About Me
As a designer
When designing, I think it is very important to involve the end user in every stage of the design process in order to create an end product/service, which is of value to its end user and fits their wants and needs.
Already starting in the research phase it is important to go into context. In order to get a better understanding of the user and make a correct problem definition; interviewing, talking and observing will give very valuable insights.
When doing the ideation phase, involving the user can be very interesting. They are the experts on their topic and will probably come up with a lot of things that you wouldn’t think of yourself. The user could be involved in this part of the design process by, for example, using co-creation or creative facilitation.
Also iteration through prototyping and user testing is a important part of the process. Here you can see how the user actually interacts with your design. By making a simple prototype, you will get to know the strengths and weaknesses of your design and you can iterate on the design untill you have met your goals.
By taking the user into account throughout every step of the process, the best design can be created!
Programs, Tools & Methods
My Skills
Contextmapping
Contextmapping is a method which can be used to gain valuable insights regarding the wishes and needs of the user/target group.
Within the theory of Contextmapping the participants are seen as the experts of their own experiences. This method lets the participants think back about and reflect on past experiences in order to discover their values, wishes and needs. These insights can be used for future design.
Co-creation
Co-creation is a method to involve the end-user or the different stakeholders within the design process. These people are experts on the topic and can therefore give interesting insights which can be used for ideation.
Interview & observation Techniques
Both during the start of the design process, when defining the problem, and later on in the process, during prototype testing, interviewing and observation techniques is a valuable method.
By simply observing the participants during their experience with the product/service can be discovered what are the problem areas and what are the positive moments. Observations usually give different insights than only talking to the users, therefore it is important to combine these two.
Creative Facillitation
When facilitating a creative session the client or end-user gets the opportunity to join the design process. Creative sessions are usually arranged in such a way that also non-designers can join the session. By having a session, usually 2-3 hours, it provides the opportunity to quickly generate valuable additions to the design process whether it is during problem definition, ideation or defining follow-up steps.
Rapid Prototyping
Rapid prototyping provides the opportunity to quickly test the most important aspects of a concept together with the end-user.
By immedeatly testing the product with the end-user, a lot of valuable insights are gathered regarding the actual usability of the concept. These insights can be used in further iteration/ideation. By implementing these prototypes and user-tests can be made sure that the final concept really fits the wants/needs of the end-user and that the usability of the product/service fits the target group.
Adobe
I am able to clearly visualize my insights, concepts, etc. to the cliënt or other designers by using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign.
