Design Biotop is an experiential workshop and discussion event that explores the problem solving and trans-disciplinary nature of design, and promotes a design thinking mindset to a country that is searching for design opportunity perspectives and its impact on economic growth. Its aim is to underline the connections between the design mindset, creative processes, education and decision making.

Lauri Repokari was a part of Mechanical engineering group at Stanford University and was elected twice as consulting professor.  His education and career is amazing and includes leading several R&D student projects for international companies at the DBM program. Lauri Repokari has a passion to develop multicultural and multidisciplinary collaborations in product development. This work consists of R&D teaching and coaching of international student groups and management of research activities with universities and international companies across the globe. Lauri has a particular expertise in understanding design thinking methods and has published more than 30 international review publications in conferences and journals, including human-computer interaction, cognitive ergonomics/requirements, small display user, interfaces and usability, and design collaboration in product development amongst many other subjects.

Design Biotop is an experiential workshop and discussion event that explores the problem solving and trans-disciplinary nature of design, and promotes a design thinking mindset to a country that is searching for design opportunity perspectives and its impact on economic growth. Its aim is to underline the connections between the design mindset, creative processes, education and decision making.

Information designer Juuso Koponen is a visiting lecturer at Aalto University and other Finnish universities, and blogs about infographics and visualization atInformaatiomuotoilu.fi. Besides teaching and working on client projects he also organizes the annual Visualizing Knowledge Conference in Helsinki and is writing a book about information design. His data visualization workshops have been hosted in Helsinki, Tampere, Lahti and Amsterdam.

Design Biotop is an experiential workshop and discussion event that explores the problem solving and trans-disciplinary nature of design, and promotes a design thinking mindset to a country that is searching for design opportunity perspectives and its impact on economic growth. Its aim is to underline the connections between the design mindset, creative processes, education and decision making.

Marco Steinberg is Founder of Snowcone & Haystack, Finland, a strategic design practice focused on helping governments and leaders innovate.

Marco is former Director of Strategic Design at the Finnish Innovation Fund, where he launched a portfolio of initiatives to address the acute need for strategic improvement in the public sector.

Marco believes that that there is a solution to the complex challenges that governments, societies and environments face. There is a need to shift from trying to improve the efficiency of what was to redesigning what could be. His passion is in helping leaders find the pathway to these strategic improvements.

In his other responsibilities, Marco is currently the Chairman of the Board of the Museum of Finnish Architecture  & serves as advisor to many organizations. His previous experience includes: Professor at the Harvard Design School (1999-2009); advising governments on SME & design funding strategies; and running his own design & architecture practice.

Design Biotop is an experiential workshop and discussion event that explores the problem solving and trans-disciplinary nature of design, and promotes a design thinking mindset to a country that is searching for design opportunity perspectives and its impact on economic growth. Its aim is to underline the connections between the design mindset, creative processes, education and decision making.

Heikki Rajasalo is a researcher and a visiting lecturer at Aalto University and at several other Universities of Applied Sciences in Finland. He is specialized in Design Management and Design Governance.

Typically companies do not seem to have a firm grasp on how design could impact their business. Heikki believes that businesses taking a step towards design and designers taking a step towards measurable metrics would enable design to be used strategically in an organization. The idea is to give tools for businesses to talk design and tools for designers to talk business

Design Biotop is an experiential workshop and discussion event that explores the problem solving and trans-disciplinary nature of design, and promotes a design thinking mindset to a country that is searching for design opportunity perspectives and its impact on economic growth. Its aim is to underline the connections between the design mindset, creative processes, education and decision making.

Lauri Repokari was a part of Mechanical engineering group at Stanford University and was elected twice as consulting professor.  His education and career is amazing and includes leading several R&D student projects for international companies at the DBM program. Lauri Repokari has a passion to develop multicultural and multidisciplinary collaborations in product development. This work consists of R&D teaching and coaching of international student groups and management of research activities with universities and international companies across the globe. Lauri has a particular expertise in understanding design thinking methods and has published more than 30 international review publications in conferences and journals, including human-computer interaction, cognitive ergonomics/requirements, small display user, interfaces and usability, and design collaboration in product development amongst many other subjects.

