In the autumn ResFut students travelled to Mechelen, Belgium to meet up with the  Postgraduate Space and Service Design Programme / Thomas More University of Applied Sciences students to have a Masterclass led by Lies Verhetsel from the service design studio, Twisted Studio. This workshop challenged students to move beyond functional testing and to utilize prototyping as a sophisticated tool for human-centric communication and empathy.

During the "Prototyping for Empathy" masterclass, the ResFut cohort transitioned from conceptual discourse to tangible experimentation, redefining the prototype not merely as a product precursor, but as a vehicle for profound social understanding. For one student, two quotes summed up the workshop: “The crappier the prototype, the more honest the feedback.” and “Fail faster, learn faster.” It reminded her that early prototypes are not meant to look perfect but meant to make people react, respond, and share.

Reflecting on the  session, students highlighted that the workshop led to a fundamental shift in their thinking. For Gorjan Radeski, Lies's suggestion that a prototype is effectively "worth a thousand meetings" resonated. In student teams made up of students from both programmes, the teams explored how physical artifacts can dismantle communication barriers and foster alignment among diverse stakeholders.

The workshop emphasized that empathy is not a passive observation but an active, iterative practice. By engaging with materials to simulate lived experiences, our international designers—all of whom have recently relocated to Belgium to join the ResFut community—are learning to navigate the complexities of global challenges through localized, tactile interventions. This approach ensures that the "futures" we design are not only functional but deeply resonant with the human condition.

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