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About me
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Scania (HMI)
Mizu (UX)
Nigeria (Healthcare)
In Balance (UI/Graphic)

Why I do Design

As a person I want to make a positive impact on the world around me. To me it is all about taking care of each other to the best of our abilities. With the abilities I as a designer possess I want to make technology as a servant to whoever needs it. This means that I want to flush user-guides down the toilet, facilitate positive experiences and stimulate healty behaviour.

My expertise

Through studies at the Technical University of Delft I learned to design interactions. Interaction takes place between people and between people and products. For example many people push doors where it says pull. Apparently something in the appearance of the door makes one want to push it. A good design evokes the right interaction so that you unconsiously will pull. Another part of the interaction is the experience you have when you encounter that door. It may feel like luxery at first but after the push/pull strugles you walk away with frustration. As a interaction designer I shape how these interactions are to take place. I find out what makes you push or pull and make you enter the door as if you enter (for example) a castle.

As you may recognise, Interaction Design (IxD) touches on Phycology, Product Design and often some Engineering.
Familiar terms that fit under this umbrella are:

User Experience design (UX),

Ergonomics (and Usability Engineering),

Human Machine Interaction (HMI),

User Interface design (UI),

Human Factors design.

And further..

On the side I developed a passion for Graphic- and Web Design. I want things to make sense while looking astonishing. Websites that I design are running smooth and fit every device.

Always on the move

Growth on a professional and personal level keep fresh and alive. Never do I want to stop growing. I reflect an awful lot on daily matters and thats how I find out how/where to make the next step. For example, through rugby I discovered that by setting little goals I can focus more. Setting the attitude that's required to enter a rugbygame now also serves me well when I enter new situations.

Accomplishments

This is what I have achieved so far. I just only just started!

2018 - Master of Science - Design for Interaction (Technische Universiteit Delft)

Thesis internship at Scania Sverige

Summer internship at FontoXML

2016/2017 - Treasurer of Student Rugby Club Thor

2015 - Concept presentation at the Dutch Design Week

2015 - Bachelor of Science - Industrial Design Engineering (Technische Universiteit Delft)

Minor Philosophy (University of Twente)

Minor Management of industrial production

2014 - Wise Owl Award for Design for Social Cohesion

2010 - Voluntary worker at Voluntary Child Aid in Tamale (Ghana)

Skills

Prototyping

I have created various prototypes during my studies including paper prototypes, digital prototypes and physical prototypes. More advanced prototypes consisted of software (Unreal Engine), hardware and electronics (Arduino).

Software

Adobe Photoshop / Illustrator / Indesign / After effects / Premiere / Audition

Sketch

Proto.io

Solidworks & Solidworks 360

Keyshot

Microsoft office

Web design

Front end web design including HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript/JQuery

Portfolio

Here is a selection of the work I am really proud of:

Scania Master thesis

This graduation project is performed at the Research & Development department of Scania CV AB in Sweden. The goal was to identify factors relevant to interface design for remotely driving heavy road vehicles. A secondary goal was to develop interface concepts based on these findings. Scania has filed a pattent application on one of the interaction concepts created during this thesis.

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Smart Sink

This sink can tell its user how much water is used. Not through sensors and displays, but through a physical reaction. You might know this sink from the 2017 Dutch Design Week.

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Hypertension Care App

For the Hearty project a beta-version of a hypertension care App was developed for the Nigerian market.

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Web & Logo design

In Balance received a fresh appearance by means of a logo and website.

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The project

This graduation project is performed at the Research & Development department of Scania CV AB in Sweden. The goal was to identify factors relevant to interface design for remotely driving heavy road vehicles. A secondary goal was to develop interface concepts based on these findings. A concept with motion feedback provided through a steering wheel was further developed.

Achievements

A patent on an interaction concept is filed by Scania.

With this master thesis I concluded my master studies Design for Interaction at the TU Delft.

Insights are gained on interface design for tele-remote driving of heavy road vehicles.

Four interface concepts were developed. One of these concepts has been evaluated.

Project context

In this era of drastic change in road transportation being a driver is about to get a new meaning. Autonomous cars are on the rise. The one big hurdle however is how computers are to asses road situations. Not one situation is the same. Especially city driving is bridge to far for these semi-autonomous vehicles of today. Highway driving is more straightforward and thus can autonomous driving be expected earlier on the roads outside the city areas. Here lies an opportunity for the transport sector to benefit from driverless vehicles.

