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

Senior Researcher

Dr. Daniel
Irrgang

Assistance / Project Management

Marie
Munz

Researcher

Elizabeth Calderón
Lüning

Researcher

Corinna
Canali

Researcher

Hannah
Fischer

Researcher

Rahel
Flechtner

Researcher

Friederike
Fröbel

Researcher

Clara Elisabeth
Gleiß

Researcher

Carina
Lange

Researcher

Katharina
Lorenz

Researcher

Bodo
Pahlke

Researcher

Ben
Siegler

Researcher

Ines
Weigand

Researcher

Daniela
Wittmann

Researcher

Esther
Zahn

Researcher

Emil
Woop

Student Worker

Antonia
Katthaen

Student Worker

Athena
Grandis

Student Worker

Philipp
Gschwendtner

Student Worker

Selenay
Kiray

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

Mads Nygaard
Folkmann

Erik
Freydank

Jochen
Fuchs

Özden
Gelgeç

Johannes
Geng

Christin
Gierke

Benjamin
Gladki

Jan
Gohlke

Ulrike
Gollner

Ramyah
Gowrishankar

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

Jeanne
Mandaroux

Joshua
Marr

Dr. Tiago
Martins

Julia
Mayer

Cathryn
McAnespy

Mandy
Meissner

Rebecca
Merdes

Tinka
Molkenthin

Masoud
Morgan

Kristina
Müller

Franziska
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

Katharina
Schmidt

Corinna
Schmidt

Dr. phil. Jennifer
Schubert

Marie Luise
Schulz

Max
Schäth

Franziska
Schüffler

Paul
Seidler

Jojo
Shone

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

Patricia
Wagner

Ursula
Wagner

Ebba Fransén
Waldhör

Samuel
Weiss

Lisa
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 (162) hide alumni (162)

Make

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.

Digitale Souveränität: Weizenbaum-Institut diskutiert über Wege in eine offene und gerechte Zukunft der digitalen Welt “Practicing Sovereignty. Interventions for open digital futures.” Location: Alte Münze (Molkenmarkt 2, 10179 Berlin) Date: 9th and 10th of June 2022. Digital sovereignty is a process constantly in the making. It is a fundamental prerequisite to partaking critically in digital transformation. This international symposium and exhibition will investigate – through various perspectives – new opportunities and challenges for the future(s) of digital participation and policymaking. It will provide an open space for multi- and transdisciplinary reflection and confrontation on current conversations around possible alternatives to technological and social practices. Ultimately, the conference will bring together scholars, artists, activists, and human rights advocates to facilitate a broader discussion on their practices and to further develop transformative processes fostering digital involvement. Keynotes Renata Ávila Pinto – CEO of the Open Knowledge Foundation Adam Greenfield – Founder and Managing Director Urbanscale | London, UK Gilberto Vieira – Co-Founder of data_labe Program: https://www.weizenbaum-conference.de/program/ Pictures conference and exhibition: https://www.weizenbaum-institut.de/presse/weizenbaum-conference-2022

Podcast “Purple Code – Intersectional feminist perspectives on digital societies”

Digital Sovereignty

Call for papers: Practicing Sovereignty conference

Digital Sovereignty

Beteiligung Interkulturell Gestalten: a reader from the INTERPART project

Social Design

Practicing Sovereignty: Digital Involvement in Times of Crises

Digital Sovereignty

TEXAS

Material Interactions

TOOLS – a DIY-kit for dialog and participation

Digital Sovereignty

Social Design

Inequality and Digital Sovereignty

Digital Sovereignty

@drlab_berlin

New

20 Apr 2023 – 13 Jul 2023

Virtual Colloquium: Post-human Design – a critical reflection of current design positions, the role of the human, non-human agents, infrastructures, and processes.

Talks

Teaching

6 Jul 2023

Virtual Colloquium: Johanna Mehl - Cyborg Troubles. Ecological Design and the Technological Fix

Talks

Teaching

22 Jun 2023

Virtual Colloquium: Ines Weigand - Multi-species interdependence through design: Integrating body materials and cycles into the design process

Talks

Teaching

20/06/2023

Job Offering: Student Assistant in Erasmus+ "Change Agents" Project

Allgemein

15.06.2023

2nd International Workshop on Automatic Translation for Signed and Spoken Languages (AT4SSL2023)

Allgemein

15 Jun 2023

Virtual Colloquium: Frances Liddell - Designing for Shared Guardianship

Talks

Teaching

8 Jun 2023

Virtual Colloquium: Kathleen Ditzig - Observations from Singapore

Talks

Teaching

1 Jun 2023

Virtual Colloquium: Debra Shaw - Vitruvian Mantology: Design for Future Bodies

Talks

Teaching

12-13 June 2023

Doctoral Colloquium Part 3: Methodologies of practice-based knowledge production (in art and design) @ University of Copenhagen

Allgemein

25 May 2023

Virtual Colloquium: Nadia Campo Woytuk - Designing Menstrual Care as a Feminist Posthuman Practice

Talks

Teaching

11 May 2023

Virtual Colloquium: Sven Quadflieg - Empty Spaces

Talks

Teaching

show more (124)

Stuff

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

Dietze, M. & Stewart, A., (2021). “Exploring Do-It-With-Others communities in the realm of SexTech“ In 'Politics of the Machines – Rogue Research' Conference, Berlin.

Publications

Joost, G. , (2021). “No App, No Access“ In Theologie und Digitalität - Ein Kompendium, Herder, 1. Auflage, Freiburg, 32-49.

Publications

Pierri, P. & Herlo, B., (2021). “Exploring Digital Sovereignty: Open Questions for Design in Digital Healthcare“ In Design for Health Journal, Routledge.

Publications

Seydel, H., Gliemann, K., Stark, S. & Herlo, B., (2021). “Erzählen im Reallabor“ In Raumforschung und Raumordnung | Spatial Research and Planning.

Publications

Christensen, M. & Conradi, F. & Dietze, M., (2021). “Trans/Feminist Critical Making – Design as Open-Source Opposition“ In Cumulus Conference 2021 'Design Culture(s)'.

Publications

Dietze, M., (2021). “Exploring Feminist Modes of Hacking as a Commoning Design Practice“ In Design as Common Good. Framing Design through Pluralism and Social Values, Swiss Design Network Symposium 2021.

Publications

show more (301)

Podcast “Purple Code – Intersectional feminist perspectives on digital societies”

Digital Sovereignty

Systems of oppression are relevant in the development of digital technologies, in their application, and in the research about them. This podcast aims towards hearing the scientific findings, subjective views, and personal experiences of women and gender dissidents who engage with digital technologies. It is hosted by three female, migrant researchers who analyze the social implications of digital technologies at the Berlin based Weizenbaum-Institute for the Networked Society.

Each episode focuses on an invited guest, their work, experience, and views on relevant socio-political issues. The interviewees are for example researchers, artists, activists, and journalists. The podcast is a way to listen to voices that are often silenced, and to highlight various forms of oppression, for example sexist, racist, colonial, and other – in order to see technology and society differently.

Follow the podcast on Twitter: @purplecodepod

We

Team

Alumni

Make

Projects

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.

Podcast “Purple Code – Intersectional feminist perspectives on digital societies”

Call for papers: Practicing Sovereignty conference

Beteiligung Interkulturell Gestalten: a reader from the INTERPART project

Practicing Sovereignty: Digital Involvement in Times of Crises

TEXAS

TOOLS – a DIY-kit for dialog and participation

Inequality and Digital Sovereignty

New

Calendar

Stuff

Resources

Podcast “Purple Code – Intersectional feminist perspectives on digital societies”