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I.J. Mulder

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Journal article (2025) - Alejandra Celis Vargas, Rikke Magnussen, Ingrid Mulder, Birger Larsen
Open data offers the potential to enhance citizen participation, transparency, and accountability in society. However, a lack of competencies that enable citizens to engage in open data ecosystems remains a barrier. Although authentic open data inquiry has been identified as a promising approach to develop open data learning designs in schools, its connection to open data competencies is not yet well understood. To advance the understanding of open data competencies and learning designs, this study focuses on the inductive analysis of two design-based research cycles and four interventions in Danish schools. A cohort of 7th to 9th grade pupils (n = 78) and their teachers (n = 4) engaged with The Open Data Newsroom, an open data learning design that situates pupils in the role of data journalists to solve an environmental mystery. Following a thematic analysis approach, we examined qualitative data from observations, surveys, and interviews to identify four categories that encompass pupils’ practices for (1) navigating open data: find and assess relevant information and data to identify a problem; (2) developing authentic open data analysis: analyse and interpret data in connection to real-world problems and local contexts; (3) building authentic data arguments and stories: explain a problem with data from different sources and domains to lay audiences; and (4) creating open data representations: build tools to support inquiry and communication. We argue that these practices, grounded in data literacy and real-world problem solving, contribute to defining open data competencies in schools, and we present a model to illustrate this connection. ...

Developing genuine participatory approaches to involving lifeworld and system participants

Journal article (2025) - Eva R. Peet, Sander Mulder, Ingrid Mulder
Design (thinking) is increasingly considered a promising approach for addressing societal challenges. However, designing for societal transitions, such as the energy transition, requires new approaches to involve non-designers in the design process. Involving the full range of stakeholders affected by a societal transition means inviting perspectives from both the lifeworld, representing private and public spheres, and the system, representing the state and economy, which is not straightforward. The current work elaborates on genuine participation when co-designing for transitions and proposes eight co-design approaches for genuine lifeworld and system participation. These approaches were developed and tested during a six-month study on youth participation in the energy transition, using Frame Creation practices as a substructure. Building on the empirical insights, we reflect on our methodology, challenges encountered, and opportunities for further developing genuine participatory approaches to designing for societal transitions. ...

Design as an act of care: an exploratory study on designing communities of care

How can design and artistic practices contribute to shaping and envisioning futures and new ways of living and caring? This question grows increasingly urgent amid ageing populations, geopolitical conflicts, climate change and a housing crisis. Some of the proposed solutions, both from governments and society, take an individualistic approach, such as preparing emergency kits or investing strategically in housing. Others, however, emphasize collective resilience through care circles, collective housing and neighborhood networks. These latter approaches highlight care as a relational and collective practice that co-exists with caring for the environment and is rooted in equality and justice (Puig de la Bellacasa 2017). As such, communities of care are emerging as promising realm for bringing care into the public sphere. This study explores how communities of care form, what infrastructures support them and how design methods might active and sustain them. In short, we ask: What are ‘caring communities’, and how can design play a role in enabling and sustaining them?

Research in healthcare governance has shown that care has become increasingly professionalized, regulated and re-placed (Oldenhof, Postma and Bal, 2015). While this has led to more specialized services, it has also distanced care from local needs and everyday practices. In line with this, scholars in community development argue that traditional, place-based care structures often no longer meet people’s needs. Family ties and neighborhood bonds, once seen as reliable forms of support, do not always meet the needs of modern life. It is therefore essential to examine how people connect today, and what care means to them now and in the future. This asks for a shift beyond language and policy, towards emotional, embodied and spatial dimensions of care. Design-thinking can understand and evoke sensory experiences to deepen engagement within communities of care. Moreover, design practices can play a vital role by bridging formal healthcare systems and community initiatives. ...

