Designing Strategic Change: Approaches, Methods, And Theories Of Strategic Design In Business Organizations,
2026
Arizona State University, USA
Designing Strategic Change: Approaches, Methods, And Theories Of Strategic Design In Business Organizations, G. Mauricio Mejía, Violeta Clemente, Aroop Ratan Guha, Jeanne Liedtka, Beatrice D'Ippolito
DRS Biennial Conference Series
The DRS Edinburgh theme-track “Designing Strategic Change: Approaches, Methods, and Theories of Strategic Design in Business Organizations” includes a dozen papers that study the influence of strategic designers and strategic design practices in business organizations. This editorial describes and briefly assesses their contributions. While scholars have studied and explored the strategic role of design for organizational change, the papers show that designers and design practices must still contribute from their specific foundational mission and strengthen collaboration with other functions and senior management to materialise their potential. Future research should focus on solid case studies and the understanding of expert strategic …
Relationality As Reconciliation – Designing For Equiponderance,
2026
The German University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Relationality As Reconciliation – Designing For Equiponderance, Gwendolyn Kulick, Luis Garcia, Juan Montalvan Lume, Michael Hohl, Felix Kosok
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Theme track 11.2 brings together six contributions that acknowledge the interdependence of all things and, as such, challenge consolidated suprematist thinking and systemic inequities through the lens of relationality. However, they do not seek pathways towards justice and equity through revenge, hardened frontiers, and divides, but through collaborative practices grounded in collective inquiry, between those affected by injustices and those who hold decision-making power. The research and design experiments, case studies, and theoretical musings of this track aim to achieve reconciliation among actors who represent diverse, sometimes conflicting, positions, knowledge systems, and practices, rather than those that reinforce polarization, even …
Futuring Digital Cultural Heritage,
2026
School of Design, Arts, and Creative Industries – Northumbria University UK
Futuring Digital Cultural Heritage, Marco Mason, Raffaella Trocchianesi, Vince Dziekan, Ross Parry
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Design is playing an increasingly important role in relation to cultural heritage, with designers and design researchers at the forefront of reimagining how cultural organisations, such as museums and galleries, operate in a mediatized, networked, and digitally mature world. In this light, the tools and methods, practices, and cultures of design are helping GLAMs navigate their postdigital condition and social, cultural, and technological complexities that this entails. This track (Futuring Digital Cultural Heritage) seeks to open new territory for design researchers to respond critically and creatively to how design engages with digital culture and can be used to interrogate, reconfigure, …
Navigating Pluralism In Systemic Design: Global Perspectives And Diverse Vocabularies,
2026
Technische Universiteit Delft
Navigating Pluralism In Systemic Design: Global Perspectives And Diverse Vocabularies, Sine Celik, Hannah Goss, Jotte De Koning, Mari Suoheimo, Amina Pereno, Asja Aulisio, Silvia Barbero, Thomas Maiorana
DRS Biennial Conference Series
No abstract provided.
