Present
In the following paragraphs, I will shortly reflect on my development of the different Expertise Areas and the projects, course and other activities that shaped my development in those Expertise Area’s.
Business and Entrepreneurship
The biggest influence on the development of Business and Entrepreneurship were the courses from the USE learning line “New Product Development and Marketing” and Design Innovation Methods, where I learned about different models that can be used to analyze or communicate your concept or design. Later, while doing other projects, these models could be used to aid in the process of analyzing user needs, defining the user or communicating the impact of a design. While working at Hable, I have mostly used the Value Proposition Canvas to make a clear overview of the (assumed) wants, needs and pain points of the user, to understand what assumptions needed to be tested.
During my FBP, I did use tools like a persona and a power-interest grid to make a good overview of the user and stakeholders. These stakeholders have changed quite a bit during the project, and it took some flexibility and perseverance to connect with the right stakeholders for my project. With the use of the power-interest grid, I realized that there were more possible stakeholders to contact than I imagined at the start of the project. These stakeholders included experts on design for dementia, care experts, smell experts and other stakeholders for visits to a care home, activity center for dementia and a museum tour exclusive for people with dementia and their caregivers.
Working at Hable and doing the elective Healthcare Management and Modeling have given me insights in the unexpected parties that might influence a project or might be involved in the decision-making process. Especially in the context of inclusivity, there are many external influential stakeholders, like health insurance companies, governments and non-profit organization, that fund certain projects.
Understanding the complexity of these financial decisions and the decision-making process is something I find especially important to know when designing for inclusivity, since these care organizations often have an influential role in deciding whether a concept is worth investing in or not. This is why I found the care expert’s feedback of great significance during the development of “Scents of Belonging”.
Persona made for Final Bachelor Project
Creating a digital prototype for Visio while working at Hable, taught me about the management of external relations
Creativity and Aesthetics
For a long time, my development in Creativity and Aesthetics was focused on the creativity during the process, understanding and applying various techniques for ideation and iterating on the concepts made. Over the course of the bachelor, I have been taught different creativity techniques, which I have applied in various projects, including my Final Bachelor Project.
During my Final Bachelor Project, I tried finding the right creative processes for the different stages of the process. During the pressure cooker, I used “How Might We’s” to help me with the first ideation phase. In the subsequent iterations, I used several techniques and sources for inspiration. Some examples being other designs for dementia, speaking with experts, a museum visit, first person exploration and a co-creation. I especially value getting inspiration from activities that are related to the topic, but applied in a different context, since it helps me to avoid tunnel vision in the ideation phase. To choose what steps to take and what techniques to apply in the process, I reflected on the process to find the most useful technique to apply during that stage.
Contrarily to these creative techniques, graphic design was something I struggled with for a majority of the Bachelor. Over time, I have gotten the opportunity to practice on my graphic design skills for projects at Hable and the yearbook committee at Lucid, which was where I got more practice working with programs like Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. For my Final Bachelor Project, my goal was to create a coherent and professional style for the entirety of my project. I tried to assemble a color palette early in the process, so I could explore the graphic style I wanted. The overall style has only slightly changed over the course of the project, but remained coherent, which can be viewed in the final report.
Checking the color palette for color blindness accessibility
Visual from my Final Bachelor Project, made with the color palette above (left)
Math, Data and Computing
During my study, I have been exposed to various kinds of programming languages. Each of those served a different purpose. The programming language I am most comfortable using is Arduino, since I have been using Arduino for many prototypes so far. Another reason Arduino is my preferred language to work with is because it makes the use of electronics in prototypes very accessible, which I find important to clearly demonstrate the intended interaction to a user or stakeholder. Creating the prototype and finding the right sensors and actuators is the first step, but the next is combining everything and working with the sensor data. Ove the course of the whole study, I have worked with the data of different kinds of sensors in a variety of applications.
In parallel to Arduino, I have also learned to use other languages. The first one being Processing, which I first used to create static visuals, then interactive visuals and later, during the elective Intelligent Interactive Products, where I learned to work with machine learning models in Processing.
Lastly, I have become familiar with programming languages to perform data analysis on large datasets. In Jupyter Notebooks in Python, I am able to prepare my own dataset from personally collected datasets (for example from Arduino or a MiFit band), which I can subsequentially analyze and later visualize. Similarly, I am able to analyze and visualize data in R and Stata in a clear manner, which I was taught in the electives Behavioral Research Methods 2 and Marketing Research & Design Methods.
