Vision, Identity and Plans (VIP)
Design Vision
Nowadays, there are multiple applications, smart devices and systems of products that bring new opportunities and functionality. Unfortunately, these devices are not always affordable and are equipped with features that not all people are acquainted with or even want to have in a product. My goal is to make user centered technology that adds value to the user and that focuses on improving the quality of life of people. Because I hope that in the future as technology becomes more accessible, I can provide solutions where people are at the center of its development.
As an industrial designer my vision is to make smart product systems that focus on people’s personal health and well-being. I mainly want to design products that support people in their journey towards their desired goal or throughout recovery. I want to encourage them and perhaps nudge towards a better direction. However, it is important that my designs are not invasive since that could have a negative impact on their progress and hinder their trust, which is crucial for their user experience (UX) and improvement.
In recent years, I have seen that design has been gradually becoming prominent in the field of health and well-being. Nevertheless, I think that design and technology can have an active role by providing users with personalized and feedback that is supportive and flexible towards users. I want to give people tools that can empower them and can improve their autonomy, so that they can make the long-term lifestyle changes that they wanted to have or struggled to notice.
When there is an issue, there is an underlying story, one that can be perceived but is often overlooked. Therefore, it is important to talk to users to understand their wants and needs. It is also important to gather relevant fact-based data to identify the different parts of the problem. By doing so, it is possible to create a full picture and provide personal and effective feedback that can help people from different angles of the problem. Data-enabled health solutions can give real-time advice and become an upcoming medical trend.
Design is not the solution for a problem, it is a means for people to overcome their obstacles. It is rewarding for me as a designer to create the tools that help people improve as it is rewarding for them to reach their desired goals.
Professional Identity
As a child, I would spend countless hours playing with LEGO’s. Initially, I would follow the original building manual but soon I would get creative and build my own designs. Already at this young age I thought the standard designs could have been more sophisticated, appealing, etc. These were the first signs of a creative designer looking to improve current products while also being innovative and practical.
As an Industrial Design student, I like to tinker and prototype my designs in a way that shows how they can have an impact on the world. I like my work to resonate with people and my strong skills for storytelling help me do that. Furthermore, with empathy and thorough understanding of the problem, I want to create solutions that achieve more than dealing with the effects. Marc Hassenzahl, describes user experience (UX) as something more than just actions, it is also about perception and thoughts. I want to deal with the underlying issue, which adds intrinsic value to my design. If the designs have a meaningful UX, then there is a higher chance of succeeding in helping people and making the world a better place through design.
Certain factors that I picked up throughout my Bachelor studies in Industrial Design at TU/e are still prevalent in my projects: The aspiration of making users self-aware of an emotional state, to provide feedback in a playful and meaningful way, and to promote self-improvement. From a technological perspective, my interest in Ubiquitous Computing also known as Internet of Things (IoT) sparked during my Bachelor studies. Instead of considering single physical/digital products and their individual limited functionality, I have grown into thinking about possible product combinations, emergent functionality, and integrated systems. To work in this design context, it was essential to learn more about these topics and to improve my technical skills by following courses during my master studies to help me during the design process. For this reason, I took courses related to networks and data processing. Furthermore, I developed my programming, electronics skill set making me a technical yet unique kind of designer.
Nearing the end of my Master studies, I realize I have learned and developed a varied set of skills as an Industrial Designer. On one hand, I can be a very emphatical user experience designer and on the other hand, I also learned and developed technical skills that I can use for rapid prototyping, which can be used to improve ideas and concepts during development. Furthermore, I became familiar with design research processes that combine both user input and sensory data, for instance the Data-Enabled Design method, in which the collected data is used during the design process. Even though this methodology can be research oriented, I see the potential of such a method during the development of new products and systems.
I consider that the set of skills I developed can be used in different fields and based on my project and experience, the fields of healthcare and well-being can significantly improve through design. As Val Vasylenko, the designer behind FitBit, I believe that data representations and device should be made simple since people just want to live their lives. A factor that I considered crucial during my Final Master Project. Medical devices are a very important and delicate topic that requires empathy with the user to design effective solutions. As a designer I would like for people to improve bad habits and support them throughout their recovery in a way that is as non-invasive or stressful as possible. Besides, telehealth is becoming prominent in the medical world due to its advantages and low costs. Therefore, as a designer who is empathetic, user centered and proficient with IoT technologies I see that I have the attitude, knowledge and skills that can make this field grow.
Future Plans
From the start of my masters I was eager to develop myself more in user-centered design and improve my design skills. I see I made significant progress during my masters which I really appreciate. Throughout my bachelor projects I did not apply all my knowledge and skills as a designer, I am glad to see that through my master projects and courses I involved users actively in my design process.
As shown in my professional identity and vision, I would like to work in a company that uses smart technology to bring meaningful products and services to people and continue as a user experience designer in a high tech company. On the other hand, I have skills with programming languages and technology which can also be useful.
Considering that Philips is the only company that is currently doing research using Data-enabled Design, I would like to connect with people in the company and check for job opportunities.
I am open for other UX designer openings also, because I am also interested to work in different industries and explore more. I believe that with preparation, I can reach expectations for the position I want and meet the desired goals.
From a differenty perspective I am interested in companies such as, Itility. This company does cloud and data engineering projects in collaboration with businesses in the Brainport region. Data will bring interesting challenges and which I find interesting to take part in.