The world is increasingly digital, and with it, so too is work. With a widespread shift towards greater connectivity, and robots capable of performing complex tasks, the landscape of work has changed dramatically, rendering a future that is less predictable and more complex.

Design plays a major role in reshaping the way we work. It helps us imagine different futures, transitioning “old ways” of doing things, to new and “better” ways of doing and being. In TO DO’s third annual symposium ‘Designing the Future of Work’, multidisciplinary speakers contribute to a better understanding of how design can, and must , be leveraged to make the future of work work for all of us. 

This symposium is organized by the Toronto Design Offsite Festival, with jurors Elise Hodson and Satsuko VanAntwerp.

Partners: Ontario Arts Council, Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, George Brown College.

Keynote: Joost Schouten

Joost Schouten started his career as an Industrial Design Engineer. Triggered by the gap between corporate processes and personal values, Joost moved into software development. As a co-founder at Yanomo.com and Nestr.io, Joost facilitates the ‘purpose economy’ with tooling. At Energized.org, he helps organizations to become purpose driven and self-organizing using ‘Holacracy.’

Session 1: Work and Humanity

Joy: The Future of Meaningful Work

Jonas Altman, Partner, Social Fabric, www.socialfabric.com

The Future of Work Is About More Than Work

Julie Sommerfreund, Innovation Designer, The Moment , www.themoment.is

Choose More Empathy

Chris Graham, Principal, TellPeople, www.tellpeople.ca

The Prosper Lab: Designing For Prosperity

Chenny Xia, Innovation Designer, The Moment, www.themoment.is

Markus Grupp, Director Experience Design, Indigo, www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca

www.theprosperlab.com

Session 2: Work and Technology

Human-Computer Collaboration

Jon Tirmandi, Co-Founder and Partner, Normative, normative.com

Mediated Atmospheres: A Workspace That Responds To Your Needs

Nan Zhao, Research Scientist, MIT Media Lab, www.media.mit.edu

Ritual and The Workplace: Exploring employee experience and physical expression in the digital age

Sean Hazell, Principal and Strategist, Hazell & Co., www.seanhazell.com

Nick Hobson, PhD, Behavioral Scientist at Psychology Compass, University of Toronto, www.utoronto.ca

Working Outside the Box: Design for Flexibility

Heather Dubbeldam, Principal Architect, Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, www.dubbeldam.ca

Empowering Creatives with Modern Manufacturing

Dawn Laing, Director of Marketing & Communications, Notion Manufactured Goods, www.notion.ca

Cover Image Credits
Presentation Mediated Atmospheres – A Workspace That Responds To Your Needs – Nan Zhao