2024 Year in Review

DRS 2024 marked the past year for the Center for Design. Organizing the Design Research Society biennial conference was an ambitious challenge—one that brought together a broad range of stakeholders and over 700 participants (online and in person) from 40+ countries for a week of exchange, debate, and collaboration at Northeastern University, MIT and Harvard University. With 400 paper presentations and more than 30 workshops under the theme "Resistance, Recovery, Reflection, Reimagination," the conference became a defining moment for the global design research community. The ideas and connections that emerged will continue to shape our collective work, and the work of others, for years to come.

 

Alongside the conference, our research has expanded across disciplines, tackling challenges in data visualization, healthcare, speculative and civic design, disabilities, and sustainability; often related to emerging technologies, including AI. The Center remains a space for critical inquiry, where design drives meaningful impact and challenges conventional thinking.

 

This Year in Review captures the energy, the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of our projects, and the insights that shaped our 2024. We invite you to explore our work, reflect, and join us as part of our community—pushing the boundaries of design, in its broadest terms.