The workshop was part of DESIGN BIOTOP event.

Design Biotop is an experiential workshop and discussion event that explores the problem solving and trans-disciplinary nature of design, and promotes a design thinking mindset to a country that is searching for design opportunity perspectives and its impact on economic growth. Its aim is to underline the connections between the design mindset, creative processes, education and decision making.

Professor Kalevi Ekman’s research area is integrated product development. His courses at Aalto Design Factory are bringing hundreds of students from Aalto University schools of design, engineering and business together to work on project development challenges in multi-disciplinary teams. He is in charge of PDP – Product Development Project -course that connects Master level curriculum, renowned successful companies, and designers to work closely together.

Kalevi Ekman is the director of Aalto Design Factory.

Design Biotop is an experiential workshop and discussion event that explores the problem solving and trans-disciplinary nature of design, and promotes a design thinking mindset to a country that is searching for design opportunity perspectives and its impact on economic growth. Its aim is to underline the connections between the design mindset, creative processes, education and decision making.

Professor Kalevi Ekman’s research area is integrated product development. His courses at Aalto Design Factory are bringing hundreds of students from Aalto University schools of design, engineering and business together to work on project development challenges in multi-disciplinary teams. He is in charge of PDP – Product Development Project -course that connects Master level curriculum, renowned successful companies, and designers to work closely together.

Kalevi Ekman is the director of Aalto Design Factory.

A one day experiential event with guests from Finland for designers, start-ups, businessmen, creators, politicians, cultural workers and other!

Design Biotop is an experiential workshop and discussion event that explores the problem solving and trans-disciplinary nature of design, and promotes a design thinking mindset to a country that is searching for design opportunity perspectives and its impact on economic growth. Its aim is to underline the connections between the design mindset, creative processes, education and decision making.

Design Biotop serves as a touchpoint event that illustrates what a change of mindset through design can bring to a wider working understanding of all levels of Slovenian society.

Design Biotop strives to bring together all levels of society in order to rethink the value of design in Slovenia. Its aim is to present alternative mindsets and concepts which will illustrate the possibilities for designers and design thinkers to contribute to creative problem solving and design’s potential for a positive impact on the development of Slovenia.

Finnish speakers will present examples of real time experiences to the open public with a set of talks and short hands-on workshops and exercises. Those involved will be encouraged to actively participate in lectures and talks that will evolve into different self-evaluation exercises. These will provide a hands-on experience to all participating at the event.

Kalevi Ekman – The power of Design in Higher Education and Fusion with Business

Kalevi Ekman – How to set up a perfect multi-disciplinary team?

Lauri Repokari – Bridging the Gap. Design Thinking in Slovenia

Lauri Repokari – Stanford design thinking workshop

Heikki Rajasalo – Make my Product an Icon and Make it Look Good

Marco Steinberg – A Strategic Design Practice Helping Governements and Leaders Innovate

Juuso Koponen – Design for Transparency

Design Biotop Website

The participants looked at what art can contribute to society in a time when the forms, values and relations of creative and technological media are being reinterpreted. In order to create a cohesive view on these developments, the subjects were approached from various scientific, social, historical and artistic perspectives, on both a practical as well as a theoretical level. With the symposium we touched upon a series of topics that gave us space for discussion and information exchange.

The Symposium was organized by TodaysArt in cooperation with the International Cities of Advanced Sound and related arts (ICAS) network, the Netherlands Study Centre for Technology Trends (STT) and the Royal Academy of Art The Hague. The realization of the Symposium has been made possible by the support of the EU Culture Programme, the DOEN Foundation, the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Zuid-Holland, Witteveen+Bos and Fonds1818.