Summary
This session focuses on innovative design approaches that blend digital experiences with physical public environments, covering sectors like transportation, education, child welfare, and social services. Speakers share strategies and tools to handle the blurred boundaries between online and offline worlds. The day includes exploring how future artifacts can inspire desired societal changes. Notably, past conference speakers will reflect on key learnings gathered from the community, particularly from Slack discussions. The conference concludes with Amara Spence’s keynote on designing for liberation and rehearsing freedom, emphasizing imagination-driven creation of better societal worlds.
Key Insights
-
•
Digital and physical public spaces are increasingly integrated, requiring new design approaches.
-
•
Artifacts representing the future help designers envision and live desired social changes.
-
•
Applications extend beyond tech industries into transportation, education, childcare, and social services.
-
•
Community reflections and synthesis during the conference add valuable insights to design discussions.
-
•
Slack channels during the conference serve as active spaces for engagement and idea exchange.
-
•
Designing for liberation involves imagining and rehearsing freedom to build desired worlds.
-
•
Physical public spaces function as design materials, not just backdrops or contexts.
-
•
Blurring lines between digital and public life challenges traditional service design models.
-
•
The conference structure encourages dialogue across different domains and past experiences.
-
•
Ending on a hopeful, imaginative note with Amara Spence inspires continued innovation in design.
Notable Quotes
"Designing services increasingly span these blurred lines between our digital and public worlds."
"We use artifacts from the future to help us envision and live in the changes we hope to see."
"Physical public spaces themselves become a design material to work with."
"Transportation, education, child care, and social services are key areas for these design approaches."
"Past speakers from this conference will dedicate time for reflection and synthesis."
"We’ve seen reflections from you all through Slack throughout the conference."
"Amara Spence will close with a keynote about designing for liberation and the rehearsal of freedom."
"This day continues threads heard in previous days, now focused on physical public spaces."
"We want to bring our imaginations to building the worlds that we want."
"It’s sure to end the conference on a high note."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"If you want to prove someone wrong, you’re actually not seeing the person in front of you."
Lin NieWhen Thought-worlds Collide: Collaborating Between Research and Practice
March 10, 2021
"The screen reader sounded unintelligible—our website was a garbled mess to visually impaired users during training."
Suzan Bednarz Hilary SunderlandAccessibilityOps for All
January 8, 2024
"Research isn’t linear; it’s messy and modular, so your tools have to reflect that fluidity."
Sofia QuinteroThe Product Philosophy Behind EnjoyHQ
March 10, 2021
"Flexibility is not about using the same methodologies; it’s about moving together towards the same goal."
Sol MeszHands or Brains? How to Hire for Strategy, Strategically
January 8, 2024
"Allow people to tell you how trauma extraction feels; don’t assume based on your cultural lens."
Matt Bernius Sarah Fathallah Hera Hussain Jessica Zéroual-KaraTrauma-informed Research: A Panel Discussion
October 7, 2021
"Therapists create space for clients to reflect and discover insights in a safe environment."
Gina MendoliaTherapists, Coaches, and Grandmas: Techniques for Service Design in Complex Systems
December 3, 2024
"Metrics are only the tip of the iceberg; cultural ethos like sympathy make Latin users more polite and less direct in responses."
Verónica Urzúa Jorge MontielThe B-side of the Research Impact
March 12, 2021
"Startups promised limitless growth but often had cultures of microaggressions, isolation, and favoritism."
Lisanne NormanWhy I Left Research
March 27, 2023
"Your superpower may be great, but it's better together. Think Justice League, not Wolverine."
Ovetta SampsonTurning UX Passion into Real Product Influence
June 7, 2023
