For Design Indaba’s 25th Edition, Finnish empathy designer and Global Graduate Enni-Kukka Tuomala challenged the audience to rethink empathy beyond a passive feeling, but as an active design outcome. Based in London and trained in Global Innovation Design at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London, Tuomala uses design as a tool for breaking down social barriers, fostering dialogue and addressing what she describes as the world’s growing “empathy deficit”.
Tuomala’s talk is cantered around the idea of “radical empathy”, a concept that frames empathy as a collective social practice capable of transforming politics, communities and institutions. Tuomala argued that contemporary societies are increasingly fragmented by polarisation, fear and exclusion, describing the modern world not as a “melting pot” of cultures but as “a mosaic of segmented communities”. In response to this, Tuomala called on designers to become “catalysts for empathy”, using creative practice to rebuild trust, understanding and human connection.
During her talk, Tuomala shared examples of her participatory empathy projects developed across London, Helsinki, Tokyo and New York. One of the most significant involved her ongoing collaboration with the Finnish Parliament, where she worked with six members of parliament from five different political parties to develop “empathy tools” for political dialogue and decision-making. The initiative sought to redesign interactions within systems of power, encouraging more humane, equal and constructive forms of communication between political opponents.
A memorable interactive moment in her talk, Tuomala invited the Design Indaba audience to participate in a simple empathy-building exercise using pink balloons placed on each seat. The interactive gesture transformed the auditorium into a temporary space of collective play and connection, illustrating her belief that empathy must be experienced physically and socially rather than discussed only in abstract terms. Tuomala’s talk showcased the catalytic power of radical empathy.
Watch the full Design Indaba talk here.
