Wina Smeenk is a Professor of Societal Impact Design at the Inholland University of Applied Sciences and a creative entrepreneur based in Broek in Waterland, the Netherlands. Trained as a human-centered industrial designer, she has over 25 years of experience working with international companies (such as Sony, PlayStation, and Giant Bicycles), non-profit organizations, governments, and knowledge institutions. In 2010, she founded her own co-design agency and began co-developing social design projects and educational programs in the Netherlands. She completed her Ph.D. in 2019, focusing on navigating empathy in co-design processes. In 2022, she co-founded the Expertisenetwork Systemic Co-Design (ESC), a collaboration between universities of applied sciences in The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Amsterdam.
Books
- Design, Play, Change -a design thinking game for change (2022), co-authored with Agnes Willenborg, introduces a design game to explore creative problem-solving.
- Co-Design Canvas - a proven tool for societal impact (2023) provides a practical framework for collaborative design.
- Empathy Compass - our perspectives in Social Design (2026) is her most recent book, focusing on empathy-driven approaches to social design.
Workshops and Training
Her interactive workshops, based on Co-Design Canvas and Design, Play, Change, draw on her academic research to stimulate collaboration and creativity among stakeholders tackling societal challenges. Participants explore questions such as: What is our shared problematic context? Who is involved or missing? What impact is desired, and which concrete results can be achieved? How can these outcomes be realized through specific activities in particular settings? The workshops and training challenge participants to engage, share knowledge and perspectives, and navigate power dynamics while adopting the mindsets of thinker, empathizer, creator, and maker. Participants learn to improve collaboration and transform situations effectively, using constraints to unlock creativity.
Contact and Online Presence
- Keynotes, panels, trainings, and workshops: [email protected]
- Website: www.wiens-s.nl or Inholland University – Societal Impact Design
- Instagram: instagram.com/winasmeenk
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/winasmeenk
