DESIS Lab at the National Institute of Design(NID) Ahmedabad, India, founded in 2012, acts as the nodal centre to encourage, coordinate and facilitate students of different design disciplines with a societal dream . The institution and Lab encourage Sustainability and Social Innovation with B.des,M.des level through theme-based classroom projects and final semester Graduation projects (thesis projects).

Over the years, NID has developed some unique courses such as Environmental Perceptions, Craft research and Documentation, System Design, Social Innovation, Design for Special Needs, Indigenous Innovations, Service Design. The course curriculum encourages students to interact with society, work at the grassroots level, and develop sensitivity and respect for their surroundings and society. The research design revolved around a participatory, Codesign approach. The design intervention methodology centred around the primary objective of improving the quality of life for all the stakeholders involved.

The integrated system of design education, design research, and design promotion help the institute, and it's faculty members stay in touch with industry and society and thereby gain valuable experience and understanding of the typical problems at the grassroots levels. In-depth research in specific domain areas undertaken through the sector-specific studios and design research chairs set up at the institute. DESIS lab at the institute, while working in tandem with the studios to exchange and share experiences and knowledge, will document cases of sustainable design interventions and undertake further detailed research in sustainability and social innovation in the context of India.

Vision :

Encourage Social dreams for design aspirants through Design that leads to Social Innovation and Sustainability.

Mission:

NID Desis Lab acts as a nodal centre to encourage, coordinate and facilitate different design disciplines to achieve a societal dream sensitive to a socio cultural fabric.

Core Values:

1. Practice high ethical standards of equality

2. Protect rich indigenous heritage

3. bring in importance of the earth’s natural resources

4. belief in one’s inner voice for towards peace and spiritual freedom

Strategies:

1. Practice high ethical standards of equality and diffuse the differences of all of its kind.

2. Protect rich indigenous heritage in terms of art, craft, literature, philosophy, and the Indian way of life that design can use for bringing back sustainable change and strengthen the material culture and the way of living

3. Society lives up to its best potential helps the individual realize the importance of the earth’s natural resources and inspire them to use these resources respectably and build perseverance and determination to tackle human greed.

4. One’s self-sustainability is one’s existence.Encourage self-pity and belief in one’s inner voice and further direct the user/viewer towards peace and spiritual freedom in personal endeavours

Goals & Objectives

1. Encourage Design for Social Innovation and sustainability through Service Design,Product -System-Service Design,systemic design

2. Create a repository of knowledge and information through systematic documentation of cases of Indigenous Innovations, Sustainable practices, approaches and business models, Social Innovation, cases of service design, social enterprises based on collaboration, cooperation, sharing approaches

3. Collate cases of successful design interventions and approaches for creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for the country's large craft, micro and small enterprises.

4. To undertake exemplary design intervention projects in the field of Social Innovation and Sustainability.

5. Continuous design research projects to further refine and develop newer design approaches to enhance sustainability and social innovations in the context of India.

6. To create opportunities for student designers from different design institutes of India to together explore, undertake design projects in the domain of Social Innovation and Sustainability

7. To create a platform for student designers and faculty members from different design institutes, professional designers and design researchers to exchange and share their experiences, knowledge and views in this specific domain.

8. To introduce service design as a concept of sustainable design practice to the design students at NID

NID DESIS lab is active in creating a platform for various design disciplines within NID students and faculty members, practising designers and design researchers actively involved in Social Innovation and Sustainability in India to exchange and share their experiences.

DESIS lab regularly organises workshops, conferences, seminars and offers theme-based classroom projects for the design students. Its programmes and activities centre around its important objective to inspire and ignite interests, passion and desire among the young student designers to explore and undertake Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability as part of their professional career.

1. Designing Root:blooming with culturally significant - A social innovation and sustainability project launched in collaboration with International Center for Indian Craft,NID,Ahmedabad May, 2021 https://sites.google.com/nid.edu/creativeecology/home

2. Beyond matter - A social innovation and sustainability project exploring service design in craft sector organised in collaboration with International Center for Indian Craft,NID,Ahmedabad Dec, 2020

https://sites.google.com/nid.edu/craftfuture/home

3. Design for equality - A social innovation and sustainability project exploring social entrepreneurship for smart urban living in collaboration with Lifestyle accessory design Gandhinagar December, 2019

https://sites.google.com/nid.edu/designforequity/home

4. 'Gandhi and Design', International Open Elective workshops January 21, 2019 – February 1, 2019

https://sites.google.com/nid.edu/gandhidesign/theme-gandhi-design

5. Design for collaborative culture in indian smart cities - A social innovation and sustainability project exploring social entrepreneurship for rural urban migrants in collaboration with Lifestyle accessory design Gandhinagar December, 2018

https://sites.google.com/nid.edu/design-sustainable-cultural/home

6. 'Service Design' a course module introduced to the postgraduate students of Lifestyle accessory design in collaboration with Strategic Design Management at NID; December 2017

7. Understanding Indigenous and Social Innovations - a course module offered together at NID, India and COFA, UNSW, Australia ; September 2012 ;

8. 'Design: A Catalyst of Sustainable India', an international Symposium; 27-28 January, 2012

https://www.nid.edu/news/symposium-design-catalyst-sustainable-india-27-28-january-2012-national-institute.html

9. 'Design: A Catalyst of Sustainable India', 25 International Open Elective workshops 16-27 January, 2012

10. 'Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability; A Round Table Discussion' 29th September 2010; Bangalore

11. 'Creative Communities for Sustainable Lifestyle' a workshop organised in Collaboration with Politecnico de Milano, Italy; 21-24 September, 2007

12. 'Indigenous Innovations' a course module introduced to UG and PG students of Product Design at NID; October 2006

13. 'Service Design' a course module introduced to the postgraduate students of Strategic Design Management at NID; September 2003

14. 'Design for Sustainable Services, a workshop organised with The Doors of Perception, Amsterdam, The Netherlands and anchored by Prof. Ezio Manzini, Politecnico de Milano, Italy; 23-25 November, 2002

15. 'Ecodesign in Education' a workshop organised in collaboration with Delft Institute of Technology, The Netherlands, INETI, Portugal and IIT, Delhi fortune faculty members of various design and architecture institutes and practising designers and architects; 29 -30 January, 2002

NID DESIS lab will create a platform for mutual exchange and share experiences and views with various design institutes within India and international design institutes. Therefore it will be a platform for students and their faculty members, practising designers and design researchers actively involved in Sustainability and Social Innovation in India and abroad through regular workshops, conferences, seminars for the design students.