Tools and
Methods
Design processes are often supported by visual, intuitive, and sometimes even playful tools, posters, or boards that are easy to collaborate around.
Use our collected tools and toolkits to develop your business model, your products, and how you think and work together
What you need to remember when using design tools
- There is no perfect tool. Tools should support and guide your process, not control or restrict it. Hack them if they need to be more specific or work differently for your needs
- Design tools help you do either of two things: Open up and be explorative or close down and make decisions
- Design tools can be used separately but should always be chosen and combined according to a planned process (our toolkits will help you with such curation of tools, but you might need to adapt it to fit your needs)
- Have fun with our tools. They should help you let go of your biases, explore your curiosities and collect, organize and learn from your research and insights
Explore our toolkits
When we put tools together to form a process or a collection of tools to attack a specific need or problem, we call them toolkits. Below you will find several of our toolkits.
Explore all our tools
Below you find all our individual tools. They are sorted to match the need we imagine you might have. If you are looking for something you cannot find, reach out – we might be able to help you.
Use design tools to go circular
The circular transition is complex and overwhelming. Where do you start? And how do you continue your circular journey and develop circular strategies further?
Our circular design tools help you start your circular business and gain a new mindset – they provide an overview of the relevant circular strategies, help generate new ideas, encourage conceptualizing, and communicate new circular ideas. And finally, you get to look at your business from a holistic perspective by exploring the ecosystem and value chain you’re a part of.
Discover new ways to take action
Sometimes you must place yourself in the future to make the right decisions for tomorrow. With design, storytelling, and alternative futures, it’s possible to highlight complex issues from new perspectives. Through scenario-based design, we discover new ways to take action. It gives us the tools we need to build organizations that are flexible and ready for change. And it allows us to make better decisions right here and now.
We work scenario-based with small and big businesses and public institutions like municipalities, schools, and hospitals. Explore and try our scenario toolkits Living Futures and New Days Future Kit, and read more about our work with scenario-based and speculative design right here.
Should we do it just because we can?
Our digital mission is to design technology that sets humanity free. As a society and as companies, we are responsible for ensuring that we, the humans, control the technology – and not the other way around. And we can do just that.
With great partners, we’ve developed The Digital Ethics Compass. Because ethics is not a legal requirement, ethics is about asking yourself: Just because we can, should we? And that is why ethics is a competitive parameter.
Furthermore, we’re working with open-source and distributed design – methods that innovate design, production, and distribution, putting humans at the center and limiting our use of resources.
Can’t get enough of design and innovation? We hear you. And we have you covered.
Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest from our world delivered straight to your inbox.
Sign up for the ddc newsletter