2018

Design Factory
Global Network
DFGN

´

´

World map of the 26 Design Factories

Contents

Flightplan

Editor-in-Chief: Marthe Dehli
Concept design: Cali Design Factory
Production editor: Serpil Oguz
Printing: Kirjapaino Bookcover Oy
P.O. Box 17700
FI-00076 AALTO
marthe.dehli@aalto.fi
dfgn.org

4.

Contents

06

08

A word from the
Captain

We choose change

1124

The DF Solar System

Meet the travelers

52
Events & Milestones

5.

A wordfrom thecaptain6.

A word from the captain

A word from the Captain
Throughout my career, I have been to many scientificconferences and academic events, in many corners of theworld. Never ever have I felt the sense of belonging that I
find within the Design Factory Global Network (DFGN). We
share the same values and visions, oriented around our
passion for problem- and project-based learning in interand transdisciplinary team settings. It’s an informal, humanoriented network that puts its students first, and partners withindustry and enterprises. That is why we call this publication
the “Family Album.”
There was never supposed to be a DFGN. In Aalto, we had ourhands full with developing our own design factory during the
furious first years of our university merger. But 10 years later– here we are, with 24 design factories making up a global
network! It has grown by itself, spontaneously and organically.
It is the vehicle for transformation, it doesn’t need strategies
or visions. The impulses for development come from ourinteraction with industries and academic partners, and seeing
and experiencing how our students are able to tackle theirlearning challenges.
The students change. The industries are facing the Industry
4.0 revolution. We are the factories that should carefully
and proactively follow developments and see what is worth
preserving, and when we should take the first step or leap into
the unknown. It is important to understand why somethingworks. Change is always laborious, and it is as harmful to start
unnecessary changes, as it is to avoid or postpone necessary
ones.
Kalevi Ekman,
Design Factory Captain7.

We choosechangeWe choose change*
The Design Factory Global Network is on a mission to create change in theworld of learning and research through passion-based culture. It is not theeasiest of tasks, but it will be done.

Dear reader,This publication is a result of a collaboration between the members of the Design Factory Global Network, edited and designed by Cali Design Factory.
In ten years, we have gone from one to 24 design factories across the world.
That would not be possible without collaboration, experimentation, and passion. If these years have taught us anything, it is that design factory advocates,in their quest for knowledge and progress, are determined and cannot be
deterred.
Those who came before us rode the first waves of the industrial revolutions,the first waves of modern invention, the first wave of nuclear power, and thisgeneration does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age ofchange and experimentation. We mean to be a part of it – we mean to lead it.
We have all set sail on this journey of change because there is new knowledge
to be gained, and it must be gained and used for the progress of educationand pedagogy. But why, some say, change? Why choose this as our goal? And
they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 100 years ago, fly the
Atlantic? Why organize the International Design Factory Week?
We choose to drive change. We choose to drive change in this decade, not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because that goal will serve to organize
and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one
that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which
we intend to win!
With stardust and northern lights,
The DFGN team*This editorial is heavily inspired by the “We choose to go to the moon”-speech, mainly written by Ted Sorensen, delivered by president John F. Kennedy at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas on September 12 1962.

8.
8.

We choose change

9.

Figure 2:

The DF Solar System

10.
Chile, 2012 Duoc Design Factory

Australia, 2011 Design Factory Melbourne

China, 2010 Aalto-Tongji Design Factory

Finland, 2008 Aalto Design FactoryFinland, 2019 HAMK Design Factory

Singapore, 2018 SIT Design Factory

The United States, 2019 St. John’s Design Factory

Estonia, 2018 University of Tartu Delta Sandbox

Germany, 2018 Inno.SpaceJapan, 2017 Kyoto Design Lab

Poland, 2017 Warsaw Design Factory

Barcelona, 2017 FusionPoint
Colombia, 2017 Cali Design Factory

Belgium, 2017 Ghent Design Factory

Spain, 2017 UPV Design Factory

Latvia, 2016 RTU Design Factory

Colombia, 2016 Design Factory Javeriana Bogotá

Turkey, 2016 METU Design Factory

Netherlands, 2015 Frisian Design Factory

Portugal, 2015 Porto Design Factory

New Zeland, 2017 Design Factory New ZealandBrazil, 2017 Design Factory São PauloThe United States, 2016 NYC Design Factory

The United States, 2015 Nexus Design Factory

Korea, 2015 Design Factory Korea

Switzerland, 2014 Ideasquare @CERN

The DF Solar System

11.

12.

Collabo
rativeprojects
In 2018, our DFGN community took part in someamazing collaborative projects, covering a wide
range of areas and methodologies – all while seeking
to have an impact on users all over the world.

13.

The Rat Relay is an ever-changing global
design sprint that takes place within
the Design Factory Global Network.

Rat
Relay
The DFGN flagship14.

