Competence development
This section will dive into my personal development as a designer.
This will be done according to the expertise area structure by the TU/e.
Business & Entrepreneuship
My expertise in the business & entrepreneurship area started with the Introduction to Business Design course. In this course I learned about users, markets and branding through building several strategic tools starting with the business model canvas, a one-page overview tool used for developing, visualizing and analyzing a business model. Other tools used were the PESTEL framework, SWOT analysis and 7S model.
These and other models were then again used in the course Design Innovation Methods where I analyzed IKEA. In this course I, together with my team, identified opportunities within IKEAs current business plan. These opportunities were then evaluated with the help of tools such as the business model canvas and future cone. Through these two courses I have gained a great understanding of how to apply strategic frameworks to identify, evaluate, and communicate business opportunities in a real-world context.
In my second year I followed the USE line New Product Development and Marketing consisting of three courses. It started with a very theoretical course about users, markets and market research. The following course dived deeper into the research and I had to do market research after which I had to redesign a product and make final marketing video. The USE line concluded with a market simulation game where I acted as the marketing department of a firm. These courses have given me great strategic thinking within marketing.
As an extracurricular activity I have taken the facilities role within the Bar.Management of s.v.i.d Lucid. During this time, I gained hands-on experience with operational systems and resource management. This role has sharpened my system thinking and problem-solving skills. I also collaborated closely with several stakeholders such as suppliers, developing strong communication skills.
Throughout my final bachelor project, I developed a stronger understanding of how design decisions are shaped by organizational, economic, and operational constraints. Working with Marres as a real-world client required me to balance creative ambition with feasibility, maintenance, and long-term use in an exhibition context. Furthermore, during the project I also implemented the knowledge gained via the previously mentioned courses. I did an extensive stakeholder analysis and made a visitor journey map to find out more about the process of engaging with my design.
Something I am very proud of has been my collaboration with Bose Professional. Through the course “Sounds good!”, I came into contact with them and did a project for them. Apparently, they liked my work as I got invited to the opening of their new Amsterdam EMEA region headquarters. A few months later I attended several trainings, meant for their partners, about their product portfolio and controlspace basics including the new cloud and accelerator platforms. This experience deepened my understanding of how large companies innovate, build partner ecosystems, and bring new technologies to market. All essential lessons in business and entrepreneurship.
I feel like I have truly developed myself within this expertise area. However, there is of course always room for improvement. Looking ahead, I hope to more actively incorporate my business & entrepreneurship knowledge into my design process combining my creativity and marketing knowledge.
Creativity & Aesthetics
As also discussed in my vision on design, I believe that aesthetics plays a fundamental part in good design. Aesthetics spark joy and desire which are powerful drivers of engagement and emotional value, ensuring a deep connection between user and product. I feel like I understand the aesthetics of interaction, I think my final bachelor project shows that I understand the user needs and wants and designed the product interaction accordingly.
In my second project, Whaeko Kai, we designed a futuristic dining experience based on a scenario in which food is consumed in powdered form. Throughout this project, we created and tested food samples every week as a way of exploring the experiential and sensory possibilities of powdered food. This hands-on experimentation taught me that aesthetics are not only visual, but also tactile and emotional, and that these sensory qualities strongly influence how people perceive and engage with a product.
During my final bachelor project I significantly improved my qualities within creativity & aesthetics. Designing for an exhibition with already set themes and visual qualities, like color schemes, significantly improved my ability to translate abstract cultural themes into experiential and aesthetic design choices. I explored how metaphor-based classification invites interpretation and people to think rather than prescribed meaning. The tangible interaction and generative soundscape design allowed me to create an experience that is intentionally open-ended and continuously changing. This process strengthened my confidence in designing poetic, sensory interactions that align concept, form, and experience.
Looking forward, I want to improve how I approach the early stages of future projects by using a wider range of ideation techniques. I noticed that I often move quite quickly toward a strong concept, which can sometimes limit the depth of exploration. By deliberately applying more structured and experimental ideation methods, I want to open up more alternative directions.
Math, Data and Computing
Before starting at the TU/e I already had some knowledge in this area. During high school I followed a course at the Radboud University where I, amongst other things, learned how to program and perform statistical analysis. I had a basic but welcome foundation in this area of expertise.
My development continued with the courses Data Analytics for Engineers where I expanded my knowledge on data cleaning, analysis and making visualizations. The course making sense of sensors built further on this but also included data acquisition and ethical aspects of data gathering. These skills are essential for designers, as data-driven insights help inform better decisions, validate concepts, and create more user-centered and impactful solutions.
My computing skills are quite well developed. I have worked with several programming languages like Python and Java allowing me to create the software applications needed for my projects. Some examples include Communica-Thing, TalkInclusive and the Marres Sonic Map which can all be found on the project page.
