Let’s Talk Maps and Mapping

Interested in mapping services, ecosystems, stakeholders and beyond? Join us as we explore how other disciplines approach mapping and what we can take away as design researchers and service designers.

04/03/202022/07/2022STBY

STBY at ThingsCon19

On December 12 we went on a field trip to Rotterdam to participate in ThingsCon19. STBY was invited to give a talk about the role of design research in developing human-centric Internet Of Things (IoT) applications. The format we suggested was an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session about Design Research in practice.

What stood out during this interesting event was the diversity of the audience. We were happy to meet people from many different disciplines and sectors coming together to share their perspectives on this emerging field. It was a very vibrant day, with presentations, workshops, discussions and demonstrations.

The ThingsCon conferences are organized by ThingsCon – a global initiative to explore and promote the development of fair, responsible, and human-centric technologies for the IoT and beyond. Already since 2014 they organize events, and create …

28/01/202018/04/2023STBY

Exploring the future of humanitarian work through Design Fiction

Imagine, it is 2035 and the West coast of India got hit by a storm called Lata. How would humanitarian workers deal with the aftermath of the storm? The travelling exhibit HUM2035 shows different scenarios on what this might look like. The project by design consultancy Quicksand explores the future of humanitarian aid in India, intended to question our respective understandings of humanitarian aid and its place in a global landscape. STBY contributed to Quicksand’s HUM2035 pop up exhibit at the Barbican Centre in London, by examining possible futures through the lens of design research, and supporting the framing of the design fiction narrative.

Design Fiction was used to explore what the future of humanitarian work in India could look like in 2035, and how aid communities would come together to tackle these challenges. The story of HUM2035 is narrated through the…

17/10/201918/04/2023STBY

Airtable for Design Research: Perks, Quirks and Pitfalls

At STBY we are always on the lookout for new tools to ease or enhance our work. There are always risks that come with experimenting with new gadgets and apps, and so many factors that dictate the extent to which we fully adopt new tech. Our experience with Airtable, a cloud based collaborative spreadsheet/database builder, illustrates this perfectly.

25/09/201925/09/2019STBY

GOOD19: a different type of gathering

People interested in the transformative power of design research around the world gathered at the GOOD19 Conference in Londen on the 27th of July. GOOD19 was the latest edition of a series of international conferences named: the Great Outdoors Of Design. Organised by the Reach Network, of which STBY is a founding member.

Have you ever been to a conference where you actually went outdoors for a picnic? At the Great Outdoors Of Design we enjoyed a green and sustainable picnic lunch outside Plexal, the innovation centre at the Olympic Parc in London. This venue was our playground for a day were participants of the conference, together with Reach Partners, engaged in a mix of presentations on international case studies and extensive discussions in small groups.

As founder and partner of the REACH network for global design research, and the main local organiser of the conference,…

18/09/201918/04/2023STBY

The Subspecies of Design Researcher

As a design research agency, STBY has worked with design researchers of many shapes and sizes. While the role of ‘design researcher’ becomes more common and recognised as a formal position in many different types of organisations, it’s worth reflecting on how we all work and the unique skills and attitudes needed in different settings.

29/03/201903/06/2022STBY

Making do and getting by with the climate

More and more members of Spring House in Amsterdam are involved in climate related projects. Does their increasing knowledge about the climate influence their own behaviour? STBY asked nearly 200 Spring House members to share their ‘climate moments’ and created a staircase exhibition that is currently displayed in Spring House, the shared office building where STBY is based.

The exhibition ‘Climate Pioneering’ shows thoughts and experiences on climate action by Spring House members in daily life. Each poster in the exhibition gives a glimpse into a personal quest for sustainable living. From waking up to winding down at night, and the time in between, there are lots of occasions we all make climate conscious or unconscious decisions. The staircase exhibition shows various examples: from a plastic free diet to a plastic collection after cooking supper, clothes sharing…

26/03/201903/06/2022STBY

Art and cutting-end technology as means to evidence injustice

How to use art and new-media as a mean to collect and articulate the evidence of social or ecological injustice? New technologies such as 3d modelling and advanced sound techniques make it possible to monitor and trace activities in a way that was never possible before. ‘Forensic Justice,’ an exhibition and a series of public programs with Forensic Architecture, sets an example and shows how the use of art and new-media breaks the boundaries
of the field and becomes a way to mobilise change.

Working cross-sector is in the heart of design research practices, that is a characteristic of our work we almost take for granted. It is exciting to see where these cross-sector collaborations can become bolder. Further than that, what I find inspiring in the work of Forensic Architecture is the use of cutting egde technologies to advance social justice. ‘Forensic Justice’ was presented…

06/03/201903/06/2022STBY

Can a robot become your best friend?

There is no escape: our futures will be more and more digitalised. What position are you taking towards the fast growing digital world we live in? While technology seems to be something we can’t escape from, we are able to re-think our position towards it. The role of technology in our lives is food for thought – and that is why STBY participated in a Digital Detox.

The Digital Detox workshop

In this workshop, hosted by artists Ruben Baart and Roos Groothuizen, we were triggered to take a different look at the digital world. At STBY we tend to embrace technical and digital developments, since they give us lots of possibilities in conducting research. However, we also think it is important to critically reflect on how we use our digital devices. Baart and Groothuizen are artists in residence at Spring House, the workspace of STBY in Amsterdam. With their work, they aim to promote…

30/01/201920/03/2019STBY

GOOD is coming to London again!

As the founder and partner of REACH network, STBY is happy to announce that following on the success of previous related events around the world, GOOD is coming to London again! This 1-day conference, titled GOOD19, will take place on 27 June 2019. Registration for tickets has opened, with attractive early bird rates. Hope to see you there!

GOOD = Great Outdoors of Design

GOOD conferences bring together design researchers from around the world to share experiences and jointly reflect on organisations, economies and societies in transition, in relation to the strategic roles design researchers play in making these changes happen. More and more organisations engage design researchers to help them transform from being internally focused to interacting more collaboratively and sustainably with the outside world. Human-centered, ethnographic research and design-driven…

25/01/201903/06/2022STBY

Combining digital and physical diary methods

Recently we carried out a study with a mix of three of the most used and recognised qualitative methods: a diary study, in-depth interviews, and co-creation workshops. The rationale for this blended research method was to use the diary study to warm up participants to the research topic, followed by a two-hour deep dive interview at their home, and culminating in a creative group session where the participants could jointly contribute to future-oriented speculations.

The two-week diary study set the tone of the research project and acted as an introduction to the study for each participant. As the study explored experiences and reflections on personal topics such as sleep, stress and wellbeing, the participants benefitted from a slow lead up that triggered their observations and thoughts. We aimed to keep the diary study conversational in order to encourage and stimulate…

22/11/201822/07/2022Qin Han