A systematic literature review

Book chapter (2025) - Davide Di Staso, Ingrid Mulder, Marijn Janssen, Annika Wolff
Open data can be used to understand societal issues and provide accountability, in line with the goals of open government. Open data hackathons and game jams are events where citizens gather to reuse open data and address social issues. We lack an overview of open data hackathons and game jams regarding capturing the events’ purpose and resulting prototypes. To address this gap, we performed a systematic literature review and categorized the events based on their orientation, types of prototypes produced, and data collection methods used to record them. The majority of studies in our review are open data hackathons, with participants engaged in the development of an app, service, or web portal. Despite the promising ways in which games can express social issues, we found only one case of an open data game jam. Hence, we recommend further research into the reuse of open data through game jams and participatory game-making. ...
Journal article (2024) - Ahmee Kim, Mieke van der Bijl-Brouwer, Ingrid Mulder, Peter Lloyd
Design practices are being increasingly adopted by governments worldwide. Yet, barriers to design practices have been noted. Among the various barriers identified, a recurring theme is the gap between design practices and the established work practices of governments, suggesting that changes are needed on both sides—government organizations and design practices. In this paper, we present a study about how design practices become stabilized in the long term within local government organizations, drawing on organizational theory. The findings reveal that different types of legitimacy for design practices—pragmatic, moral, and cognitive—were shaped over time in different organizations, closely tied to each organization’s context and needs. Moreover, how design practices were interpreted and legitimized within an organization influenced what organizational processes and structures were developed to support them. This study demonstrates that the stabilization of design practices within government organizations is an adaptative process between the organization and design practices. We argue that this process is facilitated by the continuous efforts of design stakeholders in the organization. ...

Defining the Essential Elements for Developing Open Data Competencies

Journal article (2024) -  A. C. Vargas,  R. Magnussen,  B. Larsen,  Ingrid Mulder
Although schools are recognised as relevant actors in addressing the lack of skills of citizens for participating in Open Data ecosystems, educational approaches have not been clearly defined. In this paper, a design-based research methodological framework has been used to iteratively develop a learning design grounded in data literacy and real-world problem-solving to build Open Data competencies in elementary school. We conducted three cycles including five interventions in Danish schools with 117 pupils and nine teachers in 7th to 9th-grade. The first exploratory cycle provided contextual insights. The second cycle focused on designing an authentic game. The third cycle focused on supporting the Open Data competencies. We have iteratively developed The Open Data Newsroom, a role-playing game that immerses students in a data journalism process to solve a local environmental mystery with data. The results show how central design elements such as an authentic Open Data practice, local open data, physical and digital elements, and real-world complex problems support the development of Open Data skills, keeping students engaged, and creating an authentic experience in Open Data learning designs. The discussion section elaborates on how game-based and authentic learning approaches are central for integrating Open Data in elementary school education. ...
The current work explores value mapping as a pedagogical tool to gain a better understanding of the role of values in addressing sustainability challenges and their implications across scales, disciplines, and time. First, we introduce a Master-level course where students use the city as a learning ecosystem and engage with situated creative practices tackling global sustainability challenges at a local scale. Then we discuss the developed value maps. It can be concluded that the value mapping process not only proved instrumental in offering valuable insights and contextual understanding into the intricate, and sometimes conflicting, values identified, but also fostered students’ critical thinking skills, allowing them to identify potential areas of discord among stakeholders. The collaborative mapping approach, guided by shared values and facilitated by design expertise, holds the potential to overcome challenges, create a thriving ecosystem, and ensure a future where ecological well-being, shared responsibility, and informed decision-making go hand in hand. ...

Exploring Engagement in the Use of Local Governments Open Geodata

Conference paper (2024) - María Elena López-Reyes, Birger Larsen, Ingrid Mulder, Rikke Magnussen
This research paper examines the use of open geodata provided by local governments in Denmark within an open data ecosystem. It aims to understand how this influences the engagement of participants using the local government's open geodata to achieve specific purposes within an open data ecosystem. The study involves seven organisations utilising local government open geodata on outdoor facilities. The findings suggest that various interrelations in the open data ecosystem influence engagement in using local government open geodata. The results also show that the interrelations in the open data ecosystem can differ depending on the stages of utilising local government open geodata. These stages are categorised on their objectives as (1) obtain, (2) transform, and (3) sustain local government open geodata use. The hypothesis proposes that exploring the underlying purposes and the interrelations across the stages of utilising local government open data can illuminate strategies to enhance the impact of local governments' open data initiatives. The research aims to provide a theoretical framework for evaluating and monitoring local government open data use from an open data ecosystem perspective, benefiting policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. Further research is needed to explore whether using the theoretical framework can serve as an analytical tool that provides insights into developing strategies. ...

A Game Approach for Developing Open Data Competencies in Elementary School.

