Join us for a workshop with Trudy Watt, AIA, a Kay Vaughan Innovation Fellow at the School of Human Ecology and Academic Director of MS Design + Innovation at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

How can we sustain creativity, collaboration, and courage while working on the world’s most complex technological and social challenges?

Designing Action with Applied Compassion introduces compassion not as sentiment, but as a trainable cognitive and behavioral process. It involves noticing suffering or friction, relating to it with clarity rather than reactivity, and responding skillfully. Drawing on research from psychology, neuroscience, and design practice, this interactive session distinguishes empathy from compassion and explores why empathy alone can lead to burnout, especially in high stakes, innovation driven environments. Participants will practice simple, accessible tools for:

• Grounding attention under pressure
• Interrupting reactive design patterns
• Strengthening perspective taking without overwhelm
• Translating care into effective, ethical action

Through short lecture, guided reflection, and small group exercises, we will experiment with how compassionate awareness can shape design decisions, teamwork, and leadership, particularly in emerging technology contexts where consequences scale quickly.

Participants will leave with practical micro practices they can apply immediately in studios, labs, organizations, and everyday life. No prior experience is required, only curiosity and a willingness to slow down, notice, and connect.

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