We

The Design Research Lab is a network of people, organisations, and non-human agents engaged at the intersection of technologies, materials, and social practices. Our aim is to design socially and ecologically sustainable tools, spaces, and knowledge that support people’s participation in a digital society – based on common principles of inclusiveness and respect for the planet. This puts the basic democratic right to take part in the digital sphere into practice. We start our research from individual lifeworlds and the needs of minoritized groups, beyond consumer majorities.

We are an interdisciplinary team of designers, researchers, tech-enthusiasts and critical thinkers from Berlin University of the Arts, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society, as well as Einsteincenter Digital Future (ECDF).

Head of Design Research Lab

Prof. Dr. Gesche
Joost

Senior Researcher

Dr. Eleftherios
Avramidis

Senior Researcher

Dr. Michelle
Christensen

Senior Researcher

Dr. Florian
Conradi

Senior Researcher

Dr. Bianca
Herlo

Researcher

Sam
Hill

Researcher

Bodo
Pahlke

Researcher

Daniela
Wittmann

Researcher

Ines
Weigand

Researcher

Corinna
Canali

Researcher

Carina
Lange

Researcher

Hannah Friederike
Fischer

Researcher

Esther
Zahn

Researcher

Emil
Woop

Researcher

Friederike
Fröbel

Researcher

Katharina
Lorenz

Researcher

Žarko
Dumičić

Researcher

Philipp
Gschwendtner

Researcher

Xenia
Klinge

Researcher

Dr. Daniel
Varab

Assistance / Project Management

Marie
Munz

Student Worker

Elena
Forschner

Student Worker

Antonia
Katthaen

Student Worker

Selenay
Kiray

Student Worker

Nara
Capdeville

Student Worker

Morgan
Clarke

Associated Researcher

Dr. Daniel
Irrgang

Alumni

Gameli
Adzaho

Sénamé Koffi
Agbodjinou

Hristina
Asenova

Veronika
Aumann

Philipp von
Becker

Alexa
Beckmann

Katharina
Bellinger

Malte
Bergmann

Marie Rosa
Beuthel

Sanket
Bindle

Nina
Blume

Stephanie
Braune

Dr. phil. Katharina
Bredies

Samantha
Briehn

Lea
Brumsack

Sandra
Buchmüller

Benjamin
Bähr

Agata
Böhm

Dr. Rosan
Chow

Andrea
Clemens

Blanca Dominguez
Cobreros

Peter
Conradie

Dr. phil. Mario
Daniels

Linda
Debray

Tilmann
Dehnhard

Marie
Dietze

Michael
Ertel

Chiara
Esposito

Eric
Esser

Esther
Feiertag

Marc
Ferrer

Rahel
Flechtner

Mads Nygaard
Folkmann

Erik
Freydank

Jochen
Fuchs

Özden
Gelgeç

Johannes
Geng

Christin
Gierke

Benjamin
Gladki

Clara Elisabeth
Gleiß

Jan
Gohlke

Ulrike
Gollner

Ramyah
Gowrishankar

Athena
Grandis

Dr. Berit
Greinke

Jana
Grewy

Rike
Grill

Clara
Grillmaier

Mia
Grote

Stefan
Göllner

Nicole
Gütl

Susann
Hamann

Adam
Harvey

Christine
Hausen

Paul
Heinicker

Dr. Tincuta
Heinzel

Dr.-Ing. Fabian
Hemmert

Christian
Hertlein

Susanna
Hertrich

Daniela
Hery

Tomma Suki
Hinrichsen

Lisa
Hoffmann

Steffi
Hoffrichter

Lisa
Hofmann

Birte
Huizing

Ron
Jagodzinski

Nikita
Jerschov

Hans-Peter
Kadel

Paula
Kassenaar

Nicole
Kengyel

Zeynep
Keskin

Emilia
Knabe

André
Knörig

Marie
Kochsiek

Oscar
Koller

Paul
Kolling

Georgina
Koschke

Nathalie
Krüger

Miriam
Lahusen

Fabricio
Lamoncha

Dr. phil. Bastian
Lange

Jaclyn
Le

Jan
Lindenberg

Matthias
Löwe

Elizabeth Calderón
Lüning

Jeanne
Mandaroux

Joshua
Marr

Dr. Tiago
Martins

Julia
Mayer

Cathryn
McAnespy

Mandy
Meissner

Rebecca
Merdes

Tinka
Molkenthin

Masoud
Morgan

Franziska
Müller

Kristina
Müller

Alexander
Müller-Rakow

Severin
Neumann

Stephanie
Neumann

Leonie-Marie
Onas

Rashid
Owoyele

Oscar
Palou

Riccardo
Pascotto

Hannah
Perner-Wilson

Nora
Perseke

Christian
Pflug

Paola
Pierri

Michael
Pogorzhelskiy

Lorenz
Raab

Dr. phil. Thomas
Ramge

Lutz
Reiter

Anke
Riemer

Susanne
Ritzmann

Sara Diaz
Rodriguez

Konrad
Röpke

Dr. phil. Florian
Sametinger

Sarah
Schipper

Birga
Schlottmann

Corinna
Schmidt

Katharina
