to cultivate a sense of hope among design students. After conducting two design experiments in Denmark and Italy - where we used time travel and stream-of-consciousness writing exercises to encourage students to envision desirable future scenarios - we found that these contemplative approaches fostered a sense of hope and empowerment among students, enabling them to imagine and work towards more sustainable and equitable futures. In a way, we believe that this study shows that integrating contemplative practices into design education can help students develop a more holistic understanding of their role in shaping the future.