RESEARCH



I have always worked across insight and design, using ethnography and qualitative research methods to beter understand trends and people, to create tools for engagement and service development. I currently work as Senior Service Designer for Foolproof, where I also actively work towards creating sustainability frameworks for design practitioners. Some of the research that I led or was involved in my previous roles contains

  • working with Network Rail on the 2050-70 future of one of London’s major train stations 

  • working with the FCO on post-Brexit innovation partnerships between Ireland and the UK;



  • creating a digital transformation roadmap for one of the City Councils in Northern Ireland;

My past experience has been in academia, futures research and inclusion. I worked with large global financial sector organisations, cities in Europe, the UK and Middle East.



FUTURES



I’m a co-lead of the Speculative Futures London, a chapter of the Design Futures Initiative. Our aim is to create a community of people from all disciplines and walks of life who want to understand and impact the futures, and support each other in finding frameworks to do so.

I also co-founded a critical research studio Still Not Quite, where we engage with communities to open a discussion about their futures.

We run speculative workshops, where members of the public design objects and services from hypothetical scenarios. We use these products to collaboratively explore possible futures that may affect them.

At SNQ we believe that futures explored by critical and speculative design, currently locked in academia, specialist conferences and "design porn", should be of public domain and discussed by people facing real-life issues, everyday. We aim to bring the concerns and ideas of people not usually involved in high-level decision making to the table and help to make them a valid point of consideration.



DESIGN



I’m passionate about critical design and all things visual, and believe that interdisciplinary design approach is key to creating captivating narratives.

Having a Master's degree in design innovation from GSA and Bachelor’s in printmaking from LCC I use my experience in understanding colours, compositions and forms in conjunction with insight and context, and advocate for the benefits of great visual communication. I find integrating aesthetics into research work thrilling and necessary.

Whenever I find time I keep experimenting with printing methods.





© dominika świerad, 2022
 
Mark