Schmidt

Dr. phil. Jennifer
Schubert

Marie Luise
Schulz

Max
Schäth

Franziska
Schüffler

Paul
Seidler

Jojo
Shone

Ben
Siegler

Ananda
Siml

Alina
Slomkowski

Juan Pablo Garcia
Sossa

Berkay
Soykan

Jan-Erik
Stange

Sandra
Stark

Daniel
Stepanov

Alice
Stewart

Hannah
Tatjes

Jan
Tepe

Pablo
Torres

Dr. Andreas
Unteidig

Kathrin
Vent

Lilo
Viehweg

Pauline
Vierne

Ursula
Wagner

Patricia
Wagner

Ebba Fransén
Waldhör

Lisa
Weiss

Samuel
Weiss

Fabian
Werfel

Julia
Werner

Max
Westbrock

Reto
Wettach

Joanna
Wilkans

Aaron
Winter

Götz
Wintergerst

Lukas
Wirsching

Karina
Wirth

Hendrik
Wittemeier

Anne
Wohlauf

Sebastian
Wolf

Dr. Stefanie
Wuschitz

Mohit
Yadav

Jelena
Zach

Cécile
Zahorka

Josefine
Zeipelt

Youyuan
Zhao

Inci-Ana
Zohrap

show alumni (167) hide alumni (167)

Make

The LaLaMo project aims to explore if LLM capabilities built with humans-in-the-loop perform better than those without.

Digital Studies

The research project “SignReality - Extended Reality for Sign Language translation” has as goal the development of an augmented reality (AR) model and application visualizing an animated interpreter for German sign language (DGS). The project is a co-operation of the departments DFKI-DRX and the Affective Computing Group of DFKI-COS and is part of the activities of the broader DFKI Sign Language team, which expands over 4 departments and has been running 2 EU-funded and 2 German-funded research projects. The app developed in SignReality will allow deaf and hard-of-hearing users to have in the augmented or virtual space a personal interpreter able to translate speech and text. They will be able to position and to resize the interpreter according to the needs of the translation, based on the observation that sign language users E.g., it is better to have the interpreter next to the speaking person to enhance the translation's content with the direct view of the speaking person. The application will be used as a research prototype to study novel methods of interaction and content delivery between deaf and hard-of-hearing users and the surrounding environments, aiming at reducing communication barriers with hearing people. The project has a duration of 8 months and is funded as part of an FSTP call from the EU Project UTTER (Unified Transcription and Translation for Extended Reality; EU Horizon under Grant Agreement No 101070631) in cooperation with the Universities of Amsterdam and Edinburgh. UTTER aims to take online and hybrid interaction to the next level by employing Large Language Models, focusing on use cases such as videoconferencing (speech dialogue) and multilingual customer support (chat).

Material Interactions

Social Design

Data Physicalization as a Design Tool for Science Communication

Material Interactions

Social Design

The Ecological Self: Integrating Body Materials and Cycles into the Design Process

Material Interactions

Critical Making + Designing

Digital Sovereignty

Gender Studies

Material Interactions

Objecting the Objectionable: Normative Obscenification of Gender and Sexuality in Digital Governance

Digital Studies

Gender Studies

Visual Cultures

The SocialWear research project aims to combine the approaches of traditional wearable computing and high-tech fashion. Traditional wearable computing primarily uses clothing for sensor integration and computation, often neglecting design purposes. In contrast, high-tech fashion integrates simple digital functions into complex designs. SocialWear seeks to develop a new generation of clothing that encompasses both sophisticated artificial intelligence and thoughtful design. This requires seamless integration of fashion and electronic design to create garments that can recognize and respond to complex social environments.

