Design Driven Innovation
Designing to learn, learning to design. Of course, we all want a fairer and better world. Yet we see tractors in the streets of Paris, severe shortages in education and healthcare, reports of droughts and floods, construction halts and housing shortages. The societal, economic and ecological challenges we face are not confined to areas of expertise, postal codes or political beliefs. And importantly: there are no easy solutions, no matter how much we wish there were.
Our world is built on systems and networks: the challenges we encounter are therefore systemic. Causes, effects and even solutions constantly influence one another. A proposed solution often gives rise to a new set of problems. As a result, what we perceive as a problem is often the outcome of a previous solution.
This is the dynamic in which the Design Driven Innovation research group prefers to operate. Our research focuses on open, complex, dynamic and networked challenges: challenges in which co-designing and co-learning go hand in hand.
But how (creating and playing)?
The Design Driven Innovation research group explores and investigates approaches that match the nature of today’s societal challenges. Naturally, we do not do this alone: we warmly invite everyone to join us in this journey and learn alongside us.
Whenever we approach a societal issue from within the Design Driven Innovation research group, we learn by making, together. What we make can take many forms: a metaphor, a process description, a system map, a serious game, or a work of art. The goal is always the same: to learn collectively by developing a shared language around the issue and possible directions for solutions. We refer to these creations as artefacts: intentionally designed objects that play a vital role in this learning process. At first glance, this may seem simple. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. It requires creativity, playfulness, courage and openness from all stakeholders. These are new rituals for collective learning.
The courage to not know, the act of making together, and the importance of wonder, play and creativity are all key pillars of the innovative Design Driven Innovation approach.
Through interaction around what has been made, we learn about the issue and begin to discover possible directions for solutions. We learn with and about the people, organisations, systems and ‘things’ that are part of the challenge. New insights lead to new creations, which in turn lead to more shared learning. This process of making and collective learning repeats itself, until a shared understanding of the issue and promising solution pathways emerges, supported by the relevant stakeholders.
Research focus
The Design Driven Innovation research group approaches the transition to a more desirable world in a different way. Simple solutions to complex challenges simply don’t exist. We design in order to understand the issue, together with you. We design to learn, and we learn to design.
Innovative education
The Design Driven Innovation research group fully supports NHL Stenden’s university-wide educational concept: Design Based Education (DBE). Within this framework, students, lecturer-researchers and industry partners collaborate on projects situated in complex, real-world contexts. Together with societal partners, our educational team is continuously engaged in a process of matchmaking, aligning the interests and content of real-world challenges with educational goals and student aspirations. This alignment helps shape a rich and up-to-date curriculum. We apply a clear set of eligibility criteria to evaluate and select these cases. Combined with the ZelCom level indicators, these criteria ensure proper classification in terms of thematic focus, complexity and placement within the curriculum. This creates an inspiring learning environment that fosters intrinsic motivation and generates added value for all involved.
Climate change and increasing water demand are putting pressure on the availability of sufficient fresh water. Many stakeholders are involved in and affected by the water system. It is challenging to engage stakeholders in meaningful dialogue about the necessary water transition, especially in a way that encourages them to look beyond their own perspectives. The Aqua Ludens project, through a serious gaming approach, has helped create the conditions for these constructive conversations about the water transition.
Accessible and good primary education is essential, especially in a region facing population decline. But when a school board plans to construct a new school in such an area, how do you ensure broad support and a school that is prepared for the future? That was the question brought to the Design Driven Innovation research group by Heidi Rubingh, director of the Arlanta Foundation. In a series of design sessions, the teaching team, pupils, parents and community partners explored what a future-ready version of De Fjouwerhoeke could look like, and what would be needed to bring that vision to life.
Many teachers are not familiar with the differences between highly intelligent and gifted students. This often leads to uncertainty in how to act, both in identifying these students and in providing the right support tailored to their educational needs, and applying that effectively in the classroom. Gifted students who underachieve are often overlooked or seen as difficult. When giftedness is recognised early, the common assumption tends to be that these students will be fine on their own, which means they do not receive the guidance they actually need. As a result, gifted students may become demotivated, start underachieving, display challenging behaviour or, in some cases, even develop symptoms of depression.
Artificial intelligence already has many applications in medical contexts, ranging from chatbots that provide medication advice, to intake protocols at general practices, and the analysis of radiological data. It is only a matter of time before this technology also enters the consultation room. But what role will it play? What kind of relationship do we want doctors and patients to develop with this technology? And can such an artificial agent take on a social role within the treatment relationship?
Three million people in the Netherlands live with persistent pain. Existing treatment methods often rely on the patient’s ability to imagine and visualise, something that virtual reality can effectively support. This project uses design research to explore and identify the design principles needed to develop an effective VR game for pain management.
The Design Driven Innovation research group is involved in many more projects and workshops. Interested in exploring how we might support you? Get in touch, we’d love to hear from you!
Inauguration of Derek Kuipers
On 18 June 2024, Dr Derek Kuipers was officially installed as professor of applied sciences by the Executive Board of NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences. Watch the video below.
Contact
Do you have a question about one of our projects, or are you curious about opportunities to collaborate? Feel free to get in touch!
NHL Stenden
Future Design Center, Academie ICT & Creative Technologies
Design Driven Innovation
Rengerslaan 1
8917 DD Leeuwarden
The Netherlands
Teamleden
- Dr. Derek Kuipers
- Boudewijn H. Dijkstra, MEd
- Jetse Goris, Msc
- Jan Wessel Hovingh, MA
- Steven de Rooij MSc
