As applied design researchers we are sensemakers: we are digesting society’s complexity and set out to improve it in meaningful ways. With our practices, we aspire to be catalysts for societal transformation. We apply our imaginative abilities to come up with alternatives for the status quo and we materialise …

Applied design research thrives in and even flourishes in complexity. It is more than just a methodology, a lens or a problem-solving approach—it is a transformative practice that shapes, nourishes and intertwines technology, societal structures, and professional knowledge ecosystems. Rather than avoiding …

Applied design researchers are at the forefront of initiating and executing projects to catalyze societal change. But how exactly do they accomplish this? What are the various ways in which design research can contribute to societal transitions? How do these researchers bridge different system levels …

The world is changing fast, and technology is becoming smarter and more intelligent. As Artificial Intelligence dominates the conversation — with Quantum Computing, Synthetic Data, and Organoid Intelligence on the horizon — designers face an urgent question: Are we heading toward Utopian or Dystopian …

In a rapidly evolving world, the need for innovative approaches to societal challenges is more critical than ever. As partners of the Network Applied Design Research (NADR), we believe that applied design research can be a promising approach for addressing complex issues in many domains, such as health-care, …

Experimental Learning and Innovation Environments, such as Living Labs, Field Labs, and Urban Innovation Labs, are increasingly used to connect multi-stakeholders in envisioning, creating, experimenting, learning, and trying out novel responses to diverse societal challenges. With designers facilitating …

The transformation of our linear economy into a circular economy poses a formidable challenge. This publication offers a concise overview of six potential ‘gateways to circularity’. ‘Gateways’, as each of them can provide a starting point or entrance for research and educational institutions and businesses …

Network Applied Design Research (NADR) made an inventory of the current state of Circular Design Research in the Netherlands. In this publication, readers will find a summary of six promising ‘gateways to circularity’ that may serve as entry points for future research initiatives. These six gateways …

For this book, we chose the term Applied Design Research. “We”are the Network Applied Design Research: a learning community of professors and researchers at various universities of applied sciences. Within this community, we share our experiences with the many forms of applied design research. We consciously …

Research into the relationship between innovative physical learning environments (PLEs) and innovative psychosocial learning environments (PSLEs) indicates that it must be understood as a network of relationships between multiple psychosocial and physical aspects. Actors shape this network by attaching …