Design for Transitions

Design for Transitions is a design approach focused on facilitating positive changes within complex systems, organizations, or communities. The goal is to support transitions towards more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive future scenarios.

Stress Signals Set

A tool to anticipate for stressors in a design assignment

The Stress Signals Set was developed within the Kiem project, in co-creation with designers. We started with a series of in-depth interviews to identify the factors that can cause stress during design projects. Based on these insights, we created this set of cards that helps designers recognize their own stress signals, discuss them openly, and anticipate them more effectively.

The set can be used at different moments in the design process:

  • Before starting a new project as an Intake tool: to anticipate potential stressors and prepare for them.

  • After completing a project: as a reflection tool when stress was experienced and you want to build more self-awareness around it.

  • Within teams: to make visible which tasks give energy to whom, and to support more balanced task distribution.

By using the cards multiple times, designers can begin to recognize patterns in their own ways of working. Over time, they can use the full set to create their own personal stress signal card.

The Stress Signals Set helps to open up conversations about workload and mental pressure in creative processes, and to approach these topics in a constructive way.

This tool is still in the prototype phase and needs further validation by the user group. Are you interested to require the Stress Signals Set and user suggestions on how to apply this set? Please contact Jos Hardeman by email at: j.s.hardeman@tue.nl

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Looking Back and Forward: Results of the KIEM Project

Last week, we presented the results of the Kiem project to designers, design coaches, researchers, and partners from the field. An afternoon filled with exchanges about the practice of designing in societal transitions and how we can better support designers in this process.

The KIEM project focused on one central question: What do designers need to remain mentally healthy, creative, and effective at the heart of societal challenges? Through interviews, tool tests, and surveys, we investigated how designers can best manage pressure, role ambiguity, and creative expectations.

What we shared:

  • The results of interviews and questionnaires, which clearly showed that role stressors and time pressure, in particular, have a direct link with mental fatigue and worry, and that task autonomy and social support play a protective role in this.
  • A series of sketchy prototypes, such as the Design Dialogue Questionnaire
  • Reflections from designers and coaches, who shared their experiences testing tools in practice, including what worked, what rubbed them the wrong way, and what left them wanting more.

Feedback from the targeted audience:
They primarily expressed recognition and a need for more:
“It feels like we're raising awareness of what we've been feeling in our work for a long time.”
“These kinds of tools are not only useful, they also encourage real conversation.”
“We want to take this further: how can we integrate this into training programs and practice networks?”

The final presentation doesn't mark the end of our research, but an interim milestone. Based on the results, we will develop follow-up projects around:

  • Validation of the survey instruments and expansion of the dataset.
  • Further development of the most promising tools.
  • Training formats for design coaches and clients
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Survey: how we measure stressors

How can we measure the mental workload, vague role expectations, and creative perfectionism in the daily practice of designers? We are developing a questionnaire that should provide further insight into the perceived mental workload of designers and how to avoid overload.

The key question: Which job demands cause the most work-related stress for designers, and which resources help mitigate it?
We distinguish between four types of demands, three types of resources, and stress-related outcomes: burmout and worry.
 
Demands: What drains energy?
• Cognitive demands: complex thinking, problem-solving, information processing.
• Interpersonal demands: role ambiguity, conflicting expectations, relationship friction.
• Quantitative demands: workload, time pressure, irregularity, deadlines.
• Qualitative performance demands: perfectionism, external expectations, uncertainty about evaluation criteria.
For example:
“I don't really know what others expect from my role.” 
"I only feel satisfied when my work is perfect."
 
Resources: What helps?
• Task resources: autonomy, variety, meaningful work, task identity, feedback.
• Social resources: support from colleagues, managers, and clients, trust, shared goals.
• Personal resources: creative self-efficacy, reflective ability, motivation, resilience.
For example:
"I can count on the support of colleagues when problems arise."
"I know I can find a creative solution even for complex problems."
 
Outcomes: What is the effect on you?
• Loss of energy: difficulty letting go after work, fatigue, exhaustion.
• Worrying: work stays on your mind, even after work hours.
For example:
"After work, I have trouble relaxing."
"I keep worrying about work problems when I'm home."
 
