„How to Public Sector?“

The Key to Impactful Collaborations Between the Public Sector and Service Design Universities & Programs Book Lauch and Celebration!

Prof. Birgit Mager

What’s the topic?

Explore the impact of service design in public sector innovation with Prof. Birgit Mager as she launches her latest publication, “How to Public Sector?”. This insightful evening will cover how university collaborations, particularly student-led projects, serve as crucial entry points for bringing service design into the public sector, paving the way for citizen-centered, co-creative, and transformative change. In her keynote, Prof. Mager will share practical frameworks and tools for educators and public sector practitioners to build successful partnerships, supported by the hands-on Miroverse Toolbox, which provides critical reflection and actionable strategies for service design collaborations.

Date: 03.12.24
Program: 17:30 Keynote
Location: KISD, Ubiering 40, 50678 Köln

About the speakers:

Prof. Birgit Mager

As a pioneer in service design, Prof. Mager co-founded the international Service Design Network and serves as editor-in-chief of Touchpoint, the leading journal in the field. Since establishing Europe’s first Service Design professorship at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, she has redefined design’s economic, ecological, and social roles. Prof. Mager was awarded the Sir Misha Black Award in 2020, and she is currently a visiting professor at Sapienza University of Rome

Rethinking Design Through the Lens of Degrowth.

About the Speaker:

Julia brings extensive experience as a service designer, regenerative practitioner and innovation strategist, with a career spanning more than 15 years in large public and private organisations including the NHS, Adidas, AbbVie, Sanofi, Livework and Engine Service Design. Inspired by Ostrom’s Nobel Prize-winning research on ecological transitions, Julia fosters regenerative cultures through design within organisations. Her focus is on developing an innovation mindset that prioritises planet-centred design.

Julia’s expertise lies in planetary health, with a significant portion of her career dedicated to improving health outcomes through design while promoting wellbeing. Her PhD research explored how service design practices can contribute to planetary health and regenerative business models, addressing pressing sustainability challenges. She holds a PhD from the University of the Arts, London and a master’s degree from the Glasgow School of Art, École Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle in Paris, and Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. Julia is also recognised internationally for her contributions to service design and lectures on the topic across Europe and beyond.

What’s the topic?

In this talk, Julia will draw on her PhD research to emphasise the need to shift design practices towards degrowth. Echoing Antonio Gramsci’s insight that “the old world is dying, and the new one struggles to be born,” the session will critically assess the challenges posed by our current economic landscape and the role of design within it.

By establishing a theoretical foundation for degrowth, we will examine conflicts between perpetual growth and sustainable living. Julia will introduce alternative economic frameworks emerging from the degrowth movement and conclude by reflecting on the transformative potential of integrating degrowth principles into design practices. As part of a short-term project focused on designing for degrowth, this talk aims to raise awareness among designers about the need for degrowth and to inspire practical reflections on design project work.

Navigating challenges in the Service Design process

Want to be a supportive partner for public organizations, city administrations, and ministries, as well as in collaborations with leading companies? We’ll showcase and discuss how we can manage the challenges when jumping into this process and providing support in specific phases, such as Prepare, Ideate, or Test. In this cozy and inspirational roundtable, we’ll share our experiences, ideas and visions with each other.

Marcel Befort
Marcel graduated at KISD in Design Management in 2006 before working in Strategic Brand Management for the BMW Group and as assistant professor and researcher in the field of Design Strategy at Wuppertal University. In 2012, he founded Sensity together with Guido Wolff. Marcel supports companies by implementing design and innovation processes in their organizations.

Lisa Hunger

Lisa completed her Bachelor’s degree at KISD in 2019 with a focus on Service Design. She has been working as a researcher at Sensity since 2019, specializing in user tests and workshops. She is also currently a Master’s student in the Public and Social Innovation cluster at KISD.

Sensity Office
Bismarckstraße 30
50672 Köln

The talk starts at 18:00 h.

On January 31st, Thoughtworks Cologne welcomes you to the next round of Service Design Drinks! We will discuss how designers shape society, about privilege, inequalities and planet-centric versus human-centric design. How do we use the tools in our tool boxes to be agents of change?

Thoughtworks Cologne,
Lichtstraße 43i,
50825 Köln,
Eventspace on the 5th floor

The talk starts at 18:00 h.

The talk will be held in English.