Hello, I'm Oona, a globe-trotter Service Designer and User Researcher with experience in six countries across Europe, Africa, and North America. This global exposure has given me valuable insights into how culture influences our interactions with products and services. In today's landscape, we rarely design for a single culture anymore, and this keeps fueling my desire to research and understand the multicultural subtleties we must take into account when crafting services. I'm always eager to broaden my knowledge and discuss these topics. Feel free to check some of my work and let's connect!

Dan is a co-founder and principal at Apogee and co-founder of Make Meaningful Work, as well as the co-founder of UX Hong Kong. He has been involved in the UX field for over 25 years, and has been based in Hong Kong for over 20 years. Dan has lectured about user-centered design globally. He has co-authored three books including Global UX with Whitney Quesenbery, the Usability Kit with Gerry Gaffney and Make Meaningful Work with Josephine Wong.

Steven is an interdisciplinary designer who is on a mission to help make the world a better place through design, business, and technology. He is currently working as a designer at Sand Studio & Co., a design agency based in Bangkok, Thailand. At Sand Studio, he is the head of Behavioral Design Lab, an internal unit that tackles world’s challenges through the behavioral lens. He currently focuses on bridging the gap between behavioral science and design to create positive behavioral change and sustainable impact to society. Steven’s passion and experience in working at the intersection between design, business, and technology act as the key drivers in driving innovation towards addressing the world’s toughest challenges in the 21st century.

Krisan has worked as an experience design consultant for 3 years at SomiaCX, engaging in diverse projects spanning digital interactions, research, and service design. With a foundation in graphic and industrial design, she finds delight in blending digital and physical interactions to shape her design approach. She is excited to showcase her latest service design projects, deeply rooted in the unique cultural context of an Indonesian museum.

Manisha Phadke is a trail-blazing design evangelist, advisor and educator passionately advocating for deeper and diversified multi-disciplinary approaches to solving complex challenges. With expertise including Strategic Design, User Research, and Speculative Foresight, her unique approach drives innovation bridging the gap between humans and technology by design. Manisha’s design leadership enables her to craft sustainable solutions that positively impact people and businesses across diverse domains. She founded the NMIMS School of Design, a unique, successful experiment envisioning Transdisciplinary design. Currently, she spends time as an innovation consultant to Businesses and educational institutions.

Frank Spillers, MS, is founder of Experience Dynamics, a leading UX and Service Design consultancy. Frank is one of the world’s most in-demand UX consultants. He’s an Inclusive Design evangelist, and expert in Accessibility, Emotion Design, VR/AR, Cross-cultural Design and UX Management. Frank brings 25 years experience as a Sr UX Director and Service Design leader. He has lifted conversion rates by 88% and enhanced revenue by 300% for firms like Nike, Intel, Microsoft, City of New York, Johnson and Johnson, Global Disability Rights Now!, Four Seasons, Capital One, World Bank, Women Enabled International, and many more.

A seasoned Service Design and Product Discovery, Design Lead - over 8 years of experience. I help companies communicate with their clients and employees through the company’s products and services in collaboration with industry experts. I'm guiding teams and stakeholders in UX and Service Design tools. Educated over 16,000 senior managers in enterprise-level companies. Some cases: Designed the Corporate web portal with The SDLC process for over 3,300 IT developers and The Dashboard to measure these required corporate SDLC metrics for over 200 IT product development teams.Recently moved to Sweden, Gothenburg. Love nature, yoga, mindful practices, and traveling.

Paulien works as a senior design researcher at STBY Amsterdam. She has a long track record as a qualitative researcher. Paulien has worked for a wide range of client organisations – from care to media and culture. She has a lot of experience in exploring personal and sensitive topics in a participatory and co-creative way, often with young target groups. She also teaches students in higher professional education the tricks of the trade. After more than 14 years of working as an independent freelancer, Paulien has joined STBY to be part of a bigger team and work together on the big challenges the world is facing. Paulien is particularly interested in the power and innovative force of young people. She is always keen to share her experience and knowledge with the next generation of researchers through workshops and lectures. So she is very excited to be a speaker at SDN Next Gen Conference.