Collaborative projects

Each year, the Rat Relay changes
slightly based on the feedback fromprevious editions. However, the corealways remains the same: a challenge,a design brief, travels between
different design factories before
returning back home, and tasks are
split and shared between teams
working together across the globe.
The 2018 version was a 36-hour
design sprint. The organizing
institutions created teams consistingof five to ten members with various
backgrounds and roles such as
students, company representatives,and university staff. Each teamstarted off with a design brief

provided by a local industry sponsor,
then that brief and its material madeits way through a design process(empathizing, (re)defining, ideating,prototyping, testing), traveling to a
new design factory for each step
before returning to their home basefor the final stage – pitching solutions.
This type of collaborative strategy
gives partnering companies
an opportunity to get input andfeedback on a global level andeventually reaching a conceptbased prototype. In true design
factory spirit, all the challenges
are based on open innovation andhave some form of social impact.

15.

CBI
CERN Design+ Science
Challenge Based Innovation iswhere revolutionizing technology
meets human insights.

16.

Collaborative projects

Challenge Based Innovation (CBI) is a project course,
where multidisciplinary student teams and theirinstructors collaborate with researchers from theEuropean Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
to discover novel solutions for the future of humankind.
The projects are iterative and have an elaborate mixture,
where the cutting-edge technologies from the highenergy physics field meet societal, human-driven needs.
The essence of this program is to create solutions that
did not exist before, by harnessing human potential tosolve everyday problems. The creative cycle follows threestages: the first one consists of exploring sustainable
goals and previously existing CERN technologies; thesecond one dwells on developing conceptual design ideas
and proposing well-defined solutions; and the third andfinal stage tackles the implementation of said solutions

within a sustainable prospect for 2020, 2025 and 2030.
Participating students come from a wide range of
disciplines and cultures with a firm belief that the
wildest combinations can lead to the most nurturingoutcomes. So far, the program has been organized withstudents majoring in industrial design, electrical andmechanical engineering as well as a variety of economists
and business students, architecture and robotics.
One of the most recent initiatives is the CBI A3 projectfrom Design Factory Melbourne. From October 2018
to April 2019, participating universities explored,interpreted and researched topics related to cleanwater, sanitation and life in the underwater world.

17.

18.

Collaborative projects

SQUAD projects can only beconsidered to have an actual purpose
once they have been properly tested
and validated with customers.

SQUAD
As a concept, which was actually
made famous by Spotify, a squad isa cross-functional team that acts asa small start-up within a company.
In a market whose consumers
have ever-growing expectations
and where products are rarely justphysical, the SQUAD program
breaches the gap between designers
and industry leaders by bringing
them together to collaborate andsolve real world challenges.
Based on Dan Nessler’s Double
Diamond process (2016), theSQUAD methodology follows four
simple phases that alternate twicefrom unrestrained divergence (D)to condensed convergence (C):Research (gather insights - D),
Synthesis & Ideation (focus
on an area - C), Prototyping(define potential solutions - D) and

Implementation (choose thesolutions that actually work - C).
Designers, engineers and business
staff are empowered to take holdof the decision-making process
and to research, question andprototype on their own – all whilelearning the different steps of theprocess. Meaningful results cancome to fruition from an openminded and diverse team in termsof cultures and disciplines.
With a user-centered philosophy
in mind, SQUAD projects can only
be considered to have an actual
purpose once they have been
properly tested and validated withcustomers. Anything developed in aclosed environment without thinkingof the end user has no actual worth.

19.

Product

Development Project
(PdP)

20.

Every now and then, companies must build the portfoliosof the new products they wish to develop for the fiscal
year. Unfortunately, some ideas are often left aside forbeing too far-fetched, risky or futuristic. These types of
future-orientated and conceptual projects are ideal for
PdP, seeking the commercialization of new technologies.
Working with over 150 different sponsors, 300 projects
and 2,890 students have participated in the PdP course
since 1997. Every academic year, around 16 projects
are initiated and their results are presented to publicaudiences at the annual Product Design Gala.
Although project cycles last from September to May,
the program is always looking for new sponsors.
Those wishing to participate begin by pitching theiridea for the project. It could tackle a problem facedby the company concerning one of their existingproducts or technologies, or an interesting idea thatcannot be investigated internally at the moment.

SINCE:

1997
PROJECTS:300
STUDENTS:

2890
DIFFERENTSPONSORS:

150

After presenting their topic of choice to thestaff, the sponsor candidates meet up with themultidisciplinary teams and, when the matchingprocess is concluded, the project is officially launched.
In the event there is no suitable team for the project,
it does not go forward. Furthermore, sponsors are
required to participate in certain meetings, eventsand milestones for the duration of the course.
With a strong technological component, some of
the 2018-2019 projects were related to the following
challenges: automated training of a dog’s nose,using drone technology in underwater scenarios,and optimizing frictional losses in elevators.

21.

SocialIoT
STUDENT TEAMS18STUDENTS

58

22.

Throughout the project,
students are nurtured andprompted to strengthen
the skills that every social
entrepreneur should have.

