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VISION

IDENTITY

GROWTH

Competency development

FUTURE

During the Master course I have grown as an analytical critical designer. Rather than using certain methods or directly performing the suggestions of experts and coaches I learned to assess and adapt things to my own way of working. This significantly increased my control over the design process, but also made it more complex. To not drown in complexity I also had to reduce the control at some points in the process. This control was mainly reduced in the ideation and conceptualization phases, where my approach has become more intuitive rather than analytical. As a reaction I learned to build in more control points (i.e. more iteration) to be able to better steer the process.

To facilitate this more intuitive ideation and conceptualization process I learned to intrinsically record and express my thoughts. I’m a thinker. My talent (analysis and conceptual design) mainly comes from my internal thinking process. I can easily get stuck in the thinking process by continuously looking for opportunities without selecting one. So I learned that as soon I come up with something I have to express it in a physical way to make sure my thinking process is not getting overloaded with opportunities and ideas.

The Bachelor course contained a learning process of trial and error without active control over my competency development. I developed my design competence as it came to me. This passive attitude clearly changed in the Master course. I learned to steer my personal development and become more assertive (and decisive) in the design process. The first year of the Master (M1.1 & M1.2) did not yet challenge me enough to appeal to my full potential, but it did slowly transform my passive attitude. This resulted in a challenging first semester of the second year (M2.1), where I had to take full control and responsibility over my learning activities. The level of ambition that I could fulfill in the M2.1 semester was motivating and set the right attitude for the final master project (FMP). The goal of this project (exploring the role of design in stimulating and steering debate) was ambitious because the problems that it addressed were extremely broad and complex. And the fact that the context where the project would take place (the Rathenau Institute) was unfamiliar with a design approach didn’t reduce the ambition level either.

All learning activities that I did during the Master course were either instrumental or exemplary for my growth as an information designer. I have developed my design skills significantly and the competencies that stand out are ‘Socio-cultural awareness’, ‘Form and senses’, ‘Design and research processes’, and ‘Descriptive and mathematical modeling’.

Exemplary learning activities
Modules
Because we can
Data visualization
Designing for Next Nature
Leaving the cocoon
Next Nature infotizements

Projects
My first DNA analyzer
Mapping new technologies for society

Instrumental learning activities
Modules
Aesthetic reflections
Autonomous behavior
Design culture in historical and socio-cultural context
Design for excellence
Designing for embodied interaction
Drawing ideas – Sketches for interaction
Emergent behavior and adaptive systems
Ethics in design
Modeling specification in action
Movement to mechanism
Multimodal interaction
Multi-user – Social interactions
New product development gaming
Persuasive technology
Qualitative research methods for interaction design
Quantitative research methodology

Techno class

Projects
Reinvention of the travel guide
Smart interactions

Previous work
M11R0 showcase
M11R0 assessment
M11R1 showcase
M11R1 assessment
M12 showcase
M12 assessment
M21 showcase
M21 assessment