When vehicles are driverless a driver no longer needs to be paid, nor is a cabin required. These trucks or busses without driver seat may be driving by itself in the not to far future. This however only counts for the less complex traffic situations. A solution for driving through the city could be a remote control center. This is where my thesis comes in. A remote control solution for driving road vehicles needs a good human machine interface. This new remote driver (operator) needs to deal with a traffic situation (at least) just as good as while in a vehicle. My task was to find out what is required for such an interface.

Motion feedback through a steering wheel

One of the key results of this project is a concepts that provides drivers in a controlroom with a feeling of the vehicle they remotely drive. Scania decided to file a patent on this concept.

The reasoning

Research (Correia Gracio 2009) indicates that driver performance in advanced driving manoeuvres improves with motion feedback. Good driver performance is obviously required for remote control of heavy road vehicles. A complex motion simulator may contribute to that goal, but comes with a serious pricetag. A concept was developed to avoid these costs and still provide the required motion feedback. By means of a moving steering wheel acceleration and deceleration was simulated.

Steering wheel behaviour

Through the steering wheel a remote operator is to sense acceleration of the vehicle. The behaviour of the steering wheel is based on what a driver would feel when being in a vehicle. When a vehicle accelerates fiercely the driver is pushed backwards. This means that the driver is pushed away from the steering wheel. The opposite happens when a vehicle decelerates fiercely. To recreate this experience the steering wheel moves forwards on acceleration and backwards on deceleration.

Research

Project approach

The project was divided into four phases. It started off with research in the form of a literature study and interviews with both drivers and experts in the field of automation. Based on these findings a design framework was constructed that formed the backbone for development of interface concepts. In the ideation & conceptualisation phase a scenario was created to bridge between the more conceptual framework and real world design opportunities. In a creative session ideas were generated that were worked out further into interface concepts. At last one of the concepts was worked out further for evaluation of its potential.

Design Framework

The design framework described the relevant factors of human machine interaction for remotely driving heavy road vehicles. In this project the framework had multiple applications. At first the framework gave an understanding of the factors at stake for interface design. Besides that it was used as a checklist in the ideation & conceptualisation phase to select ideas and concepts. At last the framework can also be used to evaluate interface concepts on the various aspects; this project however did not reach that point.

Tele-remote driving model

One of the interesting aspects of the framework is the aspect of information transportation. In a (tele-)remote driving situation information from the vehicle and its surroundings does no longer come directly to the driver. This information needs to transported digitally after which it is presented to the driver. This bears the risk that information is conveyed in a non comprehensible manner. An example could be that of a biker. When the information of that bikers position on the road is brought to the remote driver as a point the driver does not know where the biker is heading. It is thus important that not only the information about this biker is captured properly, but also that this information is presented in an appropriate manner to the remote driver.

Interface concepts

This project resulted in four concepts for a tele-remote control interface for heavy road vehicles. Due to time constraints one of these concepts was further explored.

Concept 1 : You are the truck

This concept is about creating a driving experience that takes you away from the control room. There is a 360 view available via VR glasses that surrounds you with the vehicle environment. Movements of the steering wheel make you feel the trucks behaviour and air paddings in the seat give you a push to make you feel the inertial feedback.

Concept 2 : Drone view

While driving needs for visual information differ based on speed and heading. Driving fast on a highway requires to look far ahead to anticipate in time. Doing close manoeuvring at a distribution centre is easier with a top view and reversing naturally requires to see more what goes on behind the vehicle. Using a drone enables to get the desired perspective on the road for each situation.

Barrel distortion
In most situations lens distortion is not much desired, however in this case a wide angle lens can help to both show a bird perspective and a front view in one. By doing so visual information is not scattered and therefore easier to understand.

Concept 3 : 3D-Controller

3D-drive is about a physical model of the truck placed on a screen. On the screen the surroundings of the vehicle are shown using the 360 footage captured with a set of cameras on the actual vehicle. The scaled down model is fixed at one position on the screen whereas the the road on the screen moves. The vehicle model functions as a controller as well. Feedback is given by adding elements in the footage such as tire tracks.

Concept 4 : Driving room

The operator room is a room covered with screens. The room is as wide as a normal distribution truck, but not as deep. This gives a perception of the truck dimensions. The chair on the illustration here is to high, preventing you from looking backwards. A lower chair is there for required.

