Designing for Better World (OA ebook)

The World Usability Day Bolzano 2024 reflects critically on the theme “Design for a Better World,” questioning what “better” means and for whom. The book highlights the risk of superficial solutions that ignore systemic complexity and stresses the political, social, and environmental impact of design choices. It examines the non-neutral nature of digital infrastructures, including the Internet as a “hyperobject,” shaped by human decisions and producing uneven consequences.

Through diverse contributions, the event explores design as a collective, responsible, and reflective practice, addressing inclusion, data, urban change, and everyday behaviours. Ultimately, it frames a better world not as a fixed goal but as an ongoing, shared process that requires awareness, accountability, and critical engagement.

The WUD Bolzano is organised by Letizia Bollini, professor of Communication & Interaction Design at the Faculty of Design and Art of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, with Chiara Facchini, user experience designer and Matteo Moretti, professor of Info-Design at the Department of Design, Architecture, and Planning at the University of Sassari/Alghero, and co-founder of Sheldon.studio specialised in data-design, in collaboration with NOI TechPark.

WUD Bolzano is a side event of SFSCON 2024.

N.B.: Open Access publication protected by the Creative Commons license CC BY-ND 4.0 International Attribution – Noncommercial – No Derivatives.