Material Interactions

In Conversation

Digital Sovereignty

Social Design

Minodu – Fostering local sustainable development through research and technology

How could knowledge on climate change reach communities that are disconnected from the global knowledge community? Minodu aims to co-create an accessible and participatory format of scientific communication in the context of sustainable land management in the rural region of Kara in Togo. The word "Minodu" comes from Ewe, a language spoken in southern Togo, and translates as "let's be together" or "let's work together". Along these lines, the methodologies and technologies are to be developed collaboratively.

Digital Sovereignty

Social Design

The key horizontal priority of the “Change Agents” project is “Inclusion and diversity in all fields of education”. A cooperation with: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) (Lead), EKA Estonia, Unibz Italy, Elisava Spain, Shenkar Israel.

Digital Sovereignty

Social Design

@drlab_berlin

New

27.06.2024; 09:30-11:00

Virtual Colloquium: Gameli Adzaho - "Towards Inclusive Digital Development: Gaps, Solutions, Questions"

Talks

Teaching

28.06.2024; 09:30-11:00h

Virtual Colloquium: Renata Ávila Pinto - "The Tech We Want: Design Principles Take Back Our Digital Sovereignty and Freedoms"

Talks

Teaching

06.06.2024; 09:30-11:00h

Virtual Colloquium: Alexandre Costa Barbosa - "From digital sovereignty to AI sovereignty: a Global South perspective"

Talks

Teaching

30.05.2024; 09:30-11:00h

Virtual Colloquium: Ingo Dachwitz - "From resources to repression: material exploitation in the digital age"

Talks

Teaching

28.05.2024; 13:45-14:45h

're:publica 24' Panel — Integration of Quantum Principles into the Artistic Process

Events

20.06.2024 – 09:30-18:30

Symposium: Re/Embodied Data. Ambiguities of Knowing.

Allgemein

30.05.2024; 15.30 - 17.00

Fufu Workshop with the Minodu Team @ BOL 1

Events

Workshops

29.05.24; 12.15 - 13.15

Minodu @ re:publica

Allgemein

16.05.2024; 09:30-11:00h

Virtual Colloquium: Nadia J. Armstrong - "The Digital Poetics of Contemporary Making: Locating virtual agency with visual artist and STS researcher Nadia J. Armstrong"

Talks

Teaching

02.05.2024; 09:30-11:00h

Virtual Colloquium: Michelle Christensen & Florian Conradi - "Posthuman, Postwestern, Postdiscipline — Critical Approaches through Design"

Talks

Teaching

show more (153)

Stuff

Dumičić, Ž., Thoring, K., Klöckner, H.W., and Joost, G., (2022). “Design elements in data physicalization: A systematic literature review“ In DRS2022: Bilbao.

Dauer, Louisa; Chehayeb, Lara; Ameli, Mina; Anglet, Manuel; Bhuvaneshwara, Chirag; Schaffer, Stefan; Zahn, Esther; Tsovaltzi, Dimitra (2023), (2023). “Piloting vibration induction for synchrony in urban cycling“ In Mensch und Computer 2023 - Workshopband, Mensch und Computer 2023, MCI-WS03: Workshop on Smart Urban Micromobility, Rapperswil.

Geissler, D. et al., (2023). “MoCa'Collection: Normalizing Dynamic Textile Geometry with Capacitive Sensing in Design Centric Wearables“ In Adjunct Proceedings of the 2023 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing & the 2023 ACM International Symposium on Wearable Computing, ACM , UbiComp/ISWC '23.

Zhou, B. et al., (2023). “MoCaPose: Motion Capturing with Textile-integrated Capacitive Sensors in Loose-fitting Smart Garments“ In Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies Volume 7 Issue 1, ACM, Volume 7.