Collaborative projects

The Social IoT project from Design Factory
Korea (DFK) aims to achieve sustainable
development goals (SDGs) defined by the
UN through technological innovation. The
purpose of this initiative is to drive the potentialof technologies such as IoT and artificial
intelligence for the benefit of social groups.
A total of six Design Factories from the DFGN
remotely collaborated in the Social IoT project:
New York City Design Factory (USA), Design
Factory Korea (Korea), Aalto Design Factory(Finland), Fusion Point (Spain), Cali Design Factory(Colombia) and DF Javeriana Bogotá (Colombia).
Although these centers follow the same structure,they each have their own schedules mostly due
to time differences and academic calendars.
Guided by coaches and mentors, participating
students are encouraged to explore local
interpretations of social issues as well as analyze
and design IoT-based products and services. The

social business models derived from said outcomesare put to the test and validated in local contexts
comprised of vulnerable user communities livingin the cities of participating design factories.
The design process follows these four stages:
training for hardware, training for software,developing a business model and building a social
IoT device. Throughout the project, students
are nurtured and prompted to strengthen theskills that every social entrepreneur should
have, such as complex problem solving, criticalthinking, creativity and social innovation.
At the end of the cycle, the Social IoT Student
Gala was held in November 2018 at the NYCDF.
The event featured 18 student teams (58students in total) from the aforementioned
design factories. After announcing the winners in
different categories, an innovation development
workshop was led by the DFK to further iterate
on some of the solutions showcased at the gala.

23.

Meet thetravelers
Although they may come from different
corners of the world, our travelers have all
crossed the many paths leading to innovationand explored the endless possibilities thatthe creative outer space has to offer.

AaltoDesign Factory
Aalto University

At ADF, we see
experimentationand doing as a key
ingredient for learning.

For the past ten years Aalto Design
Factory has been operating as aflagship collaboration platformof Aalto University with a vison of
educating the best designers in theworld! Since the beginning of thisunique nest of creativity, hundredsof student projects have been
carried out in a close collaboration
with industry partners with an initialidea of providing the students
learning opportunities by combining
theory and practice. At ADF, we
see experimentation and doing asa key ingredient for learning. The
students come first and rather thanteaching, the aim is to facilitate thedevelopment process to enable thebest possible learning experience.
The academic year 2018-2019
was very special for ADF. All theschools of the university have joined
us on the Otaniemi campus, so
has all the university’s activities. In
October 2018 we celebrated our 10th
anniversary, and we are proud to be
the cornerstones of Aalto’s problem-

26.

based education and supporting
students in their wacky projects.
Over the last academic year, over
45 different courses and more thanten hackathons were organized in
ADF. 500+ events from academic
conferences and courses all the way
to events such as the DF Bootcamp
and TuKoKe science competition foryouth took place on design factory
premises. Additionally, over 230
delegations requested us to give thema tour at ADF to enlighten them about
our activities and DF ways of working.
Furthermore, a new frameworkfor design thinking training wasestablished as a joint collaboration
between ADF teachers, researchers
and the DFGN-team. This framework
was run for the first time in January
2019 with the Design Factory
Korea team and further iterated
several times. Over the spring, theworkshop was organized for ourindustry liaisons Sanoma & Airbus.

Meet the travelers

Sino-Finnish
CentreTongji University

We believe that bybringing students,
companies, andreasearchers
together, we cancreate extraordinary
outcomes.

Sino-Finnish Centre aims to createa strategic paradigm in innovativeeducation, research, and practice.
This hotspot for people who wantto make their ideas into reality
is the result of the joint effort ofTongji and Aalto Universities.
We believe that by bringing
students, companies, andresearchers together, we can create
extraordinary outcomes. Throughour collaborations with leadingindustry actors, organizations andresearchers, we forge international
and interdisciplinary learning
experiences. Among the activities
we hosted in 2018 were the ChinaUS Young Maker Competition, thereSOURCE Water Sino-German
International Workshop, the SinoFinnish Culture & Science Seminar,
and the Design for Designers Forum.

27.

Design Factory
Melbourne
Swinburne University

We facilitate aninnovation culture
supporting the vital
skills required tochallenge the difficult,complex and unknown
dynamics for success.
Design Factory Melbourne plays a
key role in developing partnerships
across the different departments
and research centers of its host,
Swinburne University of Technology,
as well as building lasting relationships
with external organizations. We
facilitate an innovation culture
supporting the vital skills required tochallenge the difficult, complex andunknown dynamics for success.
In 2018, we ran several courses:
Challenge Based Innovation, ME310,
Product Development Project,
OT/Design, Toolbox, Scienceand Technology, and Innovation
Challenge. Our students workedon briefs tackling learning pods,
kitchen solutions for people withspecial needs, solutions for people
with disabilities, the periodic table,
more customers for insurance, space
activation in university, a device forputting sensors in high altitudes, andsolutions using graphene. We worked
with ten different sponsors, includingnames like TOM Melbourne andAustralian Unity. Memorable events
include the Design Factory Melbourne
Gala and the CBI Showcase.

28.