Design Education In Its Teenage Years: Growth With Tensions,
2026
The Open University, United Kingdom
Design Education In Its Teenage Years: Growth With Tensions, Nicole Lotz, Ricardo Sosa, Violeta Clemente
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Design education research is one of the largest clusters of contributions at the Design Research Society 2026 Conference. This editorial reflects on the thirty papers of this cluster presented across five sessions. It identifies emerging concerns and persistent tensions in the field. Drawing on a synthesis of themes including creativity and identity, systemic and situated pedagogies, reflective practices, cultures and knowledges, and AI in design education, the editorial characterises the field as being in a productive phase of transition. Like an adolescent discipline, design education research shows signs of rapid growth alongside enduring continuities and noticeable leaps. Across the papers, …
Strategic Design In Practice: Mapping Strategy Formulation And Implementation In Nordic Design Job Advertisements,
2026
LAB University of Applied Sciences, Finland
Strategic Design In Practice: Mapping Strategy Formulation And Implementation In Nordic Design Job Advertisements, Paulo Roberto Nicoletti Dziobczenski, Tua Björklund
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This paper investigates strategic design in practice by analysing how organizations describe designers’ work in 232 job advertisements across the Nordic countries. Building on literature that positions strategic design as both strategy formulation (SF) and strategy implementation (SI), we identified explicit signs of SF and SI in the descriptions of designers’ tasks in the ads. Our findings show that Strategy implementation appeared in all ads, while strategy formulation was present in 104 roles (44.8%), mainly in senior-level positions. These SF activities included, for example, aligning design and product strategies with business objectives, leading product development and product management, driving strategic …
Participatory Design As Emotional Infrastructure: Supporting Collective Reflection And Resilience After The Pandemic,
2026
University of Southampton, United Kingdom
Participatory Design As Emotional Infrastructure: Supporting Collective Reflection And Resilience After The Pandemic, Xinyu Zhang
DRS Biennial Conference Series
COVID-19 has left enduring emotional distress for many citizens even as public attention to the crisis has faded. In this context, participatory design (PD) is increasingly recognised as a dialogic and restorative practice that enables collective reflection and emotional recovery through shared meaning-making. This study examines how participatory design supports citizens in reflecting on pandemic-related psychological distress, with particular attention to war metaphors widely used in governmental and media communications during COVID-19. While these metaphors mobilised collective action, they also intensified perceptions of risk and vulnerability. The research is based on a year-long participatory design project, W&M, involving nine participants, …
Locality As A Driver For Transitional Materialities,
2026
Atilim University;
Middle East Technical University
Locality As A Driver For Transitional Materialities, Gökçe Deniz, Owain Pedgley, Camilo Ayala-Garcia
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Material designers worldwide are transforming how innovation emerges through local engagement, moving beyond conventional material selection to create materials that reflect and embody their originating contexts. This research examines how locality influences design motivations, resource utilisation, and collaborative approaches through a systematic analysis of 635 material design projects across 56 countries, complemented by questionnaire responses from 19 practitioners across 14 countries. The mixed-methods research establishes the state of the art by mapping ingredient sourcing patterns, fabrication processes, and stakeholder engagements across diverse geographical contexts, while illuminating designers' conceptual frameworks regarding the role of locality in material development. The research reveals …
Design For Adversarial Growth: Post-Traumatic Growth, Resilience And Subjective Wellbeing,
2026
School of Design, Southern University of Science and Technology
Design For Adversarial Growth: Post-Traumatic Growth, Resilience And Subjective Wellbeing, Xueliang Li, Haian Xue, Siyuan Huang
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Adversity is an inherent part of human life. This paper adopts a transformative approach to adversity, viewing it as fertile ground for personal growth. Through a theory-driven narrative review, we synthesise insights from positive psychology, post-traumatic growth, resilience, and wellbeing-driven design to introduce the Design for Adversarial Growth (DAG) framework, a guide for shaping designers' motivations and cultivating their sensibilities when designing for adversarial growth. This framework encompasses three key components of adversarial growth, each illustrated through design examples. We further discuss its contributions to design research and practice, as well as the ethical considerations for its application. With this …
Pro-Des. Localising Design Research For Scientific Publishing. A Case Study Of Research And Experimentation In Italy,
2026
Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna
Pro-Des. Localising Design Research For Scientific Publishing. A Case Study Of Research And Experimentation In Italy, Elena Formia, Eleonora Lupo, Lorela Mehmeti
