Empathic design is a research program that has been running for well over two decades at what is currently Aalto University. It has produced dozens of PhD theses, several monographs and edited books, and hundreds of papers in conferences and journals. Its foundation is industrial design practice, but its uniqueness lies in its interpretive foundation that has given the program an identity but also flexibility to adapt to changing environment. This presentation uses the story of empathic design to make a case for an interpretive approach to design research. It describes the interpretive foundation behind the program; research program that builds on the foundation; major shifts that have resulted from the foundation; and how the foundation is currently helping the program to respond to systemic and post-human tendencies in design. It ends with a plea for continuing relevance of a human-centered view in design research.

The presentation builds on a new open access book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262546928/design-empathy-interpretation/.

Ilpo's website: https://ilpokoskinen.com