Designing Transformation

This is a theme course of DfI theme 2: Design for Societal Innovation.

Promises of the course, in a nutshell

• The course Designing Transformation is a transformative process.

• This course is not about solving problems and/or working with problem owners. Society is our client.

• At its core, Designing Transformation is about making explicit the shift from an old narrative to a new alternative narrative.

• Designing Transformation helps ‘designers’ to embody different mindsets in the process of creating societal change.

• Designing Transformation helps you to explore how you, as a designer, can and want to relate to the transforming world around you.

In the course Designing Transformation students learn to navigate theory and approaches to understanding change processes and how designers can respond to societal issues. Students learn to understand their role as change-makers using design competencies so that the design (artefact) and the design process will lead to the envisioned transformation. They adopt a broader perspective on transformations within systems and their various complex, rich and interdependent layers.

Whether in everyday social practices, at a community scale or at the level of global challenges, designing transformation brings together considerations of temporality, futures, different literacies, participation, social innovation, human needs, and interconnectedness. A variety of theories and concepts are used to deconstruct a societal challenge. Multiple perspectives and lenses help to scrutinize the design processes and diverse artifacts when designers shift their focus to societal innovation, mission-driven values and action.

Open dialogue facilitated in class encourages the creation of transition narratives on a (selected) societal theme. Students discuss the role of design and position their narratives during a final conference.

The study goals of this course will be assessed by a group assignment (100% of final grade) and an individual assignment (pass/fail).

Group assignment consists of a report that includes:

- Constructed narrative, including documentation of the process that led to the developed transition narratives, a justification of the choices made for the construction of their (own group work) transition narrative, and a reflection on the positioning of their transition narrative within the overall constellation of presented transition narratives.

- Learnings from the peer debate (conference) (including a reflection on the group's role as discussant and reporter).

Individual assignment includes:

- Reflection on learnings

- Application of the insights gained through the guiding structure to their own role as a designer and share their takeaways from the course. In this way, they demonstrate their agency in transforming their own future professional career, through storytelling.