Circular economy competencies for design

This study addresses what competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) designers need in order to successfully design products and services for a circular economy. Existing literature, though sparse, has identified a number of circular economy competencies for design. Yet, a coherent overview is lacking. To complement the competencies found...

Crossing Cultural Chasms: Towards a culture-conscious approach to design

This thesis concerns specifically the discipline of product design, and the main question is how can designers be supported in understanding the culture of their intended users. The reason for this study is that designers are experiencing difficulties and uncertainties with regard to their intended users, as these users live in cultures with...

Design without borders: International collaborative design projects as a mechanism to integrate social sustainability into student design practice

Like the notion of social impacts in Sustainable Development, social sustainability in design is a complex, contradictory and challenging area. Although not clearly defined, it is often where all the vague and immeasurable elements of Sustainable Design are placed. Addressing the balance of sustainability to include societal and human concerns...