Conference paper (2024) - Alejandra Celis Vargas, Georgios Papageorgiou, Rikke Magnussen, Birger Larsen, Ingrid Mulder
Open Data refers to digital data that is made available to anyone with the legal and technical conditions to be freely used, reused, and redistributed. Although it has emerged as a new common with the potential to increase citizen participation and transparency, current literature suggests the lack of skills for managing data and participating in Open Data processes, as one of the main barriers to achieve these benefits. Integrating Open Data in school education has been recognized as key to fostering a larger community able to participate in Open Data ecosystems. This study showcases the design of a role-playing game grounded in authentic learning principles for the development of Open Data competencies in elementary school. The Open Data Newsroom is a game approach that immerses students in solving a mystery with data. In the game, students play Open Data Journalists engaging in a three-phase authentic process to get, understand and deliver data. The learning goal in the game is that students build open data competencies: data literacy and real-world problem solving. A design-based research methodological approach is applied to develop theory based and practically grounded educational designs. Two interventions in Danish schools have been conducted, each one with the participation of seventeen students in 7th to 9th grade and three teachers. Interventions are aimed at iteratively designing and testing the game. The discussion section elaborates on opportunities for redesigning and systematically developing the game as a learning design for Open Data competencies. ...
Journal article (2024) - Sterre de Jager, Holly McQuillan, Ingrid Mulder
Today’s fashion industry is marked by rapid production, early disposal and low-quality materials, resulting in environmental harm and social injustice. Denim production involves a resource-intensive and extended supply chain with entrenched design practices, leading to substantial pre-consumer waste. To address these issues, emerging design manufacturing techniques hold promise for fostering alternative sustainable fashion ecosystems yet remain largely underexplored by the industry. The current work focuses on 3D weaving, an innovative niche design manufacturing technique that enables the production of near-complete garments, facilitating zero waste and reducing labour-intensive steps at the cut-and-sew stage. Employing a qualitative approach informed by the literature and empirical research with denim industry professionals, this study investigates the potential of this novel design manufacturing technique in the context of systemic change beyond merely introducing technological advancement as an intervention in the existing industry. The analysis reveals four fundamental components: industry-led change, relocalisation, reimagining denim design roles and consumer communication. These key components, synthesised with the literature, are discussed respectively. We illustrate how the niche design manufacturing technique can shape novel fashion ecosystems by providing an exemplary concept which concerns the collaborative establishment of a small-scale local supply chain for 3D woven denim garments. Through this example, we aim to ignite discussions on a further reimagining of the fashion industry, utilising similar alternative lenses that prioritise sustainability over ultra-speed, high efficiency and mass production in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). ...
Conference paper (2024) - Alejandra Celis Vargas, Rikke Magnussen, Ingrid Mulder, Birger Larsen
Current literature argues that the lack of skills for users to engage in Open Data ecosystems is a primary barrier to expanding the benefits of Open Data in society. Although schools have been identified as potential actors in promoting Open Data literacy goals, educational approaches to support this aim have not been clearly defined. Our previous research on Open Data skills definition indicates that focusing on data literacy and real-world problem-solving is crucial in Open Data Education. In the current study, we apply a design-based research methodological framework to investigate how learning designs for building Open Data competencies in elementary school can be developed and what educational design elements are relevant. Design-based research proposes iterative cycles including problem definition, design, intervention, analysis and redesign. An exploratory cycle from problem definition to the first intervention with an educational open data design has been conducted. Central design elements, including elements of game-based learning, are identified by reviewing the domains of data literacy and real-world problem-solving. An educational design was tested in a Danish school with 39 pupils aged 15 to 16 in 9th-grade and five teachers. Following a thematic network analysis methodology, the results provide a contextual understanding of the competencies and skills for using Open Data in elementary school, how to keep students interested and engaged, and the importance of authenticity for Open Data learning designs. We propose a game design, making a parallel between learning and game design elements. The game design uses Open Government Data, and authentic Open Data practices for engaging elementary school students in developing Open Data competencies. Our study contributes to the understanding of social contexts and new technologies in the Open Data field showing the value of real-world applications and public value generation using Open Government Data. ...
Conference paper (2023) - Silvia Cazacu, Ingrid Mulder, Andrew Vande Moere, Thérèse Steenberghen
Data-driven domains such as public administration, health or mobility have adopted a so-called 'data ecosystem' perspective to unify the socio-technical aspects fostering data-driven collaboration. While a data ecosystem is technically able to collect and merge their different datasets, it is yet relatively unable to facilitate meaningful forms of collaboration between actors. Based on previous research on value creation in data ecosystems, we hypothesize that this inability is mainly due to ecosystems not reflecting actor values, i.e. aspects which are important and imply a desirable behavior, often related to goals, objectives, motivations and decision making. This paper therefore proposes a reflective approach to reveal the values in data-driven collaboration by answering the following research questions: What role do values play in the process of developing a data ecosystem? And how can value-led participatory design support data-driven collaboration? We attempt to answer these questions through an exploratory study based on 5 interviews with consortium members of a garden data ecosystem currently in development around a citizen science initiative in Flanders, Belgium. We discovered that the explicit use of values and frictions has the potential to augment the collaboration between actors. This approach can thus be useful to future practitioners who aim to expand the societal impact of their work. ...

