Katharina Damschen
Prinicpal Software Architect at factor10
Borås, Sweden
Actions
Katharina Damschen is a software architect and consultant at factor10. During her 10 years in the field she has navigated complicated technical domains like train signaling and geotechnical engineering. She is convinced that collaboration and communication are crucial to solve complex problems through code. Katharina is dedicated to developing robust and maintainable software that delivers real value through the application of Domain-Driven Design (DDD), Test-Driven Development (TDD), and containerization. Outside of software development, she channels her problem-solving skills into practical pursuits like raising backyard chickens and crafting her wardrobe through sewing and knitting.
Area of Expertise
Topics
Just start (with Value Objects)
My journey with Domain-Driven Design began between two opposite extremes. As a structural engineer turned developer, I built applications where I was the domain expert. Then in my next role as a developer I implemented tickets without context, without customer feedback, and without any sense of the problem we were actually solving. I realized that this disconnect was even showing up in the code itself.
On a quest to find a balance, I found DDD.
Not knowing where to start, and not being in a position to apply higher-level patterns, I implemented every pattern at once, overwhelming both me and my team. The pattern that turned out to have the biggest impact was also the simplest one.
This talk walks you through that transformation, both in words and code, introducing tactical DDD concepts along the way.
Whether you're just discovering DDD or you've been circling it cautiously for a while, this is your invitation to stop waiting until you fully understand everything and just start. You'll leave with practical techniques you can apply tomorrow, honest pitfalls to watch out for, a path toward better collaboration and a more deliberate design.
Building Bridges: From Structural Engineering to Strategic Design
Structural Engineering and Software Engineering face the same fundamental challenges: impossibly complex systems, unclear boundaries, and the risk of catastrophic failure.
Architecture, foundations, frameworks, we have borrowed their vocabulary, but have we learned from their solutions? As a software engineer with a background in structural engineering, I'll show you what we're missing.
I will walk you through how structural engineering's matured practices apply to software engineering:
- Reduce cognitive load by breaking complex systems into purposeful, stripped-down models.
- Design for failure to ensure graceful degradation rather than cascading collapse.
- Balance dependability and economics by deciding where to build in buffers and where to accept risk.
- Distinguish between Ultimate Limit States (safety-critical failures) and Serviceability Limit States (usability and user satisfaction).
- Prioritize collaboration and simplicity to thrive in a high stakes environment.
I'll share time-tested lessons from an engineering discipline that's been modeling reality for centuries and show you how to apply them to your domain models, your bounded contexts, and your team.
KanDDDinsky 2026 Sessionize Event Upcoming
NDC Oslo 2026 Sessionize Event Upcoming
Domain-Driven Design Europe and Data Mesh Live 2026 Sessionize Event
ScanAgile26 Sessionize Event
Please note that Sessionize is not responsible for the accuracy or validity of the data provided by speakers. If you suspect this profile to be fake or spam, please let us know.
Jump to top