Why is this relevant?
Many tools for work stress are not tailored to the realities of creative professionals. Designers often wear multiple hats, work with open-ended assignments, and have high intrinsic motivation for meaningful work, but this also makes them vulnerable to overload, confusion, and performance pressure.
With this survey, we build a solid foundation for developing interventions, such as smart tools that enhance task resources, team dialogues that clarify role expectations and reflection cards that increase self-efficacy.

 

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Meeting #2 with educational partners and design institutions

In our second meeting with knowledge and educational partners, we shared and discussed results of the interview analysis. Four overarching concepts map the tensions and energy sources in designers' work on complex transitions.

We explored where cognitive demands, time pressure, role stress, and high performance expectations collide and where social support, autonomy, and intrinsic motivation provide resilience.

We also discussed the upcoming survey aimed at a broader group of designers. Together, we refined its scope, capturing how designers experience:

  • complexity
  • time pressure
  • vague expectations
  • and their own creative confidence.

Thanks to our partners for their sharp insights and generous feedback. Their contributions are crucial in shaping relevant and usable outcomes for designers, educators, and organizations working at the forefront of societal transformation.

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Co-creation for prototypes to develop an 'Intake tool'

In the broad field of transition projects, the briefing analysis is often the starting point for designers to determine whether the assignment fits their profile.

A solid foundation must be laid during the intake, but in practice, designers find it difficult to say no and make vague or ambitious promises, which can cause significant stress later in the process. We want to develop an intake tools that encourage them to restructure the briefing themselves. Based on co-creative sessions and sketchy prototypes, we explored tools that might help reduce these stressors.

What might work?

  • Interventions in which tasks are divided into creative, executive, and reflective work packages.
  • A "Design Your Work Canvas" provides an overview and makes gaps visible more quickly.
  • A quick scan/checklist-like approach built on the individual's persona, including: context, knowledge, strengths, energy drains, energy givers, concrete actions.
  • Co-creation with a colleague or the client increases confidence and insight when analyzing a briefing.
  • Peer feedback or a critical friend ensures that assumptions are challenged or confirmed.
  • Tools designed for use with the client promote mutual understanding.

Conclusion:
Reducing stress doesn't start with less work, but with more control during the intake process.
Are you working on tools or processes to support designers? Join us in the next design sprint! Send an email to j.s.hardeman@tue.nl

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Co-creation for design criteria to develop an 'intake tool'

In practice, designers vary widely in their approach to understandomg a briefing. Some work systematically, using lists or bullet points to tackle client expectations step-by-step. Others prefer a narrative, strategic approach, reframing vague questions and aligning the task with larger goals. Neither group uses formal tools often, but both would benefit from clearer role expectations, visual overviews, and peer feedback.

What stresses designers in the intake process?

  • Long briefings in which their role is intertwined with the tasks of others in the text.
  • Lack of clarity about what exactly is expected of them in terms of role, tasks, collaboration, consultation, and deliverables.
  • Difficulty translating a briefing into a concrete design approach that the client also understands.
  • External dependencies, including unexpected procedures, unclear criteria, and changes in decision-makers.
    What helps designers in the intake process? In co-creation with our targetgroup we found supporting tools should meet the following features:
  • Modular structure: allow for a light-touch start (quick scan) with pathways to go deeper if needed.
  • Visually structured tools: e.g. canvas, flowchart, or layered card system for easier navigation and better overview.
  • Checklist features: especially for identifying gaps and clarifying roles.
  • Customizability: the tool must be flexible to match diverse working styles — from structured to intuitive.
  • Collaborative potential: enable use in dialogue with peers or clients for shared understanding.

    Co-Creation is Key

    Rather than designing tools in isolation, this iteration showed the power of designing with designers. Their feedback, preferences, and real-life working habits offer not just direction, but a foundation
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Focus groups: what does the client want?

In focus groups, we explored how designers analyze a client briefing. In four sessions, two designers were asked to document and reflect on their approach. The sessions offered sharp insights into how designers think, interpret, and make choices, as well as where they need better support.

Two styles, two strengths.
We distinguished two different approaches. Some designers chose a structured, step-by-step approach: writing out key questions, annotating the briefing, and organizing the analysis using bullet points. Other designers took a more narrative, strategic route: zooming out, reframing the question, and exploring underlying goals. 

