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RESEARCH +

Too often, promising research results remain unexploited. We use design to make sure your results do have social impact.

DESIGN =

Designers at 8D are not only creative makers; they are also skilled in design thinking, generative action research, co-creation and prototyping.

IMPACT2

In every role we play, our goal is the same: ‘How can we use this project result to improve lives, now and in the future?’

The added value of design-driven research

Partners at home and abroad

We collaborate with researchers affiliated with and/or funded by:

8D Research Design = Impact Partners

“Collaborating with 8D has been a very pleasant experience. Their commitment and approach to both work and effective communication are setting a new standard for collaboration among project partners.”

Case: Leftover Challenge

Blaž Ferjančič

Chair of Meat Technology and Food Assessment

“We chose a serious game so that our guide would not become just another report added to the pile. This invites people to engage with the topic in a different, more playful way.”

Case: From research report to card game: Care Trivia!

Dr. Gepke Veenstra

Lecturer-researcher at the Research Group for Sustainable Finance and Entrepreneurship

“Designers ask practical and critical questions that researchers don’t always think of. It keeps projects grounded and prevents them from getting lost in abstraction.”

Professor Ineke van der Ham

Professor of Technological Innovations in Neuropsychology

“It was refreshing to work with 8D. Their team truly understands the scope of the innovation process and the importance of a participatory approach.”

Case: eZoon

Dr. Nienke Beerlage-de Jong

Assistent Professor

Creative tools for people and society

Learning about AI through play

Creative science communication

AI is influencing our society in ever more ways, which is why it is essential that children understand how this technology works from an early age. 8D is developing a modular teaching programme that brings AI to life through interactive games. The programme can be used in various settings, such as festivals, museums or (mobile) classrooms. By linking game elements to recognisable situations in a fictional hospital, pupils discover how AI makes decisions, where things can go wrong, and what human choices are involved. It encourages critical thinking, curiosity and an understanding of the ethical, legal and social aspects of AI.

Design thinking for heritage and adult education

What skills do future professionals need?

As part of the European GRACING project, 8D was invited as a domain expert to share its expertise in design thinking, gamification, and co-creation. We led a workshop, hosted a study visit in Leeuwarden, and co-authored educational materials.

The project demonstrated how co-creation and design thinking can foster connection across generations, sectors, and borders. In 2025, GRACING received the European Innovative Teaching Award from the EU.

Serious gaming as a research tool

Can you improve interdisciplinary collaboration with a game?

Can persuasive technology – such as a serious game – help promote interdisciplinary collaboration? This is a key research question within the project ‘eZoon’ by the University of Twente. Team 8D Games worked in this research consortium as an advisory and development partner.

Design, Open Science and the Utilisation of Knowledge

Where possible, we work according to the principles of Open Science. This means that we make our work as open and accessible as possible, both in terms of the process and the results. This allows colleagues, researchers, citizens and organisations to build on what we have learned. It also ensures that alternative outputs from research projects – such as games or co-creation processes – remain visible and transferable. This way of working is in line with our mission to embed design sustainably within the field of research.

Open Science

The latest news

How do our research partners view the combination of design and research? In our articles, we share current projects and insights from the field. You’ll also find practical guidance here for your research design, from the smart application of TRL levels in your proposal to strategies for dissemination and societal impact.

View our knowledge vault

Why we employ a therapist, a game designer and a historian

Meet our team

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