Miikka J. Lehtonen
& Tomohiro Loeer

Fieldwork does not simply end; it shifts, lingers, and continues in different forms. Yet in both design practice and research, “exiting the field” is often framed as a logistical step rather than an ongoing relational and ethical process.

In this workshop (ideally 90 minutes), participants will explore what it means to leave the field, or to consider the responsibility of designing endings. Through concrete scenarios of researchers and designers exiting fieldwork, we explore the implications for you as a designer, for the project, and for the people involved.

Drawing on experiences from both design practice and academic research, the workshop introduces a relational perspective on endings, where care, accountability, and co-creation extend beyond the formal duration of a project.

Facilitators are affiliated with the University of Tokyo’s emerging College of Design (UT/D), where design is positioned as a catalyst for engaging complex societal challenges across disciplines.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

- Approach design fieldwork exit as an open-ended, ongoing process rather than a fixed endpoint.

- Recognize and navigate relational and practical tensions, including care, accountability, and resource constraints.

- Identify opportunities for co-creation at the point of exit, even within limited budgets or organizational settings.

- Apply a practical framework for designing endings across both physical and digital design contexts.

Miikka J. Lehtonen, PhD is a multidisciplinary academic and co-founder of the award-winning Nordic Rebels movement, exploring new ways of learning and knowledge creation through design. He is a Project Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo’s College of Design Planning and Coordination Office, where he is part of the team building a new, interdisciplinary design program from the ground up. Miikka’s work sits at the intersection of design, management, and creative practice. His current research and teaching focus on visual and multimodal approaches to knowledge production, design-driven pedagogies, and diversity practices in organizations. Across his work, he is particularly interested in how design can be used to challenge conventional academic formats and enable more engaging, inclusive, and practice-based ways of thinking and doing.

Tomohiro Loeer is a design educator & strategist working at the intersection of research, design, and learning. He is part of the team building the new interdisciplinary College of Design at the University of Tokyo, and a Designer & Researcher at the UTokyo DLX Design Lab, Institute of Industrial Science. His practice spans community design, service design, and design research. He is particularly interested in developing new models of design education, and bridging academia with real-world impact.