Farewell to Sabine Junginger

A big Thank You and Farewell to our colleague and former head of our research group Prof. Dr. Sabine Junginger. We want to express our heartfelt appreciation for her exceptional leadership and significant contributions during the last 7 years at the Lucerne School of Design, Film and Art. Sabine played a pivotal role as the leader of our research group, pushing the boundaries of design research. Her dedication and inspiring work have made a lasting impact on each and every one of us.

🎉 Her recent transition to Northumbria University’s School of Design as a Full Professor in Communication Design and Vice Chancellor’s Fellow marks an exciting new chapter in her career. We congratulate her on this well-deserved opportunity and wish her all the best as she embarks on this exciting journey.

Farewell to Minh-Nguyet Le

We bid a fond farewell to our dear colleague Minh-Nguyet Le. We are grateful for her contribution to the VA-PEPR Research Project. Wishing Minh all the best as she embarks on her PhD chapter!

VA-PEPR Project Concludes with ‘Talking AI’

Unveiling the Potential of Artificial Intelligence
The VA-PEPR project team successfully hosted the two-day Talking AI event and shared insights from their research on voice technologies. The event was open to anyone interested in how these technologies are shaping our future. Many international experts joined the events contributing to the academic workshops and discussions.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of our lives, revolutionizing the way we live, work, and interact. To delve into the ever-evolving world of AI, VA-PEPR project team organized the Talking AI event. This two-day international gathering provided a platform for experts, researchers, and industry professionals to explore the capabilities, challenges, and opportunities presented by AI.

Workshops and Engaging Discussions

The Talking AI event kicked off with a series of workshops that covered diverse topics such as policy, design, data privacy, and more. Participants had the opportunity to immerse themselves in thought-provoking discussions conducted in both English and German. These workshops facilitated knowledge exchange, allowing attendees to gain insights into the latest developments in AI and its impact on society.

Presentations and Keynote

One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of the VA-PEPR Research Project, which focused on the project methods and the research outcomes, such as the impact of voice assistants on people’s everyday lives, their practices, and routines in the Swiss context. Attendees learned from the experiences of individuals participated in the in-home studies with this technology. The presentation shed light on the ethical considerations related to voice assistants and AI and sparked conversations on how we can shape our future in harmony with technological advancements.

The keynote speech by Lajla Fetic, a Tech Governance and Digital Policy Expert, explored the role of governance and design in the digital age. Her insightful talk highlighted the importance of responsible AI implementation and emphasized inclusivity in designing AI systems for the future.

Panel Discussion

The Talking AI event featured a captivating panel discussion on the outlook of AI, moderated by Prof. Dr. Sabine Junginger. The panel brought together esteemed experts from various fields, such as tech governance, academia, and design. They engaged in thought-provoking conversations on the future of AI, its impact on society, and the ethical considerations surrounding its implementation. The panel discussion provided attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Interactive Exhibition and Networking

The event also featured an interactive exhibition which showcased the provotypes (provocative prototypes) developed throughout the project and the Voice Matter installation, offering a glimpse into the potential future of AI. It provided a unique opportunity for participants to debate about and speculate our futures with these technologies, connect with like-minded individuals and exchange ideas on AI-related topics.

The Talking AI event provided a platform for experts, researchers, and industry professionals to explore the vast potential of AI. Through workshops, presentations, keynotes, and panel discussions, attendees gained valuable insights into the latest advancements, challenges, and ethical considerations in the field of AI. The event fostered collaboration, knowledge exchange, and networking, setting the stage for a future where AI positively impacts our lives and society as a whole.

For the results of the VA-PEPR project and access to academic publications, the team invites you to visit the project website. Furthermore, the project team has published two comprehensive workbooks that provide an in-depth overview of the entire project. These workbooks offer a top-level understanding of the project while also delving into granular details. They effectively showcase the collaboration of researchers from diverse backgrounds who contributed to the project’s success.
VA-PEPR Workbook One
VA-PEPR Workbook Two

Space to Digest – Workshop by Isabelle Dechamps

During her recent research trip to India, Isabelle Dechamps, our newest team member, had the incredible opportunity to share her expertise at the Pune Design Festival, organized by the Association of Designers of India 🇮🇳✨

Isabelle conducted an insightful workshop titled “Space to Digest,” which aimed to create a nurturing environment for participants to process their conference experiences. 🧠💭 This transformative workshop incorporated co-design exercises and mindfulness practices, allowing attendees to delve deeper into their thoughts and emotions. 🌿🎨