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This paper deals with the issue of scientific publishing of design research basing on a national scale approach, that can become a reference and be transferable and replicable in other contexts. In 2023, within SID -Società ltaliana di Design (Italian Design Society), the national research group Pro-Des.Scientific production of Design has been established, committing with the aim of researching and experimenting the complex phenomenon of scientific publication of design. Over the last two years, the group has coordinated and developed several activities to position the topic and set the discussion at the national level by looking at the international panorama …
Design Games As Rehearsals For Collaborative Innovation: Playing Out The Future System To Learn The Collaborative Game,
2026
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Design Games As Rehearsals For Collaborative Innovation: Playing Out The Future System To Learn The Collaborative Game, Diana Saleh, Mia Hesselgren
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Moving across time horizons and system levels is challenging in collaborative innovation, where multiple agendas amplify complexity. As designers increasingly engage in processes aimed at transforming systems and fostering collaboration across boundaries, questions arise about how to navigate such complexity and orchestrate collaborative innovation. Situated within a collaborative innovation research project, this study draws on two empirical components: interviews with experienced design practitioners leading the multi-actor innovation processes, and the development and testing of a parallel design game. Design activities used for orchestrating collaborative innovation, identified through the interviews, informed the principles of the design game. The study presented here …
Conversing With Scenario Data: Exploring Experienced Designers’ Data-Informed Reasoning Strategies In Smart Product Concept Exploration,
2026
School of Design, Hunan University, Changsha, China
Conversing With Scenario Data: Exploring Experienced Designers’ Data-Informed Reasoning Strategies In Smart Product Concept Exploration, Yaqin Peng, Xiang Yuan, Yuxuan Tan, Zikun Song
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Smart product concept exploration unfolds in dynamic and diverse use situations (DDUS) that yield fragmented, multimodal scenario data, yet how experienced designers organise design reasoning in data-intensive environments to support problem framing remains underdescribed. We used a Scenario-Data-Informed (SDI) Canvas to make designer-data conversations visible and ran task-based sessions with 18 designers. From coded think-alouds and canvas inscriptions, we report three findings: first, three reasoning stances that structure work with scenario data; second, three language-in-use strategies and an actor-network mapping that renders translations among contexts, artefacts, and intentions as a traceable network; third, shareable cues that support collaboration and surface …
A Hierarchical And Ontology-Based Taxonomy Of Stimuli–Smart Materials–Transformation Effects In 4d Printing As A New Interactive Modality,
2026
Brunel University of London, United Kingdom
A Hierarchical And Ontology-Based Taxonomy Of Stimuli–Smart Materials–Transformation Effects In 4d Printing As A New Interactive Modality, Jiayue Qin, Eujin Pei, Abdusselam Selami Cifter
DRS Biennial Conference Series
4D printing functions not merely as a smart manufacturing technique but as an interactive material technology: materials respond to human or environmental stimuli and generate a direct feedback loop. This study proposes a taxonomy that links Stimuli, Smart Materials, and Transformation Effects, developed through a combined Hierarchical Classification and Ontology-Based Classification approach grounded in a systematic literature review and ontology mapping. By organising complex stimulus–material–effect relationships into a designer-accessible structure, the taxonomy supports non-technical designers in identifying feasible pathways from intended interactions to material outcomes. It also provides a structured data foundation for developing 4D printing design guidelines and toolkits, …
Infodesign Journal: Tensions And Contradictions In Twenty Years Of Information Design Research In Brazil,
2026
University of São Paulo, Brazil
Infodesign Journal: Tensions And Contradictions In Twenty Years Of Information Design Research In Brazil, Sara Miriam Goldchmit, Tiago Barros Pontes E Silva, Cláudia De Souza Libânio
DRS Biennial Conference Series
The Brazilian InfoDesign journal specializes in the subject of information design (ID), with a historical trajectory that reflects efforts in establishing a Brazilian perspective on the traditionally Anglo-American ID epistemology. Recently, the paradox of indexing to gain international scientific recognition marked an inflection point for this knowledge ecosystem, posing new editorial challenges and language barriers while opening avenues for the dissemination of pluriversal approaches. Aiming to map tensions and contradictions in the evolution of information design research in Brazil, this paper presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the InfoDesign journal database, containing 397 publications spanning from 2004 to 2024. Findings …
Decolonising Digital Practices In Intangible Cultural Heritage. Implications From Literature And Funded Ec Research Projects Towards A Framework Of Design Principles,
2026
Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Decolonising Digital Practices In Intangible Cultural Heritage. Implications From Literature And Funded Ec Research Projects Towards A Framework Of Design Principles, Eleonora Lupo
DRS Biennial Conference Series
