Always curious.
I am Joost MF Liebregts, a social designer and inventor. I explore and develop new ways of working together.
- Trained as
- Industrial designer
- Independent
- Eight years
- Coach at TU/e
- Four years
- Based in
- Eindhoven
I work towards a society in which people are free, feel connected and know that they matter.
With that vision, I work with organisations and communities and coach professionals and students.
People, processes, things
Inventing gives me energy: finding out what is possible with the materials at hand.
Those materials might be wood or software, but they can just as well be a question, a conversation or the shape of a gathering.
A process can be just as interesting to design as an object is to make.
As a social designer, I work on change from the ground up: people themselves set the direction of the changes that affect them, and help build them. To me, co-creation is a way to shape that. Together we discover what matters and what we want to make possible.
To me, ownership means taking part out of your own motivation and taking responsibility for your own actions.
In the processes I design, I want to make room for that. People should be able to recognise themselves in what emerges and have real influence on the direction and the choices we make.
It starts with exploring who is involved and what is at stake for those people. I also pay attention to frustration and friction: that is where it can become visible what affects people and what they want to do something about. From there, we design the process: what do we need to talk about together, which question helps at which moment, and what do we give back to people so they can take it further? That gives my design work its direction, even when I develop new ways of working or technology.
With AI, I build and test ways to make perspectives visible, keep track of what is happening and build on what people bring to the conversation.
Experience I bring to the work
After studying Industrial Design, I facilitated design and strategy sprints. During the pandemic, I worked extensively with Miro and digital collaboration. For four years, I coached Industrial Design students at Eindhoven University of Technology.
I have now worked independently as a social designer and facilitator for eight years, on a range of projects and collaborations. Doesburg and the Mental Health Networks are two examples.
DoesburgCare shaped by the neighbourhood itself.In Doesburg, I work with other facilitators on an ongoing process around community-led care.Read the case Mental Health NetworksPeople first, then AI.I contributed to the session design and explored how AI could help bring participants' words back into a shared draft.Read the case 
As an innovation partner of dembrane, I explore and develop how technology can support the process of people working together on change.dembrane.com I enjoy working alongside another facilitator.
That lets me step back, examine assumptions and help adjust the approach based on what is happening.
Learning and sharing
I like to share what I make and learn along the way.
In my field notes and in the Social AI Field Guide. Others can take it further, and we can learn from it together.
socialaiveldgids.nlThe Social AI Field GuideThe Social AI Field Guide is about using AI thoughtfully when people work on change together: in workshops, co-creation and long-term change processes.Open the Field Guide
Something to explore together?