Ginevra is a criminologist by training, a communication specialist by background, an avid volunteer by passion, and an aspiring social designer. With experience in communication, event management, community building, and organisational development in the UK, Ghana, and Belgium, she possesses a keen appreciation for marketing's pivotal role in the success of design projects. She is excited to speak at SDN NGC24 because, as Locard's principle of the crime scene goes, "every contact leaves a trace" and she looks forward to making contacts and sharing and receiving knowledge, tools, and resources.

Maia’s involvement in public healthcare began with providing psychosocial support to pediatric patients for 4 years, as part of a local volunteer organization. With a background in design and development, she’s worked as an information designer in the sustainability sector and as a user researcher for social impact- and public health-focused design projects in the Philippines. She’s now based in Switzerland, where she completes her service design master’s degree and explores how the discipline engages with public service and health sector issues. She sees her research and service design practice as an opportunity to redistribute power, support service providers on the field, and materialize dignified day-to-day experiences.

Alhaan Ahmed works at the intersection of design and entrepreneurship, dedicated to creating ethical, impactful, and thoughtful technologies of tomorrow. As the Co-Founder and Growth & Development Director of ARDH Collective, he spearheads the development of sustainable material solutions, leveraging his expertise in design thinking and innovation strategy. Alhaan's passion for sustainability and inclusive design drives his commitment to pushing the boundaries of traditional design practices and creating solutions that address complex societal challenges. With a background in Innovation Design Engineering from Imperial College London, the Royal College of Art and the Dubai Institute of Design & Innovation, Alhaan brings a unique blend of creativity and strategic thinking to his work. He is excited to present at NGC24, where he will explore the transformative potential of design thinking in entrepreneurship. His presentation, "Designers as Entrepreneurs: Beyond the Numbers," will delve into how designers can leverage their creative processes to drive business growth and innovation. Alhaan's goal is to inspire attendees to harness their design skills and contribute to building a better future through strategic design thinking.

Lauren Alys Kelly brings behavioural science to a designer's toolkit. Through behav., she has worked on projects where getting behaviour right is key to success and made the tools accessible at BehaviourKit. Her teachings have empowered professionals across various sectors, emphasising that behaviour thinking is for everyone. Lauren believes in a simple truth: making behaviour visible and reliable can make a huge difference in how products work, services deliver and businesses hum.

Wolfgang Bremer is a German-Canadian award-winning design veteran with 20+ years of experience and a rare combination of design & product knowledge. He currently serves as the Vice President of Design at Volkswagen Group Charging. As a design leader in multiple Fortune 500 companies and highly funded startups, Wolfgang has managed global design teams and worked on products used by tens of millions of users in 190+ countries. Equipped with an entrepreneurial mindset, creative problem solving skills, and an excellent eye for detail, he drives product design & development and creates outstanding consumer & business products. In short, Wolfgang likes building products and simplifying people’s lives.

Marina is a strategic designer, forever curious, with a passion for understanding how systems and culture impact and shape the way humans see and interact with the world. With a career transitioning from market research and cultural analysis to design, and unfolding across international landscapes, Marina brings a unique blend of experiences to the table, exploring the interconnectedness of disciplines.

As a design leader and facilitator with an entrepreneurial background, I believe the intersection of these three things can transform the world. So, don’t ask me why I love to be a mentor.

Mariana Salgado (born in 1971) hails from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has been a resident of Helsinki for the past 24 years. For the last 7 years, she has been making waves in the public sector as a service designer, focusing her efforts on crafting immigration policies. Additionally, she holds a doctorate in Media Design, with a specialization in transforming museums into more inclusive and democratic spaces. As the host of the Diseño y Díaspora podcast, the most popular podcast in Latin America, Mariana shares insights and experiences from her field, particularly those related to social action. Her passion lies in projects that allow her to engage with marginalized communities, envisioning a brighter future fueled by imagination and creativity. Mariana is thrilled to connect with the next generation of service designers, eager to learn and exchange ideas with you.

Sahibzada Mayed is a multidisciplinary creative who works across the realms of design, research, and strategy. Mayed is not just a designer but a storyteller, a provocateur, and a relentless advocate for equity, justice, and liberation. Their work embodies the radical critique needed to disrupt oppressive systems and the speculative dreaming that is necessary to imagine new worlds. Mayed is someone who is unafraid to challenge the status quo and bold enough to daringly envision radical possibilities through creative liberation.

