The theme of the Design United Exhibition 2012 is ‘Design Changes’. On the one hand, this theme refers to the potential contribution of Industrial Design to changes in our society related to diverse domains, such as sustainability, health and wellbeing. On the other hand, it refers to the fact that the discipline of Industrial Design itself is changing: more complex problems are being addressed, resulting in more extensive solutions that incorporate complete product and service system combinations.
The exhibition presents 11 cases of joint research projects, including ongoing and recently finished projects of the Industrial Design departments of Delft, Eindhoven and Twente, most of which involve industrial partners. The cases are divided across three themes: Health, Mobility and Work. They are explained through diverse media including interactive prototypes, posters and videos. The exhibition shows the diversity of design research conducted at the 3 universities, the collaboration with industry and other stakeholders, the research questions that are addressed, and the outcomes of the projects.