Felix Meindl
He/Him
Founder
GEDENKEN SCHENKEN
Felix Meindl is a psychologist, service designer, and co-founder of GEDENKEN SCHENKEN, a social enterprise providing psychologically grounded grief support through a card-based system. Combining expertise in psychology and innovation design, he creates solutions that reach people in emotionally overwhelming states—demonstrating how service design can address societal taboos, close systemic gaps, and enable dignified transitions.
Talk
Beyond the Happy Path: Designing for Death, Decline and Low Capacity
What if the most universal customer journey is the one we've designed the least? This talk challenges service design to move beyond the happy path and design for death, grief, and low-capacity states—because if we can design for life's worst days, we improve services for everyone. Through the case study of GEDENKEN SCHENKEN—a physical card-based grief support system—I'll share practical insights: why we pivoted from app to cards (overwhelmed people don't search for help), how microlearning reduces cognitive load, and how designing support as a gift solves the "handoff problem" between grievers and their networks.