Meet the travelers

Duoc
Design Factory
Duoc UC

Duoc Design Factory is acollaborative innovation space
hosted by Instituto Profesional Duoc
UC. We seek to support our students
in innovation by developing theirskills, knowledge and mindset forcollaborative, multidisciplinary work.
Some of the briefs we worked within 2018 were related to mobility andaccessibility such as improving theexperience of the elderly with public
transportation working alongside
the Ministry of Transportation.
With the Fundación Oportunidad
Mayor, we faced the challenge
of using technology to optimize
longevity and maoximizing social
interaction for the elderly, thus
reducing the risk of experiencing

social isolation or loneliness.
With CIGIDEN – the Center for
the Study of Natural Disasters– we worked on two topics:
1) Urban resilience and the aging
population: How to incorporate theelderly in the design and execution of
prevention programs for the effects
of environmental phenomena.
2) Propose interactions and digital
services to increase the intelligenceof the city thanks to the elderly.

...we faced the challenge
of using technology
to optimize longevity
and maximizing
social interaction
for the elderly.

Throughout the year we collaborated
with 14 different partners, among
them the Transportation Ministry,
Fundación Oportunidad Mayor, andRed de Parques Metroplitanos.

29.

IdeaSquare(CERN)CERN

Our engineers, physicists
and other CERN staff
contribute to solving
complex problemsby mentoring, giving
feedback and advice.

Here at CERN IdeaSquare we connect student teams working onsocietal challenges with advancements in high-energy physics
research and development. Our engineers, physicists and other CERN
staff contribute to solving complex problems by mentoring, giving
feedback and advice, and helping the student teams to prototype
their ideas for creating societal value. Our strength lies in the scientificcommunity of CERN who operate the largest scientific experimentin the (known) universe, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
Since we are not a university, we do not offer courses per se. However,
we have had between 12 and 20 universities participating in our activities
at IdeaSquare, and in 2018 we hosted five Challenge Based Innovation(CBI) courses from other DFs using the sustainable development
goals as a framework, as well as about 50 hackathons and such.

30.

Meet the travelers

Design Factory
Korea
Yonsei University

Our students createdservices and products
around stress release,
reducing subway doorway
accidents, keeping trackof your water intake.

In 2018, we held several courses
including Capstone projects for Social
Innovation and Techno-art, Social
Network Analysis, Programmingfor Everybody, Photo and Books,
different levels of design courses,
Mind of Matter, Photography,
Creative Thinking and Visualization,
Applications of Technology and
TAD Leadership Seminar.
Our students created services andproducts around stress release,
reducing subway doorway accidents,
keeping track of your water intake,providing on-the-go ordering forconvenient food and beverage
pickups, providing online andoffline coding education, testing

STDs, aiding hands-only CPR for
non-professionals, broadening therange of food choices that Muslims
can consume in Korea, preventing
child vehicular heat stroke, helping
children with autism, solving
food safety problem by using IoTtechnology in farming, and relieving
stress from period for women.
Our sponsors at Vitcom and Root
Impact also had the opportunity toexperience some of the events andworkshops we organized this year:“Designing Your Life Workshop,”“Lego Serious Play,” “Alumni Talk,”“Graphic tools & prototyping
machine,” “Breakfast in Factory,”or the “DFK Gala Night 2018.”

31.

PortoDesign Factory
Porto Polytechnic

We have recently been
striving to improve ourentrepreneurship andresearch dimensions
by establishing newpartnerships with thePorto industrial andstart-up ecosystem.

32.

PDF has been evolving andre-shaping its core structure
through its first years.
Besides the educational programs
that we partake in every year globally,such as ME310, the PdP ProductDevelopment Project, SQUAD and
A3CBI – Challenge Based Innovation,
we have recently been striving to
improve our entrepreneurship andresearch dimensions by establishing
new partnerships with the Portoindustrial and start-up ecosystem,
as well as our own polytechnic ofPorto research centers and facilities.
Examples of this are events andactivities such as the Innovation 101
and In&Out Sessions, which are visits
and conferences hosted by several
industry partners, our PDF Files, which
are lectures held inside PDF for theacademic community, and even theMake-A-Thon, a product development
marathon based on solutions for thesustainable development goals.
We see immense value in the DFGN
and the experience of working
with all the parties involved, and
it is something that continues tosupport us in establishing evermore networks and valuable
contacts in order to grow together.

Meet the travelers

Nexus
Design FactoryThomas Jefferson University

We have hired our very
own program manager,
and we are developing
new programs thatwill run independentlyof Nexus Maximus.

Strong winds of change haveblown our way since the last FamilyAlbum. Philadelphia University
has joined forces with Thomas
Jefferson University, and the
Nexus Design Factory now sails
under the flag of the latter.
In 2018, we had the pleasure oforganizing the fifth edition of our
Nexus Maximus hackathon thatgathered the most diverse group in
the history of the event, including
students from five different design

factories. Since then, we have hired
our very own program manager, andwe are developing new programs
that will run independently of Nexus
Maximus. Another significant
change is that the design factory
now operates under the Deanof Design and Engineering.
Nexus Design Factory is inevitably
developing into a new andvery different design factory.
These are exciting times!

33.

Frisian
Design Factory
NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences

The FDF found its
place in the university
and together with an
enthusiastic team ofcolleagues, we teachstudents to havecreative confidence tosolve wicked problems.

34.

