The Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability (DESIS) Lab focuses on how design can be used to explore and raise discussions about societal challenges. It does so both through research projects and teaching activities.

The Lab is part of the international DESIS network that includes design schools from all over the world engaging with questions of social and environmental sustainability in their research and teaching activities.

The DESIS network

Activities

The Lab is engaged both in research and teaching activities. When it comes to research, the focus is mainly on exploring the intersection of participatory design, sustainability, and social innovation. Through a design-practice based approach researchers have in the past ten years been engaging with different actors to design and explore possible alternative futures in relation to sustainable living. Some of the key focus areas are participatory innovation and co-production in the public sector, alternative economies and production, and cross-sector collaborations.

Research activities are continuously in dialogue with and engaging students from courses and programs at K3.