Connecting Worlds for a Better Future

Project manager Kris reached out to concept developer Jamila to write a narrative for the UT. The next idea was to create a meeting point that would be at the exhibition of the UT at Dutch Design Week, at the Ketelhuisplein. Additionally, the idea was to give visitors something meaningful to keep and play with after the Dutch Design Week.

The combination became an interactive story or a narrative experience, used during and after the Dutch Design Week.

The challenge was the fact that UT was involved in various programmes at Dutch Design Week, with various target groups and stories. DesignLab was involved in the programmes of Embassy of Health, 4TU Design United, and Drive-Click NL. They all had their own story. And Dutch Design Week had their own theme as well ('Get Set'). How to connect them all? She figured the best way to do is to make sure that the visitors take centre stage, when telling the story near this meeting point.

DreamTeamers were able to sign up to design and build the 'lightbox', a visual translation of the narrative, that would stand outside and serve as a starting point for visiting communities. In the preparation phase it became clear that having students in a team with different study backgrounds and mindsets can be very challenging. The skills were there, but how to solve unforeseen design challenges? How to schedule your part when others need to do something else first? And how to combine it with your studies? Nevertheless, because of this awesome and focused team, the first product was finished before it needed to be transported to Eindhoven.

The last part of the narrative ('Unite to define the future that is now') was the most difficult part: It is clear that we should work together to define those futures that we want to live in, but how to do this? And why explain if you can teach it by playing together? A second product was on the drawing table. Aside from Dutch Design Week, a team at DesignLab was developing the Responsible Futuring approach. Together with researcher Julieta Matos Castańo, Jamila built upon the conditions of a card game, which summarises the essence of, and introduces people to, Responsible Futuring.