The Inclusive and Innovative Society asks for a deliberate disruption on a system level. On an individual level, the knowledge area of the social sciences offers numerous strategies for effectively influencing people’s behavior in a desired direction. However, the presence and influence of other human and technological elements on micro, (the small group) meso, (the community) and macro (the society) level give rise to complex system interactions. Together, they inhibit the desired societal net effect. The overarching knowledge question that the Design for Change (DfC) roadmap focuses on, therefore, is how creative professionals, in close collaboration with other domain-specific experts, can design system interventions that can effectively tackle and eventually solve the great societal challenges on meso and macro level.

The collective awareness that we have to be more energy efficient and have to shift toward alternative green energy sources is there, but the knowledge on how the behavior of the individual citizen can be influenced by “the system” is lacking.

In order to design on this level, a completely different approach is needed than the current conventional approach inside the creative industry. In the past decennia, creative professionals have increasingly started to adopt a more human-centered approach to design: an approach that is perpendicular to designing on a system level. Rather, it is an example of methodology that focuses on the micro level; the end-user is central. In order to be able to design for a meso or macro level, the “system needs” must be mapped. How do individuals contribute to the dynamics in the system?

This is why the roadmap addresses the following subthemes/questions:

Design for Behavioral Change

• Which universal strategies and mechanisms of behavioral change are effective?
• How do you map an existing system and determine where and when you need to interfere in order to achieve the desired effect?

Toward Transition

• Under which circumstances are disruptive changes embraced and how do we migrate from an old to a new system?
• How do we treat ownership of a system and what does that mean for the business models?

Prediction & Adaptation

• How can we predict, continually monitor and measure societal impact?
• What role does data play in developing and continually updating a system?

Resistance to Change

• Why do we encounter resistance to change from government, public and industry?
• How do we defy this resistance?

This theme also seamlessly fits and comes to expression in the following societal goals:
Circular Economy – How can we stimulate desired behavior and develop new value propositions for a circular economy? How can systems stimulate the transition from possession to use? (NWA-route Circulaire economie, gamechanger 2.3 Consument en maatschappij; en route S mart Industry, gamechanger 1B S mart S ervices).

Healthy Behavior – How can we make use of smart systems to encourage and guide people in behavior that contributes to a healthy lifestyle? (NWA-route Personalized health en route Duurzame productie van gezond en veilig voedsel).

Resilience in society – How can socio-technical systems contribute to self-reliance of the elderly, (re-)integration of people in society and participation in the labor market? (NWA-route Veerkrachtige samenlevingen, gamechanger 2 Naar nieuwe vormen van werk en waarde creatie).

Energy & Behavior – How can we stimulate people to make economical use of energy and fuels and/or search for clean(er) alternatives? (NWA-route Energietransitie).