First-ever Summit Outside the USA Signals Asia’s Growing Recognition of Humanity-Centred Design (HCD+) in Shaping Design for Societal Impact
Singapore, 5 November 2025 – Singapore Polytechnic (SP) will co-host the highly anticipated Don Norman Design Award 2025 (DNDA25) Summit from 19 to 21 November 2025. Themed “Humanity-Centred Design (HCD+): The Future of Education, Business and Community”, the event marks the first time the Summit will be held outside the United States, cementing Asia’s critical role in the evolution of design for impact. Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Education and Sustainability and the Environment, will deliver a speech at the event as Guest-of-Honour.
Bringing together nearly 1,000 students, educators, business owners, designers and foreign dignitaries, the three-day summit will explore practical applications of design to solve real-world challenges - from sustainable business models to community well-being. Supported by DesignSingapore Council, this Summit aligns with Singapore’s National Design 2025 Masterplan to foster an innovation-driven economy and a people-centred city.
Ms Georgina Phua, SP’s Deputy Principal (Development), said, “DNDA25’s arrival in Singapore represents a pivotal opportunity to anchor the global conversation about conscious design leadership in Asia. Singapore Polytechnic is honoured to host this debut, bringing together global leaders to champion and define Humanity-Centred Design. This event will be the catalyst that sparks essential education, innovation, and collaboration, shaping solutions that create meaningful impact for our world. We invite our global community to join us on 19 November and be part of this future.”
Key Highlights
The DNDA25 Summit offers several major announcements and exclusive insights:
- The Launch of SP’s HCD+ Innovation Playbook
Developed by SP’s User Experience Centre (UXC), the HCD+ Innovation Playbook builds on Don Norman’s call to move beyond user-centred thinking towards humanity-centred design. The playbook offers organisations practical tools to embed these values into their strategies and operations. This resource aims to institutionalise humanity-centred values into organisational strategy. Media representatives attending the Summit will receive a complimentary copy.
- Expansion of Asia’s Design Powerhouse
SP’s DT|UX Regional Consortium, a growing network of higher education institutions in Asia committed to advancing humanity-centred design and cross-border innovation, will expand its footprint with new members from China, India and Indonesia. This reflects a deepening regional commitment to collaboration and design-led transformation.
- Celebrating Groundbreaking Design
The highly anticipated DNDA Award Ceremony celebrates design that creates lasting impact across the planet, society, and businesses. Honouring laureates whose work advances the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the event recognises outstanding contributions in early-career work, educational programmes, and organisational leadership.
Among this year’s honourees is Yishun Community Hospital, recipient of the Excellence Award for its Caring Communities initiative that reimagines people-powered health and wellbeing in Singapore’s north. Also recognised under the Organisation category is Commenhers, a creative studio leading the way in circular fashion and community-driven upcycling.
In line with this spirit of sustainability, the event lanyard is produced in collaboration with Commenhers, using upcycled fabric collected from past events. Each one is unique, carrying its own story of renewal and creativity.
The DNDA25 Summit is a must-attend event for students, educators, designers and industry professionals keen to explore how HCD+ can shape education, business, and community for a more sustainable future. They can register to attend the DNDA25 Summit at:
https://dnda25.sp.edu.sg/summit-tickets/
Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Founder of the Design Lab at the University of California San Diego, Co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group and Don Norman Design Award, said, “We look forward to celebrating our wonderful DNDA25 Laureates at the Awards Ceremony. Our Laureates show how design can drive societal progress, address issues outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and foster equity and sustainability. I encourage everyone to learn more about them -- early-career groups doing societal good, educational institutions that train them, and organizations where either themselves or their employees are also doing societal projects. Their work is making a difference, most importantly, for the communities that they serve, and their co-design efforts extend across sectors like education, healthcare, ecology, government, agriculture, transportation, business, and more.”
MEDIA INVITATION AND RSVP
We invite all media representatives to the Don Norman Design Award 2025 Summit. The following profiles are available for interviews:
- Ms Georgina Phua, Deputy Principal (Development), SP and Co-Chair of DNDA25 Summit.
- Professor Emeritus Don Norman, Co-Founder of Nielsen-Norman Group and Keynote Speaker.
- Mr Srini Srinivasan, CEO & Co-Chair of Don Norman Design Award.
Please refer to ANNEX B for their profiles and for details of keynote speakers, panellists, moderators, and rapporteurs, you can find them here: https://dnda25.sp.edu.sg/speakers/keynote-speakers/
For media RSVP or interview opportunities, please RSVP to media@sp.edu.sg or to michelle_oh@sp.edu.sg by 12 November 2025.
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