As a social designer pursuing her PhD, Isabelle is passionate about exploring how practices that enhance our awareness and consciousness can foster co-creation for social transformation. 🌍💡 In our fast-paced world, where information overload and complexity often cloud our reality, it’s crucial to reconnect with our core and embrace our interconnectedness with everything around us. 🌟💫

Through her workshop, Isabelle fostered a beautiful synergy between the design community and mindfulness, encouraging meaningful interactions and introspection. 🤝🧘‍♀️ The result? A powerful experience that left participants feeling inspired, rejuvenated, and ready to make a positive impact through their creative endeavours. 🚀 💚 Stay tuned for more updates on Isabelle’s work in the field of eco-social design! 🌱✨

Register at the Talking AI

Everyone is talking AI – but do you actually know what it is capable of?

Talking AI – Registration open!

🤖 How do virtual assistants and ChatGPT change our daily lives today? What services may we use tomorrow? What challenges and opportunities emerge? Find out through the workshops, panel talks and interactive exhibition part of the Swiss National Science Foundation project VA-PEPR: Voice Assistants: People, Experiences, Practices and Routines.

Register here for free and secure your spot!
Date: 7-8 March 2024
Place: Lucerne School of Design, Film and Art, Emmenbrücke, Lucerne

Guillermina Noël presented at Research Symposium Health Lucerne 2024

Our team member, Guillermina Noël -who is also the head of the bachelor’s program Design Management, International (DMI)- contributed to the Research Symposium Health Lucerne 2024 with two alumni from the program.

They participated with three contributions:
– Enhancing Interactions and Capabilities through Design in Healthcare Settings by Guillermina Noël
– Exploring the Role of Caregivers in Promoting Mental Health among Young People in Switzerland by DMI alumni Michelle Arocha;
– Accompanying Support for Family Caregivers of People with Alzheimer’s: A systemic design approach by DMI alumni Tamara Jeggli.

Their work highlights the ongoing need to enhance healthcare through design.

Save the Date!

📣 Save the Date! 📣 for the “Talking AI” public events 🎉 March 7th & 8th 🎉Workshops, Panel Talks and Interactive Exhibition 🤖 Send the VA-PEPR project team an email if you want to stay updated >> email hidden; JavaScript is required

Design, Policy & AI Workshop

🤖 Research by the VA-PEPR team points to an ever-closer interrelation of the design of policies and services for everyday use driven by new technologies like AI. Funded by the interdisciplinary Swiss National Science Foundation SINERGIA program, on 16 January 2024, the team hosted a high-level interdisciplinary workshop on the topic. We thank Sameer Pujari and Jose Diaz Mendoza from the World Health Organization’s Global Initiative on AI for Health (GI-AI4H) and European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) Pierre Deceuninck (Directorate F – Innovation in Life and Health Sciences) and Marco Inchingolo, PhD (Directorate S – Innovation in Science and Policymaking) for their inputs from the policy side.

A stellar group of interdisciplinary experts at the cross section of policy, design and AI fearlessly engaged with the provotypes developed by the VA-PEPR team (specifically ‘Voice Matters’ and ‘Überblick’) to explore their relevance and use in the policy innovation context.

📣  A significant concept emerged that will now be taken forward and developed further 🎉 Stay tuned – and mark your calendar for the two upcoming events on March 7 (Workshops) and March 8 (Final Project Event)!  Send VA-PEPR team an email to stay updated > email hidden; JavaScript is required <

Photos by: Carolin Röckelein and Aysun Aytac

Annual Vision Emmen 2024

🎉 As HSLU School of Design, Film and Art and CCDM (the official partner of Gemeinde Emmen in Digital Transformation), we hosted the annual Vision Emmen 2024 meeting of Municipality Emmen on 15 January 2024.

👏 This was a great opportunity for the VA-PEPR research team to engage with the public sector and discuss how AI-based technologies and services will shape our lives.

🤖 Prof. Dr. Sabine Junginger, Prof. Michael Doerk, Dr. Uwe Riss, Dr. Michael Shorter, Melanie Rickenmann, Dr. Aysun Aytac, Minuette Le and Michelle Murri presented and shared insights from the research project. The Voice Matters interactive installation, the Überblick, and other provotypes (PROVOcative protoTYPES) were the highlights as they showcased the potential of voice-driven experiences. Around 250 people from the municipality engaged with and explored the capabilities of voice-based AI.

