In cooperation with the Chamber of Labour Vienna, the Department of Innovation and Digitalisation in Law organized a three-day sprint workshop where our Information Design students and law students collaboratively tackled legal challenges of the digital work environment in a practice-oriented manner.
The goal: To collectively analyze complex issues from the field of labor law with experts from other disciplines, rethink them, and prototype solutions. Central to the sprint were current questions concerning the protection of employees in increasingly digitized workplaces — from algorithmic management in fieldwork to fair feedback systems to the future of apprenticeships.
With methods from legal design and interdisciplinary team setups, the participants developed concrete approaches to solutions for more transparency, participation, and fairness in the digital transformation. Legal analysis met creative design — and theory met practical reality.
At the heart of the sprint was close collaboration between design students, law students, and representatives from practice: trade unions, works councils, civil society initiatives, as well as experts from the Chamber of Labour, all contributing their perspectives and experiences. Real-life challenges were discussed and worked on directly with those who face them every day.
The sprint was supported methodologically and conceptually by The Invisible Lab, a postdisciplinary design studio from Graz that deals with often overlooked aspects of design — especially in law, digitization, and prevention. Drawing on their experience in interdisciplinary innovation processes, the team ensured structure, creativity, and depth throughout the development process.
For the participating students, the Legal Design Sprint was not only an intensive learning experience but also an opportunity to apply legal skills in practice and to explore new forms of collaboration. At the same time, the format provided practitioners a platform to work alongside future lawyers on practical, socially impactful solutions.
Jury and Awards
On the final day, the teams presented their concepts in the Great Hall of the Faculty of Law. An interdisciplinary jury evaluated the projects based on innovation, clarity, and feasibility of implementation:
