How can design and technology make our cities more livable, inclusive, and sustainable? Students in the “User Experience Design” course, led by Ursula Lagger, explored this question together with students from Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences (Germany), the University of Rijeka (Croatia), and Haaga-Helia University (Finland), as they sought to rethink current urban challenges.
The international and interdisciplinary teams first worked together online for two months before all participants met in Heilbronn for a one-week in-person phase. There, they engaged in intensive thinking, research, discussion, design, and testing.
Learning by Doing: Design Thinking and SDG 11 in an International Context
The focus was on the design thinking process—from Empathize through Define and Ideate to Prototype and Iterate. This approach enabled students to analyze urban challenges from a user perspective and develop targeted solutions.
The content was based on UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 – “Sustainable Cities and Communities.” Building on this, user-centered concepts were developed for sustainable living, smart mobility, safety in urban spaces, and the preservation of cultural heritage.
The solutions developed are tailored to the local conditions and challenges of the participating cities, though they can also be applied in other locations.
The results range from trash-collecting robots and smart housing concepts to apps for safer commutes home—user-centered, innovative, and with real-world impact.
Thank you to the partner universities in Germany, Croatia, and Finland for their collaboration, which provided our students with practical insights and the opportunity to work on innovative projects for sustainable cities, as well as to DI Alexandra Würz-Stalder, City Councilor of Graz, who provided the students with interesting insights, data, and facts about the city of Graz.
