Thriving through change: Embracing unknown futures

Designing for a better future

Service Design Days 2023 wants to further explore the topic of designing for a better future by organising satellite events in different parts of the world, hoping to spark new perspectives and actionable insights leveraging the unique mindset and toolkit of creative thinkers to empathise, pinpoint pain points, connect the dots, tell the story, visualise future scenarios and contribute to positive transformation by designing valuable products and services for people and the planet. After Milan, Buenos Aires, Singapore and Cardiff, the discussion now lands in Eindhoven and the Dutch Design Week, in this special conference, organised in partnership with Philips.

The role of design/ers

The world is in continuous transformation; through social, technological and environmental influences, we adjust and evolve over time. While, as service designers, we are influenced and informed by these external factors, we also have an opportunity to shape the course of transformation ourselves. Our design decisions of today may impact the future. Yet, how exactly do our design decisions of today impact the world of tomorrow? As designers, we often attempt to imagine plausible futures, but how to design for the futures we cannot imagine yet? How can we navigate the balance between what lies in our power of influence and the unforeseen consequences of our design work? And is it possible to craft design propositions that not only withstand change but also thrive because of it? Talks will cover different domains and perspectives – but all reflect on the following questions: How might we, as service designers deal with unanticipated events when designing for long-term positive impact? How does it influence our process and design propositions?

Program - Thursday Oct 26

13:00 - Walk-in 13:30 - Welcome & Intro 14:00 - Talks: - The past - The present - The future 15:00 - Workshop 17:00 - Plenary 17:30 - Drinks This conference is catered for designers. The event will be held in English to facilitate the participation of an international audience. Participation is free. You can register on the event website (see below). Important: due to limited seating, registration will be restricted. Active participation is crucial, and we expect your full attendance at the workshop. Therefore, we kindly request that you be mindful that we keep your seat reserved. If you are unable to attend, we expect you to inform us before October 20 so that we can give your seat to someone It’s time for us, designers, to act and get out of our comfort zones. To push ourselves beyond our limits and explore new possibilities. To spark new perspectives and fresh ideas that will enrich our collective understanding of the challenges and opportunities we can create.