Graph made in Jupyter Notebook (Python) based on my personal data gathered with a MiFit
Prototype using Processing and Arduino for the application of a machine learning model that recognizes different street sounds. (Made in collaboration with: Julie Hamoen, Max Crutzen, Maureen van de Kruijs, Marcel del Valle Farreras)
Technology and Realization
Personally, I think Technology and Realization is one of my stronger EA’s, I have taken on the responsibility of making the prototype in many of my projects, furthermore, I have made many prototypes for my work at Hable, where I had to make wireframes for the new website, a prototype for the app and updating tool, lastly, I made many Figma prototypes for a collaborative project with Visio.
For the different physical prototypes I have made so far, I have explored a large number of materials and techniques to apply for the best results. For the electronic components of the prototypes, Arduino was always used, in some cases in combination with Processing for a visual element or the integration of machine learning models. When using electronics, some calculations or checks needed to be done to apply the correct voltage and current in each part of the circuit, after which the components could be soldered in place. In the “Scents of Belonging” pillow, I tested multiple alternatives for the sensors and finally decided on using both a capacitive sensor and pressure sensor, which responded by activating a vibration motor.
The physical attributes of prototypes required different kinds of techniques. In the exploration phase, I find working with foamcore a good method to quickly understand and communicate the spatial aspects of an idea. For prototypes with higher fidelity, I am able to use SolidWorks to create 3D printed prototypes. During the elective Creative Mechanical Design, Engineering and Manufacturing, I created my first 3D models. Later, in Project 3, I used SolidWorks to create a mold for silicone pouring. During my Final Bachelor Project, I used both embroidery techniques and a sewing machine for the creation of the pillow and t-shirt. For every prototype, a unique set of materials and techniques is needed. During my projects, I take the time to understand what skills I need so I can start learning and apply these new skills.
Digital prototype for the Hable app, which is currently used for updating Hables via Bluetooth
Testing the 3D printed mold made for silicone pouring
User and Society
As a designer interested in inclusive design, User and Society is an especially important aspect of design in my projects. When designing for inclusivity, there is a high likelihood of having vulnerable target groups, which comes with some slight challenges at times. So, I have learned that it is important to be flexible in your process and adapt to the available resources.
While working with participants in different stages of dementia, I noticed that some participants have difficulty communicating their thoughts and feelings clearly or even communicating verbally at all. This taught me the essence of the collaboration with an (informal) caregiver for understanding the participant clearly. During my user test, there were some non-verbal cues from one of the participants showing some resistance, which resulted in me stopping the user test immediately. This was something I never experienced before, because I had never worked with such vulnerable participants before. Conducting the user test during my FBP helped me learn to adapt my user test to make sure the participant feels comfortable.
Something I did learn earlier, when working at Hable, is to be wary of any assumptions you might make. When I conducted interviews or user tests there, I realized that I had created certain biases or assumptions about visual impairments. This is why I tried to research and understand the user group as much as possible before creating my prototypes for my FBP, to avoid as many biases as possible.
Lastly, I found that the process of finding users that are willing to participate in interviews or user tests can be especially time consuming for vulnerable groups. However, researching the context of the concept and its impact on the surrounding stakeholders or even society is just as important. This is why I found it just as essential to speak with the care expert, because she could tell me much more about how she imagined the application of the concept in the context of their care home. From this interview, I could form an image about the possible societal impact of “Scents of Belonging” in terms of helping with the mental load of the care home personnel and helping with the negative emotions of the partner of someone with dementia.
Sensory hallway at Archipel during a visit to understand the design’s context
Final user test with the Scents of Belonging prototype
Design Research Process & Professional Skills
After having done multiple design projects, I have found that a substantial portion of a design process is focused on deeply understanding the problem. It is only after unraveling the complexity made up by the various aspects of a problem, that sophisticated choices about a possible solution can be made. Especially with the complexity of dementia, I found it of utmost importance to comprehend the topic and its related issues. This is why the first iterations of the process were quite explorative in nature. Through extensive research by reviewing a multitude of papers, having interviews with experts and by visiting relevant locations, the final design challenge was gradually formed.
The information from these different sources was taken into account while developing the multiple prototypes, which in turn could be used for the gathering of meaningful feedback from experts. Their feedback, combined with personal reflections on the process, helped form the planning for the next steps.
Finally, the interactive prototype of “Scents of Belonging” was tested with the user group, regarding the experience of the heartbeat vibration and its possible calming effect. The test showed mixed reactions, which was discussed in depth with a care expert. During this discussion, I mentioned the use of warmth instead of or in addition to the vibration motor, which she thought of as more valuable and fitting for the user group.
This same prototype was then also used in my presentation on the Demo Day. I used the Demo Day as an opportunity to both improve my presenting skills, while gathering additional feedback from coaches and experts that visited. As improving my presenting skills was one of my personal goals, I took note of the pitches that seemed to portray the project most clearly. This feedback partly shaped the recommendations for the future possibilities of “Scents of Belonging”.
Overview of my FBP design process
Practicing my presentation skills during the Demo Day