Avramidis, E. & Fischer, H. F. & Gleiß, C. E. & Joost, G. & Zahn, E.F., (2023). “Textile Game Controller: Smart knee pads for Therapeutic Exercising “ In CHI EA '23: Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

Herlo, B. & Irrgang, D. (Eds.), (2023). “Proceedings of the Weizenbaum Conference 2022: Practicing Sovereignty. Interventions for Open Digital Futures“.

Publications

Fröbel, F. et al. , (2023). “Design und Entwicklung der MYOW-Plattform“ In Personennahe Dienstleistungen der Zukunft , Springer Vieweg, HMD.

Publications

Fröbel, F., Lange, C., & Joost, G., (2023). “MINODU: Fostering Local Sustainable Development Through Technology and Research“ In Proceedings of the Weizenbaum Conference 2022: Practicing Sovereignty - Interventions for Open Digital Futures (pp. 183-193).

Publications

Herlo, B., (2022). “Design im Kontext: Ein Plädoyer für Zusammenarbeit“ In Design Diskurs.

Herlo, B., (2023). “Digital Justice. Now.“ In DDCast, Deutscher Designer Club DDC, 135.

Publications

Herlo, B., (2022). “Away from Keyboard. Design research in the context of social andpolitical participation“ In Doing Research – Wissenschaftspraktiken zwischen Positionierung und Suchanfrage.

Publications

Herlo, B., (2021). “Design muss mit an den Tisch!“ In Jahresbericht des Weizenbaum-Instituts 2019/2020.

Publications

Barbarino, R., Herlo, B. & Bergmann, M., (2022). “Online Podcast Production as Co-Creation for Intercultural Participation in Neighbourhood Development“ In Urban Planning, Co-Creation and the City: Arts-Based Methods and Participatory Approaches in Urban Planning.

Publications

Barbarino, R. & Herlo, B., (2022). “Zwischen Sprachen und Logiken: Übersetzungsleistungen in der Stadtentwicklung“ In pnd - rethinking planning, special issue: "Transformatives Forschen trifft Stadtentwicklung : Einführung und Reflexion / herausgegeben von Laura Brings, Lea Fischer, Agnes Förster und Fee Thissen”.

Publications

Fröbel, F., Lange, C., Mandaroux, J., Ajavon, N., Wirth, A.L., Tsamedi, V., Afanou, S., Foli-Bebe, O. & Joost, G., (2022). “Co-creation workshops for developing local community networks during a pandemic“ In Co-creation workshops for developing local community networks during a pandemic, Research for All, 6.

Publications

Herlo, B., Irrgang, D., Joost, G. & Unteidig, A., (2021). “Practicing Sovereignty. Digital Involvement in Times of Crises“, transcript verlag, open access.

Publications

Herlo, B., Author collective INTERPART, (2021). “Beteiligung interkulturell gestalten: Ein Lesebuch zu partizipativer Stadtentwicklung“.

Publications

Fröbel, F. & Beuthel, M. & Joost, G. , (2021). “Wearable Mapping Suit: Body Mapping for Identification Wearables“ In Biannual Conference of the Italian SIGCHI , CHItaly 2021: 14th Biannual Conference of the Italian SIGCHI. Association for Computing Machinery, Bozen-Bolzano (Italy).

Publications

Wittmann, D. & Fischer, H. & Martins, T. & Joost, G., (2021). “TheraTrousers: Reactive wearable for playful therapeutic self-empowerment: Wearable for Therapeutic Exercising“, ISWC: 216-220.

Publications

Fischer, H. & Wittmann, D. & Baucells Costa, A. & Zhou, B. & Joost, G. & Lukowicz, P., (2021). “Masquare: A Functional Smart Mask Design for Health Monitoring“, ISWC: 175-178.

Publications

show more (307)

Virtual Colloquium: Exploring Quantum through Art and Design

Talks

Teaching

16.10.2023 - 17.02.2024; Thursdays 9:30 - 11 a.m.

Virtual Colloquium / Winter Semester 2023/24 / UdK Berlin & Goethe-Institut

Im Rahmen des Virtual Colloquium laden wir internationale Positionen aus Design, Kunst, Aktivismus und Wissenschaft ein, um uns zusammen mit ihnen einem jeweiligen Semesterthema zu nähern.