In the context of a digitally mature world in which the relationship between Cultural Heritage and digital technologies is under re-evaluation, this paper critically rethink the use of digital technologies for preserving and valorising Intangible Cultural Heritage through a decolonising lens. A criticall literature review is provided and a comparative analysis is conducted on EC funded reserachprojects in order to depict from rhetoric misuses to real transformative uses of digital technologies, in avoiding excluding actors depending on their gender, cultural inclination or digital literacy, generating a genuine capacitation and participation of the whole ecosystem and distributing leadership and agency. This …
Maintaining Counterpublics: Archival Recursion And Prefiguration,
2026
University of Florida, United States of America
Maintaining Counterpublics: Archival Recursion And Prefiguration, Seojoo Han
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This study examines Interference Archive, a collectively run archive of social movement ephemera in Brooklyn, as a site where archival practice and design converge in continuous public formation. Through an analysis of exhibitions, interviews, and institutional materials, it demonstrates how archives employ the design tactics of tracing and projection not as discrete interventions but as recursive practices embedded in long-term infrastructuring. Tracing reveals genealogies of struggle, enabling participants to locate themselves within shared histories, while projection transforms this awareness into forward-looking artifacts and events that circulate beyond the archive. Unlike conventional participatory design or speculative futuring, IA cultivates a prefigurative …
Patterns Of Everyday Care: Translating Cultural Practices For Online Communities,
2026
Indiana University Bloomington, United States of America
Patterns Of Everyday Care: Translating Cultural Practices For Online Communities, Austin Toombs, Seora Park, Tilar Manion, Xinyun Zhang
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Design research in social computing has used the concept of care to describe how technologies help or hinder interpersonal support online. Yet opportunities remain to explore how the subtle, everyday forms of care that have long sustained communities can inform social technology design. Addressing this, we present a collection of design patterns that translate culturally specific, everyday social practices like passeggiata (Italian social stroll) and sobremesa (Spanish post-meal lingering) into design prompts for digital platforms. Our collection has five pattern families: Shared Habits and Routines, Atmospheric Qualities, Collective Identities, Facilitation Roles, and Boundary Practices. The patterns map these families to …
The Language Of Reflexivity: Investigating Limitations And Opportunities For Reflexivity In Prevailing Design Process Models,
2026
North Carolina State University, United States of America
The Language Of Reflexivity: Investigating Limitations And Opportunities For Reflexivity In Prevailing Design Process Models, Asa River Jackson
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Prevailing design methodologies and models tend to contain language specific to pragmatic and contextual foundations of design history and culture. Consequently, these models provide limited support for the diverse and constructive nature of contemporary design practice, and particularly, lack the presence of embedded reflexivity. This paper seeks to determine the predominant and excluded language of 66 design process models, which function as projections of instruction and value in design dissemination. In the analysis, special attention is given to omissions within these process models, as well as their differences among more recently documented methodologies. As a result, the paper explores reflexive …
Surfacing Wetlands Through Design Ethnography And Critical Visualisation,
2026
University of Technology Sydney
Surfacing Wetlands Through Design Ethnography And Critical Visualisation, Alexandra Crosby, Sarah-Jane Jones, Holly O'Neil
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This paper explores the visualisation of wetlands and waterways as a more-than-human design practice that can generate situated and relational understandings of colonised urban wetlands and waterways in Australia. We analyse three design research projects that create online visualisations of wetlands in Australia: The Sound of Water, Environmental Flows in Nap Nap Swamp (2021); The Rippon Lea Water Story (2023); and Dyarubbin the real Secret River (2020). These projects are brought together in this paper to open discussion about the role of design research place-based ethnography and critical visualisation in communicating with and about water places. We make the argument …
Queering Design With A Queer Community: Co-Creation, Translation, And Application Of Queer-Positive Design Principles,
2026
University of Cincinnati
Queering Design With A Queer Community: Co-Creation, Translation, And Application Of Queer-Positive Design Principles, Colin Putman
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Trans and queer individuals, particularly transmasculine, transfeminine, nonbinary and genderqueer folks, remain underrepresented in contemporary design practice despite a growing awareness of the community’s existence. This project creates a set of translational materials co-created by members of the queer community. These materials are intended to educate industry professionals on queer perspectives and provide actionable methods to help design solutions that meet the needs of queer people. Co-creation processes centering the queer community were used to identify and describe key queer-inclusive design principles: discretion, perception, inclusion, and motion. These principles were then translated into an educational zine intended for creative professionals, …
