Suus
van
Gogh
Industrial Design Student
Eindhoven University Of Technology
Professional Identity
I design products and systems that make the everyday lives of vulnerable target groups easier and more fun by striving for a more inclusive and equal society. To achieve this I take a user-centered design approach during design projects to make the most impact. I describe myself as an empathic designer, who wants to work with and for people. Working with experts, potential users, and team members inspires me and sparks my creativity. As a designer, I believe it is important to incorporate potential users throughout the design process, so the target group and their values are known. Also, to improve the usability and user experience, I believe that co-creation sessions are important.
Besides, I create visual designs such as logos, app designs, posters, animations, and 3d renders. In my opinion, these visuals are useful when involving stakeholders in the design process. It helps to convey design concepts even when there is no prototype yet. Therefore, I not only prepare user interviews by formulating questions but also by making visuals.
I am a perfectionistic worker who pays attention to all details so that the final design looks taken care of. Especially, when designing products for everyday usage, it is important to make sure they will fit in the users’ lives. Because of this perfectionism, I like to have things in my own hands. Therefore, I keep the role of taking the overview within a team. My structured way of working helps me to keep an overview of the design process and to create a plan for future steps. These organizational skills help me to work structured, which gives calmness.
I see myself as a result-driven team player, who wants to keep a good team atmosphere and tries to motivate others. I believe the power of a team is having members who are motivated and passionate. By trying to light the fire under people I strive to work in a team where everyone is result-driven.
Vision
I like to think of a future with new inventions that contribute to realizing an inclusive society with equal opportunities. I think this can only be accomplished when we start thinking more outside the box. We as designers, should use our creativity to come to the real purpose. I believe it is important that we do not always choose the easiest solution to solve the short-term issue but take a holistic view.
This becomes even more important because of rapidly changing technologies such as AI. These technologies could take over people’s decision-making, leading to a society in which people are less connected to the world and each other [1]. People will rush through their lives instead of enjoying it. Designers should combine these new technologies with their own creativity and human intuition to meet the values and needs of the users. This way, new inventions make our lives easier and more fun in a way that keeps us living in the moment.
Designing for everyday life, I consider it important that products fit seamlessly into the users’ lives. Products should be adjusted to the users’ needs instead of the other way around. Therefore, I believe products should become more personalized to meet users’ values and aesthetics. New technologies in the field of artificial intelligence in combination with user-centered design processes will help to achieve this more and more.
I want to design for vulnerable target groups. I believe everyone deserves the same opportunities and therefore want to empower people. To achieve this I focus on equity-focused designs. Each person is different and therefore needs different resources and opportunities to come to an equal society [2]. Therefore, I believe more personalized designs will be a great start in creating an inclusive society.
[1] Northwood, A. (2023, April 21). Is AI destroying human connections? The dark side of artificial intelligence. Medium. https://medium.com/@alexnorthwood/is-aidestroying-human-connections-the-dark-side-of-artificial-intelligence-31509d59a38c
[2] Equality versus Equity: What’s the difference as we #EmbraceEquity for IWD 2023 and beyond? (n.d.). International Women’s Day. https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Missions/18707/Equality-versus-EquityWhat-s-the-difference-as-weEmbraceEquity-for-IWD-2023andbeyond#:~:text=Defining%20equality
%20and%20equity&text=Equality%20means%20each%20individual%20or,to
%20reach%20an%20equal%20outcome
Suus van Gogh