A systematic mapping review of Open Data skills and learning approaches

Journal article (2023) - Alejandra Celis Vargas, Rikke Magnussen, Ingrid Mulder, Birger Larsen
Open Data (OD) is defined as digital data that is made available with the technical and legal characteristics necessary to be freely used, reused, and redistributed by anyone, anytime and anywhere. Although OD can be seen as a commons, citizens often face challenges in accessing, using and making sense of available open datasets. Current literature identifies a lack of data expertise as one of the main barriers and emphasises the importance of strategies for training and teaching the appropriate competencies. Furthermore, a clear definition of OD skills and learning approaches is missed. A two-sided systematic mapping review with a focus on the educational domain was conducted to identify relevant OD skills and the approaches facilitating the development of these competencies. The results section presents a map of OD skills and learning approaches, while the discussion section elaborates on the potential of OD in education to empower students with skills and competencies to better understand their context, act in their everyday life environment and address future challenges. The current contribution is an OD literacy framework that puts OD at the centre of competence-based education, fostering responsible citizenship necessary for addressing today’s societal challenges. ...
Journal article (2023) - Ruihua Chen, Marina Bos‐De Vos, Ingrid Mulder, Zoë van Eldik
Christopher Alexander’s Pattern Language Theory (PLT) has been recognized as a valuable methodology to understand complex systems. It has been applied across domains through a variety of different approaches. This article reviews exist-ing approaches to PLT application and reflects upon the differences between them. We find that application generally differs across four components: artefact, activity, roles and tools, informed by practitioners’ diverging values and needs. We elaborate on how consciously navigating the dimensions that these components consist of can help to broaden the application of PLT in practice. We report on the development of a set of conceptual tools that aim to support this process. The resulting “activity kit” has been applied in a Dutch housing renovation project to support homeowners in communication and decision‐making to illustrate the applicability of our methodology. It can be concluded that the “activity kit” is a promising approach to broaden the use of PLT and contributes to the methodological repertoire of researchers and practitioners to address complexity in today’s societal challenges. ...
Conference paper (2022) - A. Kim, M. van der Bijl-Brouwer, I. Mulder, P.A. Lloyd
Knowledge on how design practices evolve and become part of the daily practices of public organisations is still lacking. Prior to embarking on this research, we asked ourselves how this phenomenon should be studied in the context of public organisations. In the complex system of an organisation, practices are in constant flux, making it difficult to understand how a practice evolves based on certain factors such as leadership, legitimacy, or organisational culture. Adopting an alternative approach, including ‘time’ as an analytic element, we attempted to understand the evolution of design practices through a sequence of relevant past events. In a series of case studies of local government, we collected data through publicly available organisational documents related to design practices and visualised these data in a timeline. With the results, we constructed a narrative on how design practices have evolved over time in these organisations. This paper describes one case study at Kent County Council in the UK showing how this document-based, process-oriented research approach allowed us to capture the evolution of design practices in a public organisation over a 12-year period within a short research time and with greater objectivity. In conclusion, we argue that this longitudinal research method can be a new approach for researchers conducting studies on design practices within public organisations. ...
Conference paper (2022) - Aldo de Moor, Evi Papalioura, Evi Taka, Dora Rapti, Annika Wolff, Antti Knutas, T. te Velde, I. Mulder
Wicked societal problems, such as environmental issues and climate
change, are complex, networked problems involving numerous intertwined issues,no optimal solutions, and a wide range of stakeholders. Cities are problem owners and living labs for finding solutions through design-enabled innovation initiatives. However, to reach collective impact, it is paramount that these initiatives can learn from one another and align efforts through collaborative sensemaking. In the MappingDESIGNSCAPES project, we piloted a participatory collaboration mapping approach for cross-case sensemaking across design-enabled urban innovation initiatives. We used the CommunitySensor methodology for participatory community network mapping together with the Kumu online network visualization tool to help representatives of three urban prototype cases share and collectively make sense of their design lessons learnt. In this second of two papers, we build on the participatory mapping foundation introduced in [1]. We describe the collaborative sensemaking approach used, then present the core collaboration patterns and
common perspectives that form the sensemaking scaffolding. We show how we
