Transformative Design

Design methods are well suited for processes that address complex and intractable societal challenges, such as sustainability transitions. Iterative, user-centred, and co-creative approaches help gradually build an understanding of how such multifaceted problems can be approached, while design methods provide a structure for integrating diverse perspectives. Designing is always an act of shaping change, and transformative design specifically focuses on the continuous processes of change that characterise societies and organisations.

As the designer’s role shifts from creating products and services to actively contributing to sustainability transitions, design practice itself must evolve. Transformative design represents such an updated practice, integrating systems thinking and collaborative methods. This form of design supports the emergence of transformative ways of working and can play a meaningful role in organisational and societal transitions towards greater sustainability.

In this docent lecture, Mia Hesselgren presents her design research for sustainability and illustrates how transformative design can be applied within transdisciplinary research.