Current Research Projects of the IXD Group

Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Fokus Mensch

The Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Fokus Mensch supports small and medium sized enterprises in identifying and understanding the needs of their users, consumers and corporate customers, rethinking their own product strategy, finding suitable cooperation partners and trying out and establishing the methods and approaches of human-centric digitalization in their own company in order to position themselves sustainably.
The human-centric digitalization concept builds on human-centric approaches for ease of use (good usability) and a positive user experience, but then integrates other important aspects of digitalization. These include four key topics: Ethics and diversity, digital sovereignty, sustainable transformation and wellbeing and resilience. There are also two overarching topics: Human-centered innovation and design and Human-centered artificial intelligence into which the four focus topics are integrated.
The research team at the HdM is focussing on "wellbeing and resilience". The focus is on opportunities for companies to design their products and services to increase the wellbeing and resilience of people, companies and society.
The Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Fokus Mensch is a direct development of the Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum Usability and is part of the initiative "Mittelstand-Digital". Other partners of the center include the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO), Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, the University of Hamburg, Chemnitz University of Technology and other associated partners.
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Meta-MINT - springboard for a refreshing MINT communication

The declining number of study applicants in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology (MINT) reveals the image problem of the respective courses especially among young people: They often view MINT as monotonous and socially isolated. But despite their image, courses in these fields offer individual freedom and a team-oriented approach to work.

The Meta-MINT project has developed ways to freshen the image of MINT with the help of new communication strategies. Their central means are metaphors that link MINT courses with experiences and emotions from other areas of life. The goal is to fundamentally change the the way MINT courses are experienced by young people.
With the help of metaphors, versatile design possibilities emerge: For example MINT can be experienced like an exciting journey by naming it an "adventurous path". Or it may be seen as a collaborative team sport by describing it as an "interplay of different disciplines". This effect can be realized not only with words, but with multimodal elements such as images or sounds.

In order to enable the effective use of metaphors in MINT communication, a digital application called MINT-Pool is emerging from the project. Here, insights into the needs of young people are combined with the effects of different metaphors. In addition, exemplary communication materials are provided for the respective metaphors. These are not only a rich source of inspiration but can also be freely used and flexibly adapted for future campaigns. In this way, the MINT-Pool forms a unique springboard for communicators to dive deep into metaphorical MINT communication and to discover new ideas.

At the current time, the MINT-Pool is in the process of being completed. However, its contents are already freely accessible via a Notion workspace - the respective link will be added soon. In case you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact the members of the Meta-MINT project team at any time via e-mail (meta.mint@hdm-stuttgart.de).