2018 was a happy year for the FDF.
We were able to provide Design
Thinking workshops for students
and staff of the university, and thosestudents who chose the Minor
FDF were able to participate in
Circulair Design projects provided
by real clients. Over 100 students
participated that year. We tried
some new concepts, for example
a project week based on working
with the worldbuilding method andour students participated in the 8th
day project, building a Goldberg
machine through the city, during
the festivities of Leeuwarden

European Capital of Culture 2018.
Other projects our students worked
on, or presented: Dutch Design
Week – students showed theirhome-made Cargo Bike Recycle
Unit for primary schools, a solarpowered wooden cart, the Litty, acigarette butts collector for music
festivals, and our BEE-street project.
The FDF found its place in theuniversity and together with an
enthusiastic team of colleagues,
we teach students to have creative
confidence to solve wicked problems.

METU
Design Factory
Middle East Technical University

We serve internal andexternal stakeholders’education, research,development,
implementation, andtechnology transfer needs.

Here in METU Design Factory, we
aim to catalyze interactions among
researchers and students fromdesign studies, engineering sciences,
social sciences, and other related
fields in order to develop new andinnovative products. Our main goal is
to offer an inspiring and encouraging
environment for interdisciplinary
collaboration where both academics
and students from various disciplines

work together using the space andproduction infrastructure provided.
We serve internal and external
stakeholders’ education, research,development, implementation,and technology transfer needs.
Through METU Design Factory,
the knowledge generated at theuniversity is being transformed
into prototypes and products!

35.

Design Factory
Javeriana Bogotá
PUC Javeriana

Design Factory Javeriana Bogotá isan academic platform establishedto support the developmentof products and services at
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.
In 2018, we held a Design for
Sustainability and Design Project
Course, and ran 20 projects aroundsolid waste management, ecoproductivity, building ecosystemservices and employees’ healthissues regarding handling heavyloads. We helped coordinate thefirst Rat Relay of the year and we
had Relámpago, which is one of the
DFJ programs where our students
get support from professors
from different faculties and areasof expertise according to what
they need in their projects.

We helped coordinate thefirst Rat Relay of the year.

36.

Meet the travelers

NYC
Design Factory
Pace University

Our doors are always open toplay, collaborate, and welcome
new members to our family!

We like to say that we are a playground where industry
partners, students, staff, and faculty come together
to develop next-generation products, exchange
ideas, learn, and grow together – all while building andlearning by doing. Our doors are always open to play,collaborate, and welcome new members to our family!
In 2018, NYCDF worked on eight projects including
SQUAD, PdP and Rat Relay. Some of their briefs required
a lot of user experience innovation concerning homebrewing, HVAC systems, digital energy management,
better aftersales and maintenance experience or a more
personal standing desk experience. They were also asked
to create a smart kitchen system and a more mobile city.
Some of the sponsors we interacted with last year were
Porsche Family Trust, LOGICDATA, Ericsson, Safera, Tech
Kids Unlimited, Capwatt, LBF Furniture and RACE.

37.

RTU
Design Factory
Riga Technical University

We provide access forresearchers and students
to facilities, tools, andservices for prototypingthat allow creating new
and complex solutions.

RTU Design Factory is a lively placethat brings together research,education, and industry, creating a
new hands-on learning culture andopportunities for radical innovation.
We provide access for researchersand students to facilities, tools, andservices for prototyping that allow
creating new and complex solutions.
Together with interdisciplinary
students and research teams, wework to solve real-life challenges fromvarious industries. Among our more

38.

recent projects are a hockey puckshooter that uses artificial intelligence,a new type of water treatment
system, a training device for brass
instruments, and customized
equipment for researchers
testing composite materials.
Our team combines a variety ofskills in mechanical engineering,robotics, creative thinking
and methodologies, productdevelopment, design, and business.

Meet the travelers

UPV
Design Factory
Universitat Politècnica de València

Our objective is tostimulate the creativityof the students.

UPV Design Factory is a space where students fromthe Universitat Politècnica de València can come tocarry out innovation and experiments. Our objective
is to stimulate the creativity of the students, shareknowledge on ways of working, and arm them with skills
like leadership, teamwork, and project management.
Two courses were hosted at UPV DF this year: communication
skills and financing. We had the pleasure of collaboratingwith sponsors like Leory Merlin, Istobal, Ansys, HP, RS
Components, Mahle, MBHA, and many others. The
projects revolved around topics like health, mobility, public
speaking, sustainability, solar energy and architecture.

39.

Design Factory
São Paulo
Universidad São PauloIn total, we
collaborated withten different projectsponsors fromdifferent sectors
and industries.

40.

DF São Paulo offers a variety ofdifferent laboratories and workshops
for prototyping and projects. In 2018,
we hosted four courses: ProductDevelopment, Design of Healthcare
Solutions, Entrepreneurship, andInternational Design Project I and II.
One of our courses had six projects
focusing on healthcare solutions.
We have also been working on an
assistive technology development
initiative for the aircraft industry.
In total, we collaborated with ten
different project sponsors fromdifferent sectors and industries. We
were also sponsored by the Schoolof Engineering Endowment Fund,and hosted several hackathons,
most of them organized by theuniversity entrepreneurship club.
The highlight of 2018 was, likeevery year, the final presentationof our local development course,
a presentation held for all thedifferent project partners.

