Already as a child, I enjoyed using my creativity. I liked putting my ideas on paper through sketching, painting, and crafting. In secondary school, I chose a technology profile with Art and Computer Science, where I developed both technical and creative skills. The interest in combining those fields led to becoming an Industrial Design student.
When I started my study, I didn’t know what type of designer I wanted to become. I started within the Vital People squad for Project 1. We were free to choose our topic, and this initial research got me interested in designing for people with disabilities. As we chose a different direction, namely nutrition, I chose the Health squad for Project 2. Here, I was able to develop my vision further by designing for people with dementia. I got intrigued by having to find all the needs and values of a target group that you can not relate to. This was my first experience with a human-centered design approach. Seeing the impact of such products on a vulnerable target group sparked my passion for inclusivity.
In Project 3, I wanted to explore inclusive design further, and therefore chose the Transforming Practices squad. This project took the direction of social design, where I enjoyed the research side, but missed the healthcare aspect.
Through all 3 projects, I discovered that I am most passionate about the initial phase of a design process: finding users’ needs and turning this into concepts. Therefore, I decided to do an internship at Philips’ Healthcare department, where I could focus on this phase within a healthcare setting. I enjoyed my internship and was able to refine my vision towards designing health and wellbeing related products for in-home settings. This new vision led to my FBP: empowering children with an acquired brain injury to get dressed independently.
Course overview bachelor
Secondary school courses