For Communica-Thing, me and my team integrated the ChatGPT API to enable conversations between humans and machines. With TalkInclusive I used machine learning to train two independent sensors, one for hand gestures and one for voice recognition. These experiences show how computational tools can extend my toolkit as a designer, enabling the creation of intelligent and interactive high-fidelity prototypes.
With my final bachelor project, I expanded my skills in structuring and reasoning about data-driven systems, which was a goal in my previous portfolio. Designing the sound archive required me to think in terms of data models, classification logic, and system behavior over time. I worked with concepts such as metadata, randomization, temporal layering, and state management to create a generative soundscape rather than a deterministic playback system. Understanding how sound files are stored, queried, filtered, and retrieved was essential to achieving the desired interaction logic. This project helped me bridge conceptual design intentions with computational structures, strengthening my ability to reason about complex systems beyond purely visual or physical form.
Moving forward, I aim to deepen my understanding of AI in design by exploring advanced machine learning techniques. Although I don’t want everything to become AI, I do see the importance and need in todays society.
Technology & Realization
Following my vision, I believe that designers can be the bridge between emerging technologies and human needs. Technology & realization plays an important role in the success of this bridge as design is no longer restricted to the creation of physical products but a way of redefining how society engages with technology.
I believe I excel in building fully working final prototypes made for validation and communication. Final prototypes bring together different skills such as prototyping techniques, computing skills and technical execution into one functional design. My technical understanding and precision allowed me to build a good-looking tangible product through woodworking, integrated with a Raspberry Pi.
Furthermore, I followed a course called Creative Mechanical Design, Engineering and Manufacturing. In this course I learned a lot about mechanics, for example stress, and manufacturing processes which I really missed anywhere else in my studies. We had to design and engineer a device which can show emotions realized via rapid prototyping and manufacturing techniques. We built a marble track where the marbles triggered different facial expressions by moving facial features through rotations and linear movements of components. I believe having this mechanical and production knowledge is highly valuable for a designer as it allows for my ideas to be translated into feasible, well-engineered, and manufacturable physical products.
My final bachelor project marked a significant step in my development as a designer who can realize complex interactive systems. I integrated hardware (NFC readers, physical pawns, audio interfaces) with software (Python, cloud infrastructure, web technologies) into a stable, exhibition-ready installation. Through iterative testing and debugging, I learned to design for reliability and long-term operation. Decisions such as separating playback, synchronization, and contribution systems improved robustness and maintainability. Working within technical constraints while preserving conceptual intent strengthened my confidence in building complete, functional systems that can operate autonomously in real-world cultural settings.
Something I wish to further develop are my 3D modelling and printing skills. I have some basic understanding of SolidWorks and Blender but developing these further is a good first step towards 3D printing. I believe that having different prototyping techniques available is very valuable, as it allows for greater flexibility in exploring, communicating, and realizing design ideas effectively.
User & Society
My first interaction with a human-centered design approach was through the course User-Centered Design. Although the course was introductory, it set a good foundation by teaching me about effectively designing for usability and user experience. It also built further on data gathering methods like interviews and questionnaires learned about in high school.
The course Design <> research built further on this foundation by introducing different perspectives on design research and focusing on a specific form of design research called research through design. I learned how to conduct design research via a probe/prototype. This knowledge was later used during project 3 where I researched the effect of transparency in algorithmic matchmaking apps.
The course Socio-Cultural Sensitivity showed me there is more than just users. It let me explore the society wide context of design and how it influences and is influenced by cultural values. It taught me to look at design from different perspectives. It not only changed my perspective on design but I believe it has also had an impact on my personal growth and open mindedness.
Another interesting view was the post humanistic approach explored in the course Design for Debate. Here I dived into the burial of a thing and questioned what is worthy of a burial and ceremony. For this course we designed a burial and held a memorial for a broken finger nail. This still feels like a very “weird” direction of design and is not something I can see myself spending my time on in the future. However, it still gave me interesting perspectives on how design can challenge norms, provoke reflection, and explore the emotional and cultural dimensions of human–object relationships. Reminding me that design doesn’t always have to solve problems, but can also raise questions and start conversations.
My final bachelor project allowed me to engage with diverse user groups, ranging from primary school children to educators, sharpening my sensitivity to social, cultural and educational contexts. By prioritizing collective authorship and embodied interaction, the installation encourages dialogue. The project also raised questions about access, representation, and whose sounds are heard within the museums spaces. Addressing these issues strengthened my ability to design with social responsibility, ensuring that technology supports reflection, inclusivity, and cultural exchange rather than passive consumption.
Looking ahead, in future projects I would like to have more user engagement during the early stages. Collaborating with users allows for better for better alignment with real needs, more relevant insights, and ultimately more meaningful design outcomes.