Meet the travelers

As a design factory, we wantto empower people at Ghent
University to transform theworld through innovation.

Ghent
Design Factory
Ghent University

Ghent Design Factory is like a beaver; we can build
wonderful things from nothing, we are hardworking
and efficient, and we wish to make an impact. On thesurface, it might not seem like much, but underneath
we are building a solid foundation for growth. As adesign factory, we want to empower people at Ghent
University to transform the world through innovation.
Some of the briefs discussed in this year’s projects were:Reuse of wheelchairs that are taken out of service after
five years, detection mechanism for lymphedema, andtextile suits for babies with many sensors that measure
their movements and possible limitations. We weresponsored by the city of Ghent, EIT InnoEnergy forthis year’s Rat Relay and Proximus for last year’s Rat
Relay. In addition, we had the pleasure of organizing andhosting a Legal Tech Hackathon, aiming to bring together
students from the legal field and students of technology.

41.

Design Factory
New Zealand
Waikato Institute of Technology

We are excited to have doubled
our student numbers this year
and look forward to getting
even bigger and better.

Photo: Kelsy Scott, Waikato Institute of Technology

Design Factory NZ is a small, boutique
DF that draws on a diverse range ofundergraduate students from acrossour institution. We have at least
eight different disciplines studying
with us who bring a rich variety ofthinking and perspectives to ourchallenges. Our super passionate
team of staff all teach in the Design
Factory and in one other center
here at Wintec. We team teach, love
spending time together supporting
each other and making changes
and stretching our thinking. We are
excited to have doubled our student
numbers this year and look forward
to getting even bigger and better.
We offer a 30-credit module called
the Design Factory 1 and host a
postgraduate level component in
the Professional Practice program in
Health where teams work together
on challenges of the health sector.
We also offer Design Thinking
workshops for external partners.
In terms of briefs, we looked at how
we might re-imagine a healthcare
center and how Kapahaka (Maoriaction dance) can provide wellbeing for children in schools. Habitatfor Humanity gave us two design
challenges: one related to the42.

incoming goods problem of theirsecond-hand store and anotherone focused on how aged residents
of independent living facilities canhave a stronger connection with theircommunity. Other projects were
aimed at finding solutions to improve
the sharing process of water datacollection and monitoring informationof the public as well as seeking tobuild relationships between our
institution and our alumni. We havedeveloped a good relationship withour city council, which led to thedevelopment of two projects overthe course of 2018: One revolved
around the reduction of traffic
congestion while the other focused on
improving internal communication.
We also organized and hosted two
gala events that were definitely
our highlights. We started the“Lunchtime Learnings” activity where
we invited innovators from local
and regional businesses to share
their projects or their thoughts oninnovation. Our masters qualification
was upgraded and received theapproval of a name change – now
Masters in Applied Innovation –that sets a very interesting path forco-creation in global projects!

Meet the travelers

Warsaw
Design Factory
Warsaw University of Technology

We educate engineersof the future andglobal innovatorsthat participate ininternational teams.

Warsaw Design Factory is a uniqueplace at the Warsaw University ofTechnology. The WDF trademark
was built based on many yearsof experience and activity of the
Rector's Team for Innovative
Methods of Teaching as well as the
Department of Young Researchers’Innovation Development in theCenter for Innovation and Technology
Transfer Management of Warsaw
University of Technology.
Our goal is to build an innovative
university, interdisciplinary andcreative teams of young scientists, aswell as passionate and fully involved
academic staff. We educate engineersof the future and global innovatorsthat participate in international
teams. We also develop the teachingcompetencies of the academic staff.
This year, WDF worked on eightprojects including the courses of
Product Development Project, ME310,
KSP (Creative Semestral Project),
UniStartUp, Rat Relay and the Design
Thinking Week. Students tackled
challenges such as the developmentof a digital lure that can be alteredon the fly and building a scale modelof a construction site. Some of thesponsoring companies were PKO
BP Finat, Willson & Brown, Rapalla,
Trenox, the City Hall of Warsaw
and the City Hall of Żuromin.
The highlight of the year was theofficial opening of our Design
Factory on June 25th!

43.

FusionPoint
ESADE, Universidad Politècnica de Catalunya and IED Barcelona

We are not only thinking
about how to address
the current demands
facing academic
learning, we put ourthoughts into action
through innovative
pedagogical initiatives.