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A smart sink that lets you know how you use water

Turning usage data into desirable
tangible traces on a product

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The project

Mizu is the result of a project focussed on informing users in a tangible way about their behaviour. Specifically, as a student design team, we wanted to re-establish an understanding of what it takes to “just” use water. In this project a doing first approach was used.

Achievements

The result of this project was exhibited at the Dutch Design Week 2015.

I learned how to deal with wicked problems.

I learned how to convincingly prototype a concept.

The project context

The use of technology often results in masking the efforts required to get everyday things. We take heat, light and running water for granted. Behind the buttons and knobs we use, processes take place to provide us with things as electricity and water. Technology in its way distances people from how their actions affect nature. We no longer chop wood to heat up our houses, but rather turn to a thermostat. In this project the overall goal was to bring back this perception of effort through tangible traces.

Engaging interactions

The bronze panels function as sensors and detect swiping and tapping. By swiping and tapping on this bronze edge people can interact with Mizu. Bronze as a material wears over time, however where the bronze is touched often this process is undone. This results in shiny areas on the sinks edge. These shiney areas inform the user how the faucet is used.

Regulating the stream

On the left side water is brought towards the faucet through a swipe. The further you swipe towards the faucet, the more water you get. Through lights between the sensors you can see how far the faucet is opened. To turn off the faucet you swipe from that point backwards.

Regulating temperature

To heat up the water you rub the right side of the sink. Lights between the sensors inform you about the temperature. Now the water is hot you have to carefully tab the right side to lower the temperature.

The video shows an early prototype that already has these interactions.

Design process

Wicked problem solving; The doing first approach

Wicked problems are problems with complex interdependencies. This means that solving the one problem often results in new problems. For this project the challenge was that leaving tangible traces on a product. This usually results in degradation of the product. For instance, scratches on your phones screen are not desired. A rational “thinking first” approach would be little effective, since solving one problem resulted in new problems.

Doing first, in contrast to thinking first, avoids complicated specifications for design. Prototyping, enactment and a hackathon resulted in new experiences. These experiences reveal simple relationship rules. In this case this resulted in selection of material (bronze) that looks even better with traces of use on it.

Prototyping

With the interactions and key-aspects in place a prototype was required to demonstrate the concept. With simple electronics, a valve, some hoses, and a foam body the first version of the smart tap was created. This first prototype did not yet have the bronze edges as intended and listened to the name “Tactio”.

From Tactio to Mizu

During this project the concept had drawn the attention of the coaches at the TU Delft. They managed to get budget to take this concept to a next level and demonstrate it at the Dutch Design Week. Before we could make a more presentable and robust prototype, we had to make changes to the sinks appearance. It initial shape often got undesired associations (it looked like a urinal). New design were created based on hand sketches and worked out in Solidworks. “Tactio the smart tap” turned into “Mizu”. Mizu was build from better materials and has the bronze edges as intended.

Photo by Marcel Krijger

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Remote monitoring system for hypertension care

Developing a system to give Nigerians more control over their bloodpressure

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About the Hearty Project

The Hearty Project aims to provide means for better control of high bloodpressure. Hypertension, a too high bloodpressure, is responsible for a high prevalence of numerous lifetreatning conditions. Frequent measurement of the bloodpressure allows effective control of bloodpressure through e.g. change of medication or lifestyle. During this project a system was designed that measures a patients bloodpressure and communicate that to physicians.

User Research

In Lagos (Nigeria) User Research was conducted to map the needs and desires amongst patients and physicians. A user yourney map served as an overview for the desired system. For concept development a section of the journeymap was selected. Through a storyboard the interaction flow was described in more detail. Wireframes and screenflows followed after that to further detail the concept.

User Interface

Based on User Research and concept evaluation a UI was created that takes into account the physicians and patients needs. The Google Materials UI-kit was used for graphic styling.

The Hearty system

The system contains a patient-App and a physician-App. Both Apps are connected via the Cloud. Patients have a bloodpressure (BP) measurement device that connects with their App. The BP measurements are saved and shared with the physician. The physician can now track if medication have the desired effect on the patient.

The project

An established massage and Chi Neng Qigong practice was in need for a both a logo and a responsive website. Together with this client the companies identity and clientile was mapped. The new logo is there to make an fresh and professional impression. The website is strategely organised based on the companies business model.

The meaning behind the logo

Through the circular shape the logo and the paint-like texture refers to energetic movement. The color combination is there to evoke a sense of strength (blue/purple), reliability (light-blue) and freshness (light-blue). Lettering is done with straight edges to communicate stability and balance.