Kathrina Dankl studied industrial design and did her doctorate in design anthropology. Her doctoral thesis “Very Experienced People: An Ethnography of Design, Aging and Style” (2011) deals with the role of objects in the course of life. Kathrina Dankl worked as an assistant professor at Design School Kolding from 2014 to 2017 and is now employed there as an associate professor at the Lab for Social Design. Her research areas include design for health, design diversity, and participatory design.

In a nutshell: What is Studio Dankl about?

A particular focus of the co-creation consultancy is on the question of how innovation can be anchored in society and companies. By means of co-creation, Studio Dankl integrates employees, customers, and their network of experts into product development.

“Change is a team sport!” What exactly does this motto promise?

Companies and public institutions are part of developments in society as a whole. They are therefore required to design their proposal in such a way that it is relevant for people. Stakeholders offer the largest pool of knowledge and experience for addressing organizational development, new services, or products. The co-creation method integrates this knowledge into the development process of new solutions – with some decisive advantages: The product or service is the result of an actual need and requirement expressed by people. The more involved a subsequent user is in the development, the more likely it is that a feeling of co-ownership develops, thus promoting loyalty and long-term use.

How has the design landscape changed in recent years?

There is an increasingly better understanding of what design can achieve in very different organizational, social, or political areas. Design is inherent in everyday processes: For example, submitting a tax return can be an easy process, design is also used here. Thinking differently about administration or social systems is particularly exciting. Design is a locally anchored, strategic practice in which objects, form, and materiality play a decisive role. The contemporary design process is carried out by professional designers, but, importantly, multiple players are involved.

At Studio Dankl, design meets research excellence. How do the two work together?

For me, research and practice are inextricably linked. Design research classifies questions in an overall context, develops a strategic orientation, provides an overview of processes and methods, and combines those that make sense for the corresponding project. On a formal level, research excellence at Studio Dankl is expressed in publications in peer-reviewed journals or through participation in international research projects such as Horizon 2020. I am part of the editorial team of journals such as Artifact: Journal of Design Practice and am involved in the organization of design conferences such as Nordes2021. Thus, I am continuously connected to new knowledge.

Studio Dankl sees itself as a micro-agency and focusses on you as a person. What do customers appreciate about it?

I am the customers’ first point of contact: I bring my experience to bear directly and personally. As the project progresses, it becomes clear what will be selected from the various concepts and pursued further. Accordingly, I am expanding my team and adding skills from our hub, for example communication designers, illustrators, artists, technicians, and software developers.

Do customers always have a precise idea of what they want? How do projects come about?

It varies substantially. Here are two examples: For The Ideal Eating Experience – an exhibition on sustainable production and consumption –, a client I had worked with previously approached me. Already in the first conversation we agreed that this project should be about an experience rather than a classically prepared exhibition. So, you first set out a few basic points and can start from there. For I Love Brot – a collaboration with a Viennese bakery chain –, I was interested in working on the subject of food waste and I approached possible cooperation partners directly. Overall, the initiation phase is important because knowledge about design and methods is passed on. I therefore also offer keynotes and workshops so that interested parties can sound out whether the co-creation tool fits their organization at all and which areas are of particular interest.

What are the aspects that you find particularly exciting about your work?

Sometimes, this is actually the first phase: How is the project defined? What is the background? Why do it at all? Ethnographic design research in particular is about learning what moves people, what the meaning behind a product or object is, what works and what doesn’t. The stories behind it embed a product in a whole life and special context. To learn from how people deal with objects, how they find strategies to use them sensibly – that is a large reservoir, a pool of inspiration for design that is very exciting.

Do you have a favorite among your projects?

A topic that has occupied me for a long time relates to the phases of life and aging. What are the pivotal points in life, those points where decisive things happen, where maybe even an entire existence changes? This is exactly where design can make a contribution by suggesting alternatives, be it in the health care system when you fall ill or in your native company when you retire. I am particularly interested in the meeting of the public and the private spheres, everyday life, and the world of products or services. This topic runs like a red thread throughout my work.