What is everyday life like in a small Austrian village? And what does daily life look like in a community garden in the middle of London? The Neudorf Institute is looking for people who would like to take part in a simple exchange with someone living in another place. The idea is straightforward: one participant from Neudorf will be paired with someone from a community garden… Read more: Looking for Neighbourhood Correspondents

Wie könnte Social Media aussehen, wenn nicht Likes, Algorithmen und Selbstdarstellung im Mittelpunkt stehen, sondern das, was eine Region wirklich ausmacht? Mit dieser Frage beschäftigten sich Studierende der Lehrveranstaltung Transformationsdesign an der New Design University. Eingeladen wurden sie vom Neudorf Institut, entlang des Radwegs in Neudorf eine Installation zu machen. Entstanden ist Bildgeschichten – ein Projekt, das Menschen einlädt, Fotos und kurze Geschichten aus ihrem Alltag… Read more: Studierenden-projekt: Bildgeschichten – Social Media neu gedacht

How might design research change when nature is no longer treated as a backdrop, but as an active participant in inquiry? This question brought together researchers and participants for the Festival of Postdigital Wilds, hosted by the Neudorf Institute for Innovation in collaboration with New Design University and Kunstuniversität Linz. Over a weekend, participants transformed the Institute’s rural grounds into a temporary living laboratory where research,… Read more: Festival of Postdigital Wilds: Exploring More-than-Human Co-living

For decades, technological innovation has been driven by a simple promise: make life easier, faster and more efficient. From smart thermostats to connected fridges, digital technologies increasingly help us optimise our daily lives. But what if we have been asking the wrong question? Instead of asking how technology can become smarter, perhaps we should ask how it can become more careful. This is the central idea… Read more: Beyond Smart Technology: Why the Future of Innovation Might Be About Care

How can tourism be designed so that it benefits not only visitors but also the people who live in a place? This question formed the basis of a Service Design project developed by students from the Bachelor programme Management by Design at the New Design University in collaboration with the Neudorf Institute for Innovation. Over several weeks, the students developed future-oriented concepts for tourism based on… Read more: Service Design for Tourism with Local Value

How do new ideas for living well together emerge? Often not in laboratories or corporate R&D departments, but in everyday life – where people improvise, repair, share and collaboratively develop practical solutions to real challenges. With this idea in mind, the Neudorf Institute for Innovation, together with the New Design University and the University of Arts Linz, invited participants to the first Field Talks in Neudorf.… Read more: Feldgespräche 1 / Field Talks 1: Innovation Begins in Everyday Life

Innovation is commonly associated with research laboratories, technology companies and specialised design studios. Yet many of the technologies, services and social practices that shape everyday life are continuously adapted, negotiated and reinvented outside these settings. Homes, neighbourhoods and local communities are places where people repair, modify, share and reconfigure existing resources in response to changing circumstances. In recent years, design research has increasingly turned its attention… Read more: Everyday Life Is Our Laboratory