What we learned:

  • Task analysis pays off. It helps clarify expectations, surface missing information, and quickly assess whether a project aligns with the designer’s expertise and interests.
  • Briefings are rarely complete. All designers noted critical gaps (e.g. around stakeholders, expected outcomes, or implementation) and stressed the importance of follow-up dialogue.
  • Reflection takes time but it’s valuable. Conversations with peers turned out to be key to understanding not just the briefing, but also their own assumptions and blind spots.
  • Tools can help. Checklists, visual formats, or card decks with guiding questions could structure and speed up the process of briefing analysis.
  • Seeing through the client’s eyes is hard, especially when the briefing is vague or the client is not the end user, designers tend to start ideating and ‘rewriting’ the briefing to their own preferences.

    Why this matters?
    In transition-driven projects, clarity of scope and role is essential. Designers want to contribute meaningfully, but that only works when mutual expectations are well-defined. A good task analysis can make all the difference, not just for the process, but for the long-term impact.
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What designers need to truly support societal transitions

What do we expect from designers in the context of societal transitions? And what do they need in order to do their work well? Insights from sixteen interviews with creative professionals paint a clear -and at times confronting- picture.

Key Findings:

  • The complexity of transition challenges is both inspiring and overwhelming. This field demands sufficient know-how to contribute meaningfully, and creative thinking to uncover new connections.
  • Designers often juggle multiple roles -designer, project manager, facilitator, entrepreneur- making their work intense and multifaceted.
  • Collaboration requires strong communication skills. Designers often speak a different "language" than policymakers or engineers and explaining their process and added value remains a challenge.
  • Time pressure is a major stressor, whether due to overload or the unpredictable nature of the creative process. Being expected to “perform creatively on demand” adds to the strain.
  • External dependencies like bureaucracy, delays, and project cancellations, are a major source of frustration.
  • Expectations from clients are often high and vague. They want "surprises", "solutions", or "something tangible", without always understanding what a designer actually brings. This causes unclarity and strain.
  • The societal engagement of designers is strong, and their work is often deeply tied to their personal identity. Many go the extra mile—investing more time and care—driven by both internal and external expectations.

What’s Needed:
If we want designers to act as changemakers in transition efforts, we must invest in clear role definitions, mutual understanding within teams, and support in navigating complexity and ambiguity. Otherwise, we risk losing the very creative power we urgently need.

These findings provide a solid foundation for next steps aimed at improving collaboration and enabling the sustainable contribution of creative professionals in transition projects.

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The start of a new project ‘Creatieve Kracht bij Maatschappelijke Transities’ (CKMT), funded by PPS

Recent research suggests that job crafting -adapting work roles and tasks to better fit individual abilities and needs- can be an effective method for boosting performance and well-being at work. This approach holds promise for creative professionals, given the unique challenges they face.

There are still knowledge gaps regarding support mechanisms that are most effective for creative professionals in fulfilling their role as change makers, so there is a need for more focused research into the implementation and impact of job crafting within this target group. This project will contribute to filling these gaps by investigating which strategies can best help creative professionals navigate their complex work environment.

We will deliver:

  • Insight into clients' expectations in the context of societal challenges and designers' role perceptions. This insight must be detailed and useful for improving communication and collaboration between designers and clients.
  • Analysis of designers' task demands associated with working in transdisciplinary teams. This analysis should identify the specific skills and processes required for effective collaboration across disciplinary boundaries.
  • Analysis of designers' task demands in relation to complex societal issues, focusing on vision development, co-creation processes, and behavioral change. This analysis should provide practical guidelines for designers to better understand and fulfill their role in such projects.

Our activities in sum, together with Studio Morgenmakers who is partner in this project:

  • Organizing and facilitating 4 focus groups with clients, teachers, trainers, challenge facilitators, talent developers, and designers to identify task demands and expectations.
  • Assembling a team with two designers and a behavioral expert to analyze task demands within the framework of transdisciplinary collaboration. Identifying stressors.
  • Assembling a team with two designers and a behavioral expert to analyze task demands in complex projects. Identifying stressors.
    Dissemination and a closing event.
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Knowledge sharing Event during the Dutch Design Week 2024

On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, during Dutch Design Week, the meeting "Stress in the Creative Process" took place, in cooperation with Kunstloc Brabant and Creative Industries Fund. Together with 45 participants, we worked to raise awareness of this topic and directions for solutions.