➡️ Visit the VA-PEPR website to learn more about how Voice Matters work.
📣 Stay tuned for more updates from the VA-PEPR project!
Photos by: Carolin Röckelein and Aysun Aytac

New Team Member

It’s our pleasure to introduce you to our newest team member Isabelle Dechamps Isabelle is enrolled in the PhD Programme Eco-Social Innovation by Design. Her research is about conscious co-creation for social transformation. She is exploring how mindfulness practice can support participatory design processes in eco-social communities.

We are so exited to work with you Isabelle and look forward to all the great contributions you’ll make to our research centre. We warmly welcome you on board

Happy New Year!

Dear friends, colleagues and collaborators,

🔎 Another eventful and turbulent year ends. Thank you for the amazing generosity you have provided us throughout the year – be that as project partner and participant, co-author and collaborator, or as a trusted critical friend. Together, we have been able to forge new design-led paths into the public sector and policies and local government. It was a year where our strategic objectives to bridge new technologies with sustainability and human-centred design have gained new salience with the rise of ChatGPT. Our concern for how we relate to each other and to our environment has offered many new avenues for research and study.

💪 It has been a full year for us with highlights that include participating in the Digital Design Week/London Design Week with our project installation Voice Matters at the Victoria and Albert Museum and re:publica, a workshop on designing policies and technologies simultaneously at the CHI conference in Hamburg, and the Mozilla Festival in Amsterdam.

🤖 In 2024, we will focus on the closing events for our SNSF Sinergia project VA-PEPR. In January and March, we will be ‘Talking AI’ in a series of exciting events:

➡️ On January 15, we will share our work and its implications with the Municipality Emmen – a highlight of HSLU’s role as their official partner for digital transformation. The next day, we are honoured to host representatives of the World Health Organization and the EU Joint Research Centre for a workshop on Policy, Design & AI. We will be joined by a select group of international experts to explore innovation in policy-making and implementation relevant to new technologies.

➡️ On March 7, we host a series of academic workshops on the topics that emerged through VA-PEPR. If you are interested in data-intermediaries, interactive installations, the rcc application, digital off-boarding, or policy implications, please mark your calendars!

➡️ Our final event on March 8 includes an interactive exhibition, and brings together participants and partners but also those interested in ‘Talking AI’ and making the ‘invisible’ visible, and accessible to everyday people.

👋 The new year also brings some changes to our research group. Senior research associate Dr. Paola Perri will be moving on to a professorship in Social Design at the HKB Institute of Design Research at the Bern University of the Arts, while research assistant Aurelio Todisco will be applying his amazing talents in a professional architect’s studio setting. Prof. Dr. Sabine Junginger already stepped down as the head of our research group in September to dedicate herself to the final months of the VA-PEPR project. She will be taking up her new position as a full professor and Vice Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Northumbria in the UK in the spring. Prof. Dr. Dagmar Steffen will serve as the interim lead the research group.

🎄Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a healthy start to the New Year! 🎉

Aysun Aytaç, Sabine Junginger, Minh-Nguyet Le, Guillermina Noël, Paola Pierri, Dagmar Steffen & Aurelio Todisco

Coming Soon: Distant Learning for Classes in Studios, Practice Rooms, and Labs by Dagmar Steffen

Big congratulations to Dagmar for her contribution to the Learn X Design 2023 Proceedings, under the general theme of Futures of Design Education.

Dagmar’s work is based on the research project “analog_digital: Digitisation opportunities in mandatory presence formats in the teaching of design, music and engineering“. This project was funded by the ‘Strengthening digital skills in teaching’  P-8 program of Swissuniversities. In her work, Dagmar presents and analyzes five case studies from the three departments at HSLU: Art & Design, Engineering & Architecture, and Music.

The proceedings will be available in January 2024 in the DRS Digital Library.

Sabine Junginger’s Presentation at the Age Strategy Conference 2023, Zurich

The third Aging Strategy Conference, organized by the Department of Health and Environment of the City of Zurich, took place on November 7, 2023, bringing together 70 stakeholders in aging work. The conference provided an opportunity for participants to reflect on their achievements and discuss ways to further address the needs of the city’s aging population. Notably, the conference highlighted the success of the aging strategy, showcasing concrete results such as the creation of SAW apartments (Stiftung Alterswohnungen der Stadt Zürich) and the implementation of age-friendly benches.

As an invited speaker, Sabine delivered a presentation focusing on the importance of human-centeredness in service design. She emphasized the benefits of creating services together with people, rather than just for them, and highlighted the need for regular review and development to meet the changing needs and preferences of the population. The subsequent workshop allowed for meaningful discussions and the exchange of ideas and solutions among experts from various fields, fostering collaboration and inspiration between the public sector and private organizations.