Hi my name is Tirath and I am excited about presenting at SDNNCG for two reasons – Celebrating the spirit of collaboration and Service Design. This was captured by a recent experience when I got an opportunity to work alongside medical students. I realised that it is when we try collaborating with someone who sees things with a very different worldview that we learn most about ourselves. The project was instrumental in transcending boundaries of our fields and made my practice in Service Design invaluable through co-creative methods and holistic thinking. SDN NGC is a fantastic platform for budding designers such as myself to showcase our work and enhance our understanding of the field by connecting with like-minded as well as radically different people! When it comes to undertaking projects, I am usually the guy who stands beside the whiteboard connecting a hundred different dots and framing problems from all possible angles while at the same time engaging everyone around myself to think and question everything. My strength lie in thinking laterally and using my wicked sense of humour to spark creativity!

“Psychedelics, used responsibly and with proper caution,would be for psychiatry what the microscope is for biology and medicine or the telescope is for astronomy.” —Stanislav Grof. As a Strategic Designer, I'm excited about discussing how a design process can aid in managing the implementation of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) within the framework of Western medicine, ensuring it is delivered safely, ethically, and effectively. My research focuses on identifying the primary delivery challenges from the perspective of PAT therapists and the creation of a solution based on the gathered insights. I found this project to be a transformative experience, showcasing the power of collaboration and transversal thinking when tackling complex challenges. Also, it serves as inspiration, empowering us designers to reimagine the delivery of all mental health services.

I'm Monse Moreno, a self-taught service designer with a passion for practical problem-solving and creativity. Throughout my career, I've navigated the challenges of selling service design projects and managing them independently, honing my skills to deliver effective solutions despite limited resources. My journey has been marked by a relentless commitment to finding solutions and ensuring that businesses understand the importance of human-centric methodologies in their operations. I take pride in helping companies transition towards a more empathetic approach to business, where success is measured not just in profits but in the positive impact on people's lives. Having overcome various challenges, I've emerged as a versatile and resourceful designer, capable of driving change and innovation in diverse settings. I'm excited to share my experiences and insights at NGC24, hoping to inspire others to embrace creativity, resilience, and empathy in their own endeavors. As I always say, true success lies in helping others as they need, treating them well, and being there for them. I look forward to discussing these principles and more during my talk.

Onur is a researcher, entrepreneur, and award-winning design strategist with a cross-disciplinary approach to tackling our most intricate challenges. He utilizes design to reshape the way individuals perceive, experience, and interact with the world. His background spans industrial design, strategy, service design, social innovation, and organizational leadership. The foundation of his work lies in design thinking and human-centered design principles, including empathy, creative confidence, and an embrace of ambiguity. He bring extensive experience as a strategic designer, with a track record of accomplishments in the fields of civic and social innovation. His expertise extends to nonprofit organizations and government entities. Currently, his work resides at the intersection of research, design, and policy. He employs human-centered design methodologies to revolutionize civic engagement, striving to unite people to dissect complex problems and collaboratively craft actionable solutions. He is also the founder of ENTA – Industrial Designers Association of Turkiye, which is an innovative, dynamic, accessible, and industry-focused Design Community. Onur graduated with a Bachelor of Science in industrial design at Kadir Has University. Additionally, he completed a Certificate Program of Design Research in “Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability” at the University of the Arts London in 2011. Most recently he graduated with a master’s degree in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons School of Design with Departmental Honor. Additionally, he has been spearheading Studio Karun, overseeing projects spanning various industries, NGOs, startups, foundations, local governments, and national government-ranked initiatives​.

Dr. Frederick (Fred) van Amstel (he/him/his) is a tenured Associate Professor in the Design & Visual Communications program at the University of Florida. Dr. Van Amstel’s research and education address contradictions in design: why and how design projects face ethical dilemmas, trade-offs, and complexity. In recent years, the contradiction of oppression climbed to the top of his research agenda, mainly due to the ascension of far-right extremism. From 2019 to 2023, Frederick held the position of Assistant Professor at UTFPR, where he co founded the Design & Oppression network and its local hub at UTFPR: the Laboratory of Design against Oppression (LADO). From that position, he guest-edited two special issues of the Diseña Journal on Design, Oppression, and Liberation, hosted the international course Designs of the Oppressed, and organized the Theater of the Techno-Oppressed outreach activity.

