Welcome to the 24th International Conference on Engineering Design

Bordeaux, France

24 - 28 July 2023

Design in a complex world

We have definitely entered a world full of promising technologies, a hyper-connected world where information is paramount. In such a world, true value creation for people and companies and simplicity of solutions will be the keys to success. Design must therefore probably reinvent itself by embracing the broader issues of designing complex systems. These complex systems are made up not only of physical products but also of automation, human services, process, organizations, infrastructures, skills training and a host of socio-technical, ethnological and cultural realities and socio-economic compromises. Design paradigms are changing because these complex systems are also made of people or humans and are in a full interaction with other systems.

Inventing and deploying new solutions for mobility, health, industrial production, agricultural production, for example, require a new integrated and holistic approach to design (including user-centric approaches). How to model a design solution needs to be rethought (system engineering, team of teams and system of systems concepts), how to simulate it (virtual and augmented reality, multi-agent systems, human models in the loop), how to operate it (digital twins, connected service), how to make it intelligent (machine learning), how to make it globally profitable (innovating on business models). As environmental consequences of new products on the environment is difficult to predict, as resource use will become more and more diffuse, the need to rethink design approaches, links with societies and business models becomes crucial.

Finally, the industry itself needs to be redesigned, using the opportunities such as Industry 5.0, but also to imagine and enable resilient value chains where more sustainable business models will be invented for the benefit of the society.

The Design Society ambitions to participate to tackle these challenges by educating new generations and renewing theories and practices of design and engineering. ICED23 should be a unique opportunity to collectively discuss the state of the art and future of our discipline.

The conference well be held on the downtown campus (Place de la Victoire) of the University of Bordeaux from the 24th to 28th of July 2023. The organizing team wants to make ICED23 a renewal academic event allowing to share and discuss perspectives and advances on science, engineering and education for designing a better and sustainable world managing all complexity and involving all stakeholders. We are convinced it will be the next challenge for the Design Society.

We look forward to welcoming you at ICED23!