Click  here to download Sabine’s presentation (in German).
Further information about the conference can be found here (in German).

Sabine Junginger participated in IASDR 2023, the 10th Congress of the International Association of Societies of Design Research

Emma: Piece of the Puzzle in Emmen City

We are proud to introduce Emma, the critical puzzle piece that gives the local population in Emmen a voice and invites them to communicate their ideas and concerns.

Emma is the result of HSLU master’s students’ exploration of public participation with the Gemeinde Emmen (Municipality Emmen) during last semester’s Connect Project. Under the guidance of Sabine Junginger, nine master’s students from Service Design, Digital Ideation, Eco-Social Design and Design engaged with residents and workers in Emmen to understand their views on local government and voting. Municipal President Ramona Gut-Rogger provided an informative introduction to the issues, while Ivo Müller, Stefano Costa, and Michael Kost from the Digital Transformation Team supported the students throughout the investigative and creative process (Read more about the process on the municipal website).

During the project, the students interviewed numerous locals in Emmen, who generously shared their experiences in various languages, including Portuguese, Farsi, Spanish, Tamil, English, and Swiss German. On April 21, 2023, the students presented their project results at HSLU to their peers, lecturers and representatives from the Gemeinde Emmen. The project and Emma received such positive feedback that Emma has now become a chatbot on the municipal website, making it easier for visitors to find the services and documents they need. This is just the first step in implementing the project, as the municipality plans to further utilize Emma in other projects to enhance the membership experience for Emmen inhabitants and increase participation in the municipality. To learn more about the project results and municipality’s plans regarding the implementation of Emma, click here.

We congratulate Sabine and the students for their incredible work! A special thanks goes out to Ramona Gut-Rogger, Ivo Müller, Stefano Costa, Michael Kost, Manuel Amstein from the Jugendbüro Emmen and Petra Mauro who is active for the Ludothek Emmen, the Gemeinnütziger Frauenverein and the Mix Up Choir, and Aurelio Todisco!

London’s Victoria and Albert Museum showcased VA-PEPR project

VA-PEPR project team had the privilege to participate in the Digital Design Weekend on 23-24 September at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, as part of the London Design Festival

The team showcased “Voice Matters” which is a thought-provoking installation exploring the fascinating intersection of AI and human interaction. The installation delved into the power of AI to listen, understand, and interpret our conversations Participants from all ages experienced firsthand how much of our daily conversations can be comprehended and summarized by the smart devices that surround us.

Big congratulations to Aurelio, Aysun and Sabine as well as to the researchers on the wider team; Michael Shorter, Jon Rogers, Melanie Rickenmann, and Edith Maier!

Read more on the VA-PEPR project website!

Photo © Hydar Dewachi

If you are interested in the topic of Design in/for Government, we invite you to the symposium organised by the Swiss Design Association at Zurich Design Weeks on Friday, September 8, 2023. We are proud to announce that Prof. Sabine Junginger is one of the speakers at the symposium 👏 👏

Participation is free of charge. Register here!

Guillermina Noël participated in Design and Health Symposium at Swiss Center for Design and Health

Swiss Center for Design and Health (SCDH) held the symposium titled “Design and Health – Practice, Research and Social Relevance” from July 10-12, 2023.  Among the other invited speakers, such as Daniel Wahl, Angela Mazzi, Dr. Juan P. Brito and Prof. Dr. Thomas Zeltner, Dr. Guillermina Noël, head of the Design Management, International bachelor’s program and researcher at the Competence Centre Design and Management, presented her talk titled  “Make your magic: Can designers foster caring between patients and healthcare providers?” Visit the SCDH website for more information.

The photo is courtesy of SCDH.

Dr. Paola Pierri presented VA-PEPR project at CHI’23 Workshop

We are proud to announce that Dr. Paola Pierri presented the paper Everyday Data and Everyday Publics which introduces VA-PEPR research and explores the role of the Everyday in technology and policy development. The paper was accepted for the Designing Technology and Policy Simultaneously Workshop which was held at CHI’23 in Hamburg in April 2023.

Two publications in “Nummer: Update Available”

Guillermina Noël and Dagmar Steffen contributed to the Open Access university journal “NUMMER, Update Available: Transforming Education in Design, Film and Fine Arts”, No. 11, March 2023 👏 👏 The journal was published on the occasion of school’s new curriculum. Both articles deal with the topic of ‘design for sustainability’, one of the key challenges in design education. 

Click here to read the NUMMER 11 journal.