Typischerweise wählen die Gäste ein Thema aus oder werden von uns für ein Thema ihres Fachgebiets angefragt, aus dem sie einen Vortrag entwickeln. Im Anschluss an diesen Vortrag, der auch interaktive Elemente enthalten kann, gehen wir mit den Studierenden in eine Diskussion. Jede Sitzung wird im Anschluss von einer Gruppe Studierenden reflektiert, diese Reflektion stellen die Studierenden am Beginn der nächsten Sitzung vor.

Die Studierenden kommen aus verschiedenen Fachrichtungen, vor allem aus den Bachelorstudiengängen Produktdesign und Modedesign, sowie dem Masterprogramm “Design & Computation”. Da das Format offen kommuniziert wird, sind neben den Studierenden auch immer wieder Gasthöhrende und andere Interessierte Teil des Colloquiums.

Semesterzeiten: 16. Oktober 2023-17. Februar 2024

Zeitslot des Kolloquiums ist Donnerstag Vormittag, von 9:30-11:00 Uhr

The Zoom link to join, which will be the same for all sessions: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82954605489?pwd=VP3XBDzVogeuQtLWaXbWEFpm9ObxiQ.1
Meeting-ID: 829 5460 5489
Kenncode: 079532

The schedule for this semester:

19.10.2023	Prof. Dr. Gesche Joost (Berlin University of the Arts) Kick-Off Session
26.10.2023	Prof. Dr. Janik Wolters (TU Berlin, German Aerospace Center: DLR e.V.) Introduction to the physics behind quantum computers
01.11.2023	Quantum Escape Room Challenge; 16:00 – 18:00h Einstein Center Digital Future
08.11.2023	Roman Lipski (Artist, Atelier Lipski); 18:30 – 20:30h Daring to Explore Quantum Creativity
09.11.2023	Žarko Dumičić (Designer, Researcher) Data Physicalization: A Short Overview
16.11.2023	Lucy Sollitt (Curator, Writer, Consultant) Quantum Imaginaries: The narratives dominating the “3rd quantum revolution” and the possibilities for alternatives
23.11.2023	Maya Georgieva (Parsons School of Design, The New School, New York); 14:00 – 15:30h Hacking Creativity: Quantum Breakthroughs in Artistic Design and Innovation
30.11.2023	Zeki Seskir (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis ITAS; QuTec) Value-embedding and Ethics by Design in Quantum Technologies
07.12.2023	Emily Haworth (TU Munich) Quantum dynamics
14.12.2023	Dr. Michael Dascal (Co-founder of DiviQ: Diversity in Quantum) Building a Diverse Quantum Workforce from the Ground Up
11.01.2024	Harry Kumar (Co-founder & CCO of Moth) Quantum Aesthetics and the Art-Science-Tech Relationship
18.01.2024	Sophie Korschildgen (Curator at LAS Art Foundation) Materialising Quantum – On Commissioning Libby Heaney’s Ent-
25.01.2024	Ilā Kamalagharan ILĀ (Artist, Producer and Creative Director; co-founder of Maison Mercury Jones) Composing with Quantum
01.02.2024	Prof. Dr. Eduardo Miranda (Composer; Professor of Computer Music at the University of Plymouth; Associate researcher at Quantinuum) Quantum Computer Music: A Natural Progression
08.02.2024	Dr. Florian Carle (Yale Quantum Institute); 15:00 – 16:30h The Entangled Marriage of Art and Quantum Physics
15.02.2024	End Session & Reflection

We

Team

Alumni

Make

Projects

The LaLaMo project aims to explore if LLM capabilities built with humans-in-the-loop perform better than those without.

Data Physicalization as a Design Tool for Science Communication

The Ecological Self: Integrating Body Materials and Cycles into the Design Process

Critical Making + Designing

Objecting the Objectionable: Normative Obscenification of Gender and Sexuality in Digital Governance

In Conversation

The key horizontal priority of the “Change Agents” project is “Inclusion and diversity in all fields of education”. A cooperation with: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) (Lead), EKA Estonia, Unibz Italy, Elisava Spain, Shenkar Israel.

New

Calendar

Stuff

Resources

Virtual Colloquium: Exploring Quantum through Art and Design