Fusion Point is prototyping thefuture of education! We say thatbased on both our core mission
and activities, as well as our overall
research efforts. We are not only
thinking about how to address thecurrent demands facing academic
learning, we put our thoughts
into action through innovative
pedagogical initiatives. Every course
and outreach activity give us theopportunity to implement and testnovel tools and approaches whereby
multidisciplinary student teams frombusiness and law (ESADE Businessand Law School), engineering andtechnology (Polytechnic Universityof Catalonia (UPC)) and design (IED
Barcelona Design University) work
together to generate creative ideas
and concrete innovative solutions.
Some of the topics of this year's briefs

44.

include: Smart fabrics, banking, foodwaste, blockchain, industry 4.0, legal
design, customer experience, online
shopping experience, and healthcare.
We also worked on six different
sustainable development goals:
gender equality, quality education,
good health and well-being, zero
hunger, affordable and clean energy,
clean water and sanitation. We ran
over 14 projects including the CBI(Challenge Based Innovation) andI2P (Internship Innovation Project)courses. The briefs we received
came from Accenture, Massimo
Dutti, RACC, Festo, Computer
Associates (CA), Boheringer,
Caixabanko and Yoomakeup.
The highlight of this academic year
was our official inauguration on
February 22nd, where we had thepleasure of welcoming Eetu to our DF!

Meet the travelers

Kyoto
Design Lab
Kyoto Institute of Technology

Our mission is to innovate throughdesign. Kyoto Design Lab (D-lab)has been chosen by the Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Scienceand Technology (MEXT) to deliver
its strategic vision for innovationand excellence in higher educationin architecture and design.
Kyoto is a city with old roots andtraditions, based on centuriesold knowledge and skills, but also
forward-looking and home to newtechnology-based industries andup and coming start-ups. Throughdifferent practice-based programs,
D-lab contributes to society incooperation with a network that
supports local industrial andeconomic activity as well as major
companies. The lab enables students
and other project collaborators torealize their ideas through traditional
manufacturing processes, advanced
digital fabrication techniques, or a
combination of the two. In addition,
we have access to the Kyoto Instituteof Technology’s papermaking
and ceramics workshops.

Photo: Tomomi Takano, KYOTO Design Lab, Kyoto Institute of Technology

Through different practicebased programs, D-lab
contributes to society incooperation with a networkthat supports local industrial
and economic activity as
well as major companies.

45.

Cali
Design Factory
PUC Javeriana

We believe in the
power of diversity, andresourcefulness while
striving for sustainability
and human development.

We are a platform for open innovation
looking to have a positive andtransforming impact in the city of Caliand our region through collaborative
learning. We believe in the powerof diversity, and resourcefulness
while striving for sustainability
and human development.
We are a work in progress so weare still figuring out how to fit the
open innovation projects in our DF’s
structure and learning a lot as wego. We had 12 projects this year withbriefs from local companies asking
us to develop projects around newmarkets for traditional industries,
improving user experiences withdrugstore deliveries, gym attendance,
university payments, increasing

46.

employee loyalty (emotional salaries)
for companies with many workers,
de-stigmatizing shooting sports in
Colombia, and improving current
recycling and self-care habits.
We also worked with IoT on health,augmented reality for storage
logistics, and gamification of sex
education and territorial conflict
resolution. Since October, ourME310 Engineering students areworking with master’s students
from India to develop an IoT-based
solution for ACL rehab therapy
sponsored by Phillips. Our Rat
Relay sponsors challenged us tothink about keeping children awayfrom violent groups and create theColombian university of the future!

Meet the travelers

Inno.
Space
Hochschule Mannheim

We work with partners
from corporate
organizations todevelop projects
that address realworld challenges.

InnoSpace provides the environment
for passion-based learning, cocreation across disciplines andindustrial cooperation. We facilitate
teamwork, prototyping and digital
fabrication in an inspiring and open
atmosphere. We work with partners
from corporate organizations todevelop projects that address
real-world challenges, and support
various educational concepts that
foster complex problem-solving,
innovation and entrepreneurship.

This year we ran DF-related programs
such as CBI-A3, SQUAD, ME310 and
Rat-Relay. Some of the challenges
given by sponsors such as Valeoor Susi & Janes were related tomobility, water purification, circular
economy and voice user interfaces.
We also had the honor of hosting avisit from the Ministry of Education.

47.

Tartu Delta
Sandbox
University of Tartu

In 2018, Tartu Delta
Sandbox worked on
three projects.

Tartu Delta Sandbox is a co-learning and co-creation
platform for connecting students, researchers andcompanies for experimental digital product andtechnology innovation. In 2018, Tartu Delta Sandbox
worked on three projects, including the Software
Product Management, Human Computer Interaction and
Product Design Project courses. Participating students
roamed their brains to ideate around smart cities!
In 2020, we will open our own space and can use the
Robotics, IoT, VR and Computer Graphics labs. For
now, we are a flying squirrel in a development process:small, yet agile and high flying, taking it step by step.

48.

Meet the travelers

SIT
Design Factory
Singapore Institute of Technology

Both partners havesince worked with
SIT on various
collaborations
and projects.

Photo: Nicholas Teo, Singapore Institute of Technology

Over the past few years, theSingapore Institute of Technology
has been laying down the foundationfor SIT Design Factory, closely
supported and enthusiasticallychampioned by Design Factory
Melbourne and Aalto Design Factory.
A total of three Bootcamps
have been organized to build theinnovation capabilities within SIT

and its ecosystem: one in 2017, one
in 2018, and one in 2019. They havebeen created in tight collaboration
with industry partners Singapore
Accountancy Commission(SAC) and the National Library
Board (NLB). Both partners havesince worked with SIT on various
collaborations and projects.