Fumetto Comic Festival’s Scenario Prize goes to Aurelio!

We are delighted to announce that Aurelio Todisco, one of our very own team members, has been the winner of this year’s Fumetto Comic Festival Scenario Prize with his work “At Home.” We are incredibly proud of his achievement!

You can view the award-winning comic, along with all the other nominated works, at the competition exhibition in the HI-Gallery, located at Neustadtstrasse 3 in Lucerne. The exhibition will run for the entire week.

New Team Members and Farewell

 

 

 

It’s our pleasure to introduce you to our newest team members Minuette Le and Dr. Paola Pierri 🎉 👏 We are so exited to work with you and look forward to all the great contributions you’ll make to our research centre. We warmly welcome you on board ✨ Hereby, we’d also like to thank Dr. Bettina Minder for her years of hard work and support. We wish you the best on your next adventure, Bettina! 👋

Keynote at Fit for the Future with Design

We are proud to announce that Prof. Sabine Junginger will be giving a keynote speech on “Design in Government: Basics, Current Practices, and Future Outlook” at the international two-day event, “Fit for the Future with Design,” on March 10, 2023 👏 👏  The event is jointly organized by Eurac Research and the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano.

Dagmar Steffen contributes to the book Destination Design

The tourism scientists, Prof. Dr. Harald Pechlaner, Greta Erschbamer, and Nathalie Olbrich, from the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt and Eurac Research in Bolzano, have invited our team member Dagmar to contribute to the publication “Destination Design: Neue Ansätze und Perspektiven aus der Designforschung für die Entwicklung von Regionen und Destinationen.”

Her text “Designtheoretische Zugänge für die nachhaltige Gestaltung von Destinationen” examines the contribution of design science and design to sustainable tourism destinations from a design perspective. Drawing upon design-theoretical models, the chapter utilizes the city of Lucerne as an example to demonstrate how it has successfully emerged as a popular destination, addresses the challenges of over-tourism, and explores strategies for developing more sustainable tourism practices.

You can read her chapter here (in German, Open Access).

Open Lectures at Design Management, International BA programme

We are happy to invite you to the upcoming open lecture organised by our Guillermina Noel –head of the DMI bachelor’s programme ⬇️ ⬇️

Wednesday 15 February 2023 || 17:30 -18:30 CET || Online by Megan Schuknecht, Senior Biomimicry Professional. She will talk about how biomimicry can help drive innovation by emulating biology’s blueprints, processes, and systems to create more sustainable and effective designs. Register here for the Zoom link!

Follow the DMI page or DMI LinkedIn to be informed about the upcoming lectures!

Designing Technology and Policy Simultaneously: A CHI’23 Workshop

Prof. Sabine Junginger invites all interested parties to participate in the Design Policy – Designing Platform Technology and Policy Simultaneously workshop she is co-organising at the CHI’23 Conference. The workshop focuses on how to design technology and policy simultaneously for increased social impact. Deadline to submit a position paper (1-2 pages) or a short research paper (4-6 pages) is February 24. * Submission deadline is extended to February 26.

Organisers: John Zimmerman (CMU), Steven Jackson (Cornell), Thomas Gilbert (Cornell Tech), Margaret Hagan (Stanford), Richmond Wong (Georgia Tech), Qian Yang (Cornell) and Prof. Sabine Junginger, PhD (HSLU).

Digital Off-Boarding for the Elderly: Why the time to act is now!

 

 

 

 

 

On the third Friday of every month, Experio Lab Sweden invites national and international researchers to a digital research breakfast -Experio Seminars-where they present their research around service design and user-driven services in the public sector with the focus of increased value creation for the citizens.

The first seminar of 2023 will be given by Dr. Sabine Junginger, Digital Off-Boarding for the Elderly: Why the time to act is now!

Her presentation introduces the concept of ‘digital off-boarding’ for the elderly and explores the consequences for designers concerned with the development of public services. Most services we encounter today, use, or rely on in the future will either contain a digital component or be fully digital. Given the multitude of pressures that are currently reshaping the public sector, great efforts are underway to increase the range of digital service offerings. For now, the challenge appears to be how to get people to embrace these newly digital services. But what happens at ‘the other end’? What problems may the elderly run into using public digital services? What new services might emerge to support elderly people in an ever-changing digital age? What rules & regulations will we need or want? Who might provide them? Sabine will point out that we need to develop exit strategies for off-boarding now.

The seminar will be held in English and is free and open for everyone.
20 January 2023 || 08:30 – 09:45 (CET) on Zoom.
Register here.