collaboratively made sense by first taking individual perspectives, then making
common sense together. An extended discussion puts our findings in a larger context of how an approach like MappingDESIGNSCAPES can be used to move from collaborative sensemaking to collective impact in design-driven urban innovation. ...
Conference paper (2022) - I. Mulder, A. Magni
Design is generally accepted to provide valuable contributions to addressing complex societal challenges. Even though design and engineering professionals show increasingly capable of making societal impact, it is not straightforward why some creative practices are more impactful in fostering systemic change, let alone what additional capabilities they pursue to be distinctive. The current study introduces a capabilities framework highlighting a set of advanced design capabilities expanding the conventional skillset of designers and engineers towards enabling the adoption of local innovation at a systemic scale. Afterwards, the developed capabilities framework is used as a pedagogical framework
to design a learning environment to prepare the next generation of design and engineering students to respond to today’s societal challenges. We close with a discussion on the professional and pedagogic role of design and engineering as agents of change ...
Conference paper (2022) - A. Kim, M. van der Bijl-Brouwer, I. Mulder, P.A. Lloyd
In recent years, governments have increasingly pursued innovation by embed-ding design into their organizations. One particularly common approach to em-bedding design in government organization is to establish public sector innova-tion labs. These labs are described as contributors and facilitators of innovation in policymaking processes; however, less light has been shed on the role of in-house designers (including these labs) in fostering and managing the changes made by design practices within government organizations. In the current study, design management has been used as a theoretical lens to study the strategic activities of in-house designers in a Dutch municipality to embed design within the organization. The findings show the importance of strategic activity by in-house designers to foster design practice and resulting organizational changes and the need for participation of more organizational members in this activity. We conclude with setting an agenda for more research and practices on strategic activities to foster design practices and organizational changes in government. ...
Circular economy has gained traction within companies resulting in many exploring new product and business model combinations. Yet, to transition towards a circular economy on a societal level requires going beyond new product and market-based opportunities. To enable societal level change, ecosystem-level innovations are important and so collaboration plays a key role. Cities are considered in this paper as hubs of innovation playing a key role in transitioning to a circular economy. They are responsible for 80% of global resource consumption, with a high concentration of capital, data and talent spread over a relatively small geographic area; making them an important part of societal level transitions. The current work stresses the need to understand and support collaborations in transitioning towards a circular economy. This paper explores what factors influence collaborations and how organizations collaborate for a circular economy in the context of cities. An initial literature review resulted in a framework for exploration, which informed the set-up of the questionnaire. This helped in conducting semi-structured interviews with people ranging from founders, designers to engineers from six circular start-ups, which operate and utilize the resources in cities; to understand how different organisations collaborate in cities. Results showed they focus on operationalizing their innovation through engagement with various stakeholders. As they increased their visibility in cities showcasing their value, increasing the ways and number of engagements, the organisation engaged with people and organisations having similar values and grew by scaling through engagement. This paper elaborates the idea of scaling through engagement as a way for circular organisations to scale. ...
Journal article (2022) - D. Di Staso, I. Mulder, M.F.W.H.A. Janssen, F. Kleiman
Open data can support the creation of new services, facilitate research, and provide insights into everyday issues affecting citizens. Although public administrations are making efforts to create sustainable and inclusive open data systems, there is limited capacity to identify suitable datasets, clean, release, and reuse them. Serious games offer a possible solution for data capacity building and have already been used to train civil servants and citizens on the topic of open data. This research presents a review of serious games and discusses their potential for data capacity building. The games selected in the review are classified and described according to their different learning outcomes, formats, and type of media. Most serious games found in this review can be categorized as teaching games and are designed to raise data awareness, which is only a limited aspect of building data capacity. We found a lack of design games, research games, and policy games. Given their success for ideation in other fields, design games offer a particular opportunity to build data capacity by generating new ideas about how to reuse open datasets. ...