Design and Community- from end-users to interconnected design partners

Our annual conference deals with the role of design through the prism of interconnectivity. As products become smarter through interconnected platforms, so does the complex social fabric of the design partners using these products.  On the Meta-level, products are smarter and more community focused through co-design and validation processes informing the development process. On the design partner level, interconnected products will create relationships between users that will evolve into sub-communities as people will gather around the designed product and function. Informed by social media platforms, IOT and interconnectivity of products, the idea of community will challenge our existing concepts of belonging and social identification.   

The conference aims to highlight various relevant approaches by showcasing prominent designers and theoreticians, as well as students’ projects within the framework community and design.