Design for Sustainability
Development of new sustainable materials, research on product/service systems for sustainability, sustainable consumption and research on sustainability transitions.
Aalto Design Research
Aalto Design Research is at the international forefront of enquiry into and through design.
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Our Research
Our research environment fosters goal-oriented research, imaginative experiments, critical discussion and cross-disciplinary enquiry.
We work with businesses, scientists, technologists, sociologists, policymakers, public sector organisations and communities of interest towards a more just and sustainable world.
Aalto Design Research has four interlinked foci: Design for Sustainability, Codesign and Human-Centred Design, Practice-Based Design Research and Materials, Textile & Fashion Design.
Codesign and Human-Centred Design
Codesign and Human-Centred Design research includes co-design, service design, interaction design, user experience, end-user innovation and open design.
Materials, Textile & Fashion Design
Research on fashion and textile design and design strategies, and textile and fashion knowledge building, particularly sustainable fashion and textiles.
Practice-Based Design Research
Practice-based design research includes artistic research, design-driven exploration on emerging technologies and materials, and the action research–oriented development of new design methods and approaches.
We also research design management and innovations as well as contemporary and historical issues of design culture and society. Our work extends to applied research that serves industry and the public sector.
Aalto Design Research seeks both rigour and high societal relevance. A high proportion of its work involves multi- and trans-disciplinary collaboration. It is also characterized by engagement with societal challenges and collaborations with organizations in the private and public sectors and with civil society actors.
Research Groups
The research foci of the Department of Design are pursued in five research groups. In addition the Department of Design has expertise in design strategy, design management and innovation research and in research on the historical and cultural significance of design.
Empirica – Research on art, design and culture (external link)
Group approaches research with an attitude, where making, acting and engaging play important roles.
ENCORE - Engaging Co-design Research Group
The ENCORE research group explores constantly application fields for co-design through hands-on exploration and ambitious research. The visionary competence stems mostly from industrial design spiced with engineering, architecture and anthropology.
Fashion/Textile Futures
The Fashion/Textile Futures research group explores new perspectives on human-centered design research. The group approaches research in the field of fashion, clothing and textiles in multi-faceted ways.
INUSE - The Users and Innovation Research Group
Researches designer-user relations in sociotechnical change.
NODUS – Sustainable Design Research Group
NODUS Sustainable Design Research Group undertakes transdisciplinary design research for sustainable futures.
The Department of Design also features more informally organized knowledge sharing networks across its groups and focus areas.
DesignSTS Network
Network connecting and facilitating knowledge sharing among researchers whose work intertwines design and science and technology studies.
Design integration and transformation network
Design integration and transformation network coordinates knowledge sharing across research focal areas in design.
Department Of Design | Latest Publications
Latest research output and publications from the Department of Design.
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Design Research News
Empathy in design and digitalisation – Aalto University researchers hold workshops for students at Arabia Comprehensive School
Aalto University researchers organised workshops for seventh graders, whose creative thinking skills were put to the test in designing future information services
Lab-grown pigments and food by-products: The future of natural textile dyes
As the environmental impact of the fashion and textile industries becomes clearer, the demand and need for sustainable alternatives is growing. One international research group aims to replace toxic synthetic dyes with natural alternatives, ranging from plants to microbes to food waste.
Good design benefits us all – welcome to open DesignTalks lecture series
Join us for our open lecture series discussing about the relevance of design in different contexts.
The Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition showcases 30 projects for a more sustainable future
What is wise to design for future generations in a world of plenty?Design Research Events
Doctoral Studies at Aalto Design Research
Studying for a doctorate with us
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