Reto Wettach

Reto Wettach is a Professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam/Germany, where he teaches “Physical Interaction Design”. His research focuses on the following topics:
– Tangible and Ambient Interaction
– Mobile Interaction
– Service Design

Reto Wettach’s design research methodology is based around the idea of “democratizing design”. This leads naturally to an investigation into design processes which directly and indirectly involve customers and other stakeholders (“Co-Creation”).

Another aspect of the democratizing theme leads to a strong belief in making technology accessible to non-engineers (for example, designers and artists), and in this way, the power of critically engaging in the development and deployment of high-tech is distributed throughout society. Along the line of thought, Reto initiated Fritzing, an open-source project to support designers and artists to take the step from the physical prototyping of electronic circuits to actually making products.

Currently, Reto Wettach is heading a three-year research project called “Experience the Energy” funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). In this project, Prof. Wettach and his team of three researchers are exploring ways of making energy consumption experienceable with the goal of changing energy-consuming behavior.

Besides his involvement in the academic field, Reto is also the design director with the Interaction Design Studios (IxDS), a design research agency in Berlin. Previously, Reto has worked as Associate Professor with the Interaction Design Institute in Ivrea, and as a designer/researcher with Sony in Tokyo and Ideo in San Francisco.

He studied Industrial Design at UdK Berlin and Mechanical Engineering at TU Berlin. Prior to his studies, Reto had an apprenticeship as a stonemason in Southern Germany.