I define myself as an empathetic problem solver dedicated to understanding people’s needs to identify opportunities for design and technology. I have a background in Industrial Design and Design Research. I was born and raised in Mexico. My willingness to pivot my career brought me to New York City, where in 2016 I completed a MFA in Transdisciplinary Design, at Parsons School of Design. After trying different industries and doing some internships I wanted to pursue a career in tech and six years ago, I joined IBM – where I’m currently a Service Designer in the Product Excellence Office as part of IBM Software. At IBM, I cross-collaborate with different disciplines to empower teams in creating world-class tech solutions for our users and future technologies. I love working in tech because it’s an ever-changing, challenging space where I feel empowered to make an impact and challenge the status quo of what our futures could look like.

I am a designer with over 20 years of broad professional experience in design – including service design, digital environments, architecture, and exhibit design. I’ve worked on several notable projects across the country, and my exhibition design work for the Chicago History Museum was recognized by the American Association of Museums. My journey began in architecture and has been rooted in a foundation of curiosity – with a desire to deeply understand the client, users and context in which any design shapes an experience or environment. I joined IBM 2 years ago where I leverage a more expansive practice of design and the designer’s problem-solving mindset to tackle organizational challenges.

Sarah Heimeier is an award-winning Service Design Leader with over a decade of industry experience. She has led major transformation projects for some of Australia’s largest financial institutions and leading FinTechs, has spoken at UX Australia and won three Good Design awards. Sarah is passionate about the interplay of strategy, research, and service design and is at the forefront of the latest design methods. An experienced educator, she coaches designers and shares her expertise in talks and workshops. She’s Service Design Lead at Prospa, designing and delivering the company's vision. Sarah has an Honors in Industrial Design and has completed the altMBA. With a love of learning, she's always looking for new things to pursue, such as improvisation, stand-up comedy and watercolor painting.

A strategic thinker focused on aligning educational initiatives with organizational goals. Over 6 years of experience in leading impactful initiatives aimed at improving learning experiences in corporate and social sectors (craft, sustainability and agriculture).

Vinisha Halli is an award-winning service designer with 14+ years of experience in designing services and creating experiences for people. An architect and visual designer by education, she has built her proficiency in service design as she learnt it along the way by doing. She has designed services that are human centric and experience-led for technology platforms, large organisation employee experiences, mass rapid transport systems, narrative spaces, innovation hubs, in physical environments and digital spaces, that span various industries and domains. She is currently working with EY, creating value in various ways across the many sectors and working with multidisciplinary teams to bring a human centric approach to services and products. What drives Vinisha is always creating the best value for all the people involved and influenced by the service or product. She believes that perspective matters and that good design is honest.

About Jean Watanya, Fon Wareesa, & Prang Chutiwan - Workshop facilitators for "Creative Confidence: Discover The Art of Design Through Your Hobbies": We are a group of people who share the same interests in Service Design. Our journey started from the architecture school for undergrads then becoming classmates during MA Service Design at LCC. We're now working in different places and different roles, yet Service Design always brings us back together. We're interested in the topic about 'Hobbies' which we've failed and succeeded in. We are still learning, exploring, and iterating – which we have realised that life never stops learning.

About Jean Watanya, Fon Wareesa, & Prang Chutiwan - Workshop facilitators for "Creative Confidence: Discover The Art of Design Through Your Hobbies": We are a group of people who share the same interests in Service Design. Our journey started from the architecture school for undergrads then becoming classmates during MA Service Design at LCC. We're now working in different places and different roles, yet Service Design always brings us back together. We're interested in the topic about 'Hobbies' which we've failed and succeeded in. We are still learning, exploring, and iterating – which we have realised that life never stops learning.

About Jean Watanya, Fon Wareesa, & Prang Chutiwan - Workshop facilitators for "Creative Confidence: Discover The Art of Design Through Your Hobbies": We are a group of people who share the same interests in Service Design. Our journey started from the architecture school for undergrads then becoming classmates during MA Service Design at LCC. We're now working in different places and different roles, yet Service Design always brings us back together. We're interested in the topic about 'Hobbies' which we've failed and succeeded in. We are still learning, exploring, and iterating – which we have realised that life never stops learning.