After a brief introduction, we began by exploring 12 dilemmas. Participants could vote on these dilemmas, resulting in a top 6. The group was then divided among these 6 dilemmas. Each group was asked to identify the opportunities and challenges and to formulate follow-up questions which resulted in valuable insights. For an overview of the information gathered about the 6 most popular dilemmas, click here.

After the meeting all guests were invited for drinks by Stimuleringsfonds Creative Industries.

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Advisory board

Our advisory group met at the TU/e to fuel and monitor the progress of the Design for Transitions project. We scheduled a session with Katja Pahnke (DDF), Diana Janssen (BNO), Rogier Wennink (Platform Acct), Josette Gevers (TU/e) Fiona Jongejans (Morgenmakers) and Jos Hardeman (researcher).

An advisory group will both fuel and monitor the progress of the Design for Transitions project. We scheduled a session with Katja Pahnke (DDF), Diana Janssen (BNO), Rogier Wennink (Platform Acct), Josette Gevers (TU/e) Fiona Jongejans (Morgenmakers) and Jos Hardeman (researcher).
Together we set the axioms:

  • The work environment of designers is changing rapidly.
  • Due to high stakes, performance pressure is increasing.
  • Excessive stress inhibits creativity, performance, and well-being.
  • Complex and hybrid forms of collaboration, unclear role expectations.
  • High knowledge requirements and the fast construction of new knowledge.

... and the creative target group is already particularly sensitive to work stress and senses a high degree of responsibility!

We then explored the priorities. What benefits the sector? Key priorities identified were strengthening self-awareness, self-esteem, empowerment, control, and reducing Calimero behavior. It was also emphasized that calculating the value of design and communicating it to others is difficult. Related to this, it can also be challenging to obtain payment for the value delivered. 

Advice that was shared for our future directions:

  • Define the context of transitions.
  • Think big, both regarding the challenges and the project teams established for them.
  • Utilize best practices.
  • Explore how individual stressors are related to the actual work experience as change maker.
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Understanding what's the matter

We will conduct 16 in-depth interviews to identify and categorize job demands and resources experienced by designers working in the field of societal and sustainable challenges.

Based on practical and theoretical information, the topic list is constructed as follows:

Introduction: The nature of their work and the use of creativity
The role of Changemaker: Expectations, motivation, competencies
Job demands: The causes of work pressure
Stress and tension: The symptoms and their effects on work and well-being
Energy resources: Preconditions for avoiding or reducing stress
Conclusion: Anything else to add or emphasize.

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Meeting #1 with knowledge partners and educational partners

To collect information from leading design institution and educational partners, we organized a meeting with Kunstloc Brabant, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie, Cre8tive Revolutions, TU/e Industrial Design, Design Academy Eindhoven, Dutch Design Foundation, Drift and Designforum.

We shared experiences and assumptions regarding:

  • How does the target group feel about their emerging role in complex societal challenges?
  • What demands does this workplace on them?
  • What helps them to perform better?
  • What helps them reduce work-related stress?

    The knowledge gathered is very useful to prepare the interviews!
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Project Start

Society is facing major challenges that require creativity for inventing new ways of thinking and doing. This makes creative professionals, especially in the design disciplines, essential drivers of innovation and change in a highly demanding context.

Complex issues bring a diversity of stakeholders, each with unique demands. In addition, clients expect innovation in very complex issues, but creative professionals also expect a lot from themselves. To build creative capacity, we need to strengthen and support the change making designers.
 
This need fits in the Kiem MV innovation agenda, so we are funded by ClickNL to explore and address the best way to go in a 1-year project. First, it is urgent to understand what hinders designers in their performance and well-being at work and second to develop tools and interventions to support them. Our goals are:

  • Mapping specific stressors and associated pressures in the work processes of creative professionals.
  • Identifying options to alleviate stressors within the creative process.
  • Developing interventions for personalized choices within the creative process and key methodologies to increase creative self-efficacy and creative performance.
     
    Our activities in sum:
  • Interviews 16 designers
  • Survey for deeper insights
  • Co-creation to develop design criteria for supporting tools
  • Dissemination during DDW 2024 and 2025
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