SDN NRW chapter focuses on creating a vibrant and engaging calendar of events, including:
Community-shaped events: We organise events tailored to the interests of our members, including workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities.
Participation in regional events: We strive to represent Service Design at fairs, hubs, and conferences where it’s currently underrepresented.
Engaging schools and public groups: We want to introduce new perspectives through collaboration with academic institutions, public groups, and international experts.
Through these activities we are and want to foster collaboration, build knowledge, and strengthen the Service Design community in NRW.
Alessandra is a German-Brazilian lead service designer with 15+ years of global experience across Brazil, Italy, Finland, and Germany. She leads a small team of service designers at denkwerk, where she focuses on designing resilient strategies and translating them into valuable digital service experiences. She is also a guest lecturer for Systemic Design at KISD and contributes to major service design events and publications.
Katja is a research assistant at KISD (TH Köln), where she teaches and supports research projects in the Service Design department — including the research collaboration with the city of Cologne. With a background in Integrated Design, she values participative approaches and collaboration. Guided by a strong belief in the social responsibility of design, she develops solutions that are both relevant and accountable — in academia as well as in her freelance work for the private sector.
Candela is a Service and Product Designer with a strong focus on Equality, Sustainability, and Behavioural Design. With a background in Industrial Design (Argentina) and a Master’s in Product Service System Design (Italy), she thrives on turning insights into meaningful solutions. Passionate about co-design and multidisciplinary teamwork, she brings creativity and empathy to every project—always aiming to create inclusive, impactful design.
Sayali is an Experience Designer at Deutsche Telekom, lecturer at ReDi School, and mentor with a focus on research, design ops, and accessibility. With experience across industries and academia—including Politecnico di Milano, Unilever, and Frog—she brings strategic leadership to service design. She’s also a published illustrator and comics creator passionate about driving positive change.
Susanne is an Experience Design Director with 20+ years of expertise across service design, strategic design, customer experience, and systems thinking. At denkwerk, she leads a talented team focused on creating impactful digital solutions.
