Multi Actor Prototyping

Societal challenges such as social inequality, the climate crisis, or democratic participation can no longer be addressed through purely linear planning or isolated technical solutions. What is needed instead are new ways of thinking and acting – interdisciplinary, participatory, and practice-oriented. This is precisely where the Multi-Actor-Prototyping (MAP) program comes in. It brings together key concepts from design, social innovation, group psychology, and futures studies to create a shared foundation.

These concepts shape not only the theoretical framework of the program but also its core mindset: openness to the unexpected, trust in collective intelligence, and the courage to discover new paths through prototyping, disruption, and perspective shifts. Together, they provide a foundation for transformative processes that take root in everyday life – enabling sustainable, inclusive, and future-ready solutions.

In Multi-Actor-Prototyping, foresight, experience design, cultural probes, and neurophysiological insights come together to form an integrated system of learning, creating, and changing. What unites the elements of MAP is a common goal: not only to conceptualize change, but to make it tangible, socially grounded, and collectively shapeable.

Rather than focusing on abstract concepts, MAP centers on concrete experiences, collective learning, and immediate implementation. This enables a new form of collaboration – one in which diversity is not merely acknowledged but actively used as a resource, and where citizens are not treated as a target group, but as co-creators of change.

MAP brings together people from civil society, public administration, and local communities. Together, they develop temporary solutions for local challenges in a short amount of time. The approach ensures that diverse perspectives and lived experiences inform the solution process, while also making challenges emotionally tangible.

By engaging directly with the everyday realities of those involved, a deeper understanding emerges of how inequality manifests in daily life. This kind of lived experience builds trust in public institutions – especially among those who have previously felt unheard or excluded from social processes.

By focusing on temporary, quickly implementable prototypes, MAP creates space for shared learning – without the risks or resource demands of long-term large-scale projects. At the same time, these prototypical approaches lay the groundwork for more lasting interventions. They generate insights into what works in which context – and what does not.

The prototypes serve as a bridge between short-term problem-solving and strategic planning, making it possible to scale effective measures or refine existing practices. In doing so, MAP fosters a learning, adaptive, and inclusive culture of governance – one that is better equipped to respond effectively to the real-world challenges on the ground.