A psychologist by training, a designer by trade and a devout urbanist. Leanne Munyori is a seasoned service designer at MarathonXP and has worked on multiple projects across various industries, from fintechs to internet service providers. Her diverse professional experience spans across marketing, forensics, and advocacy within the built environment. When not engaged in her professional endeavours, she hosts conversations exploring the intersection of architecture in the African context, sociology and sustainability on the "Tomorrow by Design," podcast. As an active member of the Kenya Green Building Society and Women In Real Estate, she fosters a holistic understanding of urban renewal, covering spatial design, economic vitality, cultural identity, social dynamics and general health & well-being. Empathy for people, reverence for context and fascination with processes are at the centre of her practice. *Occasionally lands hilarious jokes.

Ebby Lai is a service designer and strategist deeply passionate about systems thinking and transformation, particularly the symbiotic relationship between humans and technology in today's world. With extensive experience in driving business growth through digital transformation across Hong Kong and the UK, she has transitioned into service design within the public sector. Approaching her work with a curious and provocative mindset, Ebby aims to uncover meaningful insights while addressing real-world challenges. She excels in breaking down silos and unboxing opportunities within complex systems, such as financial services and consumer technology. Ebby's passion for speculative design, system thinking, and leveraging technology for good is evident in her successful track record of service design projects. Focused on enhancing accessibility, sustainability, and scalability, these projects demonstrate her commitment to shaping the future of service experiences through innovative design and systemic change.

Wendo Aszed is the Founder and Executive Director of Dandelion Africa, a grassroots innovator in Kenya that focuses on women and girls sexual and reproductive health, economic livelihoods and advocacy on gender based violence through men engagement. She has over a decade of experience in grassroots sustainable programs and is rooted in community driven solutions. Through Dandelion, they have set up over 50 reproductive and maternal safe spaces, built 3 Health Centres, 2 Libraries. She has studied in different schools including Strathmore College, Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders at Stanford University and Social Entrepreneurship at GSBI Accelerator at Santa Clara University in California. Wendo is an African Visionary Fellow, an Aspen New Voices Fellow 2019, awardee of the Kenya Presidential Award 2022, her work was recognized by Bill Gates through Gates Notes in 2022, Change Champion award by Population Matters 2021, and Rising Star awardee 2017 by Segal Family Foundation. She sits in multiple Boards both locally and Internationally and consults for Nonprofit philanthropists on localization and grassroot driven initiatives. I am excited about presenting because the work of Non-Profit leaders is not centered around design, but on the multi-dimensional challenges facing different communities. This is an opportunity to speak to the processes of how community solutions are addressed, how programs are designed by us, for us who live in rural areas.

With a diverse background in sales and hospitality, David has fostered a unique perspective on human-centered design. As a Service Designer at Intuit Mailchimp, David applies his skills to create innovative customer solutions, empowering prosperity among small businesses worldwide. He is also an active member of the Service Design community, serving on the leadership team of the SDNNYC chapter as well as the organizing committees for SDGC23 in Berlin and SDGC24 in Helsinki. Before his current career in Service Design, David held positions in the food service industry as a chef, a chef-educator, and a sales manager for a specialty food importer. In his free time, David lives and breathes all things Ice Hockey (as a player, coach, and fan) and is looking forward to his upcoming empty-nest status.

Finlay Stevens-Hunt is a Design Strategist with 10+ years of international experience in visual and experiential software design. Aside from his commercial work, he is actively contributing to the discourse of design led futures through his articles, helping run the UX Auckland community and participating in local communities building ecological resilience. He believes strongly in the power of design and designers to bring about positive outcomes in an otherwise uncertain ecological future, however first, we need to pivot from human centric design to eco centric design. I am very humbled at the opportunity to help empower emerging designers to do good for the world. The future will be a very different place, filled with complex challenges beyond what we know how to deal with today as a society, and hence it is our role as a design community to step up and show the way forward. This is what I mean by a design led future. But first we need to understand what this future might potentially look like and what opportunities might there be for designers to make a meaningful impact. I hope to enable participants to reclaim their agency around what a design career might look like for them moving into this uncertain future. If we continue to just leave it to corporate interests, then we probably won't be working on the challenges that really make a difference.