Wina Smeenk

Dr. Wina Smeenk is a Professor of Societal Impact Design at Inholland University of Applied Sciences, part of the Creative Business Research Centre. She leads the Urban Leisure & Tourism Lab Amsterdam, SLUISLab, and Sustainable Media Lab. Her work focuses on empathic co-design methodologies, including the Empathy Compass, Co-Design Canvas, and Mixed-Perspectives approaches, aimed at creating inclusive societal and urban solutions. She founded the Expertise Network Systemic Co-design (ESC), a cross-university collaboration advancing systemic co-design research.

• Education: Industrial Design Engineering from TU Delft, specializing in innovation management and user-centered design.
• Career: Prior roles include innovation strategist, education manager at TU Eindhoven, and founder of WiEN's designership, her co-design agency.

Research Interests: Empathic design, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and systemic approaches to societal challenges. Her methods address complex issues like dementia care, smart urban development, and sustainable transitions. She emphasizes inclusive design processes where vulnerable groups and diverse perspectives are central.

Publications: Over 20 key works including the Co-Design Canvas toolkit, ESC network reviews, and studies on empathic formation. Her 2019 thesis Navigating Empathy explores practical applications of empathic co-design methods.

Collaborations: Engages with governments, NGOs, businesses, and communities to solve urban and social challenges through living labs and collaborative projects. Current ESC network collaborations involve multiple applied sciences universities and field partners.

Awards: No explicit awards mentioned, but recognized for innovative co-design frameworks and impactful research-practice bridging.

Grants: Supported by SIA-SPRONG funding for ESC initiatives. Works on EU-sponsored projects and industry partnerships.