What are you currently working on?

I am already preparing for the next global service design conference, which will take place in Dallas, Texas in October 2025. It will be the 18th conference I've organized, and it's always exciting. We are expecting about 1,000 attendees. It is a hybrid event, so there is a lot of planning with hundreds of volunteers.
And in the back of my mind, I am also starting to work on the “How to Public Sector?” Conference, which we are planning for the spring of 2026 at the Cologne International School of Design in Cologne, Germany!

What do you think is the world’s greatest discovery?

I would be tempted to say the fact that “rotten” grapes turn into a great product called wine! And that “rotten” milk makes great cheese! And that “rotten” flour is the starting point for amazing bread. Good food is the foundation of not only health but happiness!

What skills are you learning that you do not currently have?

It is actually a bit embarrassing. I am creating my very first website by myself, so I am learning WordPress. It's a project I'm doing with a friend in the context of cultural politics in Cologne. The project is called “Respect” and we are creating a platform for citizens to express their desire for a respectful treatment of art and culture by politics and administration.
I have also finalized a course in 3D printing.

What would you be had you not become an academic?

Well, for a while I had a hotel in France, and I not only managed the hotel, but I also ran the table d'hôte – by the pool under the starlit sky. I enjoy good hospitality – as a host and as a guest!

What advise would you give to yourself if you were just starting out your studies?

Do not allow yourself to be depressed and minimized by the Bologna Principles. Learning and studying is an adventure with detours and dead ends with adventures and sidekicks. Make sure you find as many opportunities as possible to grow as a person and not to grow your ECTS account.

Why did you write your book?

I strongly believe in learning through real world projects and in the field of service design a lot of these projects are happening. I strongly believe in the need of service design in the public sector so it is my mission to promote this.

Does the future belong to OpenAccess?

This is a question for you as a publisher to answer. For me as a researcher and professor, it is of course very convenient to have open access and to share my work via open access.