49.

HAMK
Design Factory
Häme University of Applied Sciences

We are already the
2nd largest DF in
all of Finland!

HAMK Design Factory is located in
Hämeenlinna, Southern Finland. You
can remember us from the number
7: 7,000 students, 700 membersof staff in total, and 7 campuses.
That’s why we have made sureto have 7 members of DF staff.
Established in August 2019, HAMKDF is one of the youngest design
factories, but we are already the
2nd largest DF in all of Finland!
What we have in common with all
the nodes of the DFGN is passion50.

to learn and create something new.
Despite the limited history of the
HAMK DF, we have already beena part of creating interdisciplinary
solutions for the epic challenges
the local companies have. From the
DFGN we also hope to gain insighton how to co-create a better future.
HAMK DF comprises thedisciplines of Business, Design
and Technology to a mix thatcreates passion for doing!

Meet the travelers

St. John's University
Design Factory
St. John’s University

Our mission is to develop
a culture of passionbased learning at St.
John’s University.

The St. John’s University Design
Factory is an interdisciplinary
product design and learning center
that connects students, faculty, andindustry leaders. Our mission is todevelop a culture of passion-basedlearning at St. John’s University thatpays unique attention to strengthen
highly-sought professional skills suchas problem solving, innovation, andentrepreneurship for our students.
We strive to develop innovative

solutions for social issues that
impact the poor and marginalized.
Housed in the College of Professional
Studies at St. John’s University,
Design Factory benefits from themultidisciplinary layout of the college.
Students here major in various
fields include communications,law, television, film, advertisingand computer science.

51.

52.

Events &Milestones
These are some of the milestones achievedby our crew and the main events held for the
DFGN network over the course of 2018.

ADF
10 Years
On a cloudy Thursday in September, the Aalto Design Factory celebrated
its first decade on this planet. In true DF-style, the aim was not to dwellon past accomplishments, but rather look forward: how can Aalto
Design Factory broaden its reach and attract community members
from an even wider range of backgrounds, disciplines and institutions?
How can we add value to the extended community we are a part of?
From early Thursday morning until late Friday evening, we organized 28
events focusing on creating touchpoints with individuals who have not beenin contact with ADF before. The different events attracted 728 participants– 531 of them had never or hardly been in touch with ADF until that point.
The celebrations were focused around interaction: Visitors participatedin workshops, they got to build their own bottle openers, or try soldering
electronics. Some of the workshops were held for the first time, and havesince become services we offer to visitors and collaboration partners.

54.

Events & Milestones

55.

RAW
2018
In June 2018, we invited students fromall the design factories around theglobe to work with us, and design the
future!
Five workshop days of exploring possible futures, building scenarios, brainstorming, prototyping and testing withprofessors, coaches and experts gave
rise to seven themes that are essential in developing the design factories
and higher education of the future:
1. Co-creation through collaboration,
cross-pollination and knowledge
sharing.
2. Open innovation through transparent information sharing and international mobility.
3. Inclusiveness, being truly agnostic
on who can participate, welcoming
people of all kinds to join.
4. Holistic approach, sharing the skillsof the future, learning system-level
critical thinking, advancing humanand planet centric design
5. Empowerment through motivation,
creativity through playfulness.
6. Ecological, economic and social
sustainability
7. Self-driven and customized life-longlearning experiences
What does the design factory andhigher education of the future hold for
you?

56.

IDFW
2018

PARTICIPANTS:

52
DFS

21
COUNTRIESInternational Design Factory Week (IDFW) is
the annual opportunity for DFGN members
to meet and learn more about the bestpractices in the network, and plan futurecollaborations. IDFW also serves as the main
platform for the network’s decision making.
Every year the week is organized in a
new location. That gives the network theopportunity to learn more about the hosting
design factory, and it gives the larger
community of the hosting design factory
the opportunity to learn more about the
network. IDFW 2018, the 7th of its kind,
was hosted by Porto Design Factory.

52 participants
21 DFs19 countries
53 hours of program
5 hands-on demos
20 collaboration projects were
formulated or improved.
Four of those projects had substantial
participation in 2018, demonstrating theimportance of joint planning, and the powerof collaboration in every DF’s goal: to become
global, pertinent, and just plain cool.

19

C
HOURS OFPROGRAM53
HANDS-ON
DEMOS

5

57.

58.

Join us
DFGN.ORG

Join a family of truly mad people, eager learners,
fearless experimenters and passionate innovators

THE END

Idea: Cali Design Factory
Concept Design: Cali Design Factory
Graphics: Cali Design Factory
Editor-in-Chief: Marthe Dehli
Production editor: Serpil Oguz

Design Factory Global Network is defined by the collaboration projects that we do. This FamilyAlbum is such a project. Thank you to all who have dedicated their time to make this a reality.
60.

All the students, staff, coaches, professors
and pets at every DF around the world
The World Wide Web

And Eetu. Because this family is a
dream that came from his head.
61.

DESIGN FACTORY
GLOBAL NETWORKDG