Hey, I'm

Lies.

An analytical designer.

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About me

I am a curious and ambitious designer with a great interest in strategy and research.

Professional Identity and Vision


Who am I?

I am a curious and ambitious designer with a great interest in research. To get a better understanding of the problem I am presented with, I combine literature and field studies. While performing this research, I strategically plan user evaluation sessions in such a way it allows me to learn from users. I am especially interested in the user’s contextual information and how they behave within this context. This gives insights into what the actual needs are and where the opportunities lie. 

Over the course of my bachelor, I have noticed a personal interest in the psychological side of design and figuring out why people behave the way they do. I use these insights to solve complex problems and/or seek opportunities to better existing situations. By alternating between a convergent (focussing on the details) and divergent (taking the whole project, process and end goal into account) focus, I create a valuable perspective on the project and find interesting ways of solving complex problems. Therefore, I see myself as an analytical designer.

"By alternating between a convergent and divergent focus, I create a valuable perspective ..."

"... life is much more influenced by personal feelings and events than our current data-focused society is structured."






"... create products, systems and services that are functional and have meaning."



And what do I stand for?

By experiencing a personal medical issue, I have taken a different outlook on life and how I divide my time between work and leisure activities. This medical issue made me realize that my life is much more influenced by personal feelings and events than our current data-focused society is structured. For example, your smartwatch can give you a sleep score of 89 out of 100 but it can still feel as if you had a rough night. So what does this number then say? And what if systems in your environment start treating the 89 as if you had indeed a good nights rest and adjust their output to this? It can lead to inconvenient and irritating situations. 

I value sustainability. Sustainability with regards to the environment, but also when it comes to the sustainability of the use of certain products. To me, high sustainability of use is when the product is embedded in the user’s context and enriches her life by enabling a certain interaction.

Many products, systems and services don’t even come to the market or if they do, aren’t used to their full potential because they aren’t designed for high sustainability of use.  I believe on one hand there is an opportunity in the design and development process to create room to actually validate the product with the proposed users. On the other hand, I also believe that a design process should focus more on the internal motivation of the user to use the product to ensure the sustainability of use in the long run. 

Combining my personal experience with my outlook on the sustainability of use, I see myself as a designer who designs for real actual people. I do this by learning from them, their context and behaviour and combining that with their personal feelings to create products, systems and services that are functional and have meaning. My main interest is with individuals’ vitality, both mentally and physically. To me, this individual’s vitality translates to make future products fit the user and not the user fit to the product.

Development



My journey

I have always been a hard-working and ambitious student. In high school, I followed arts and technical courses and very much liked the combination. Resulting in my choice for Industrial Design at the Technical University in Eindhoven. 

For my first project (P1) I had the great ambition to “Help people with my designs”. In this project the ‘people’ were children living in cities and ‘design’ was an interactive device to be active outside with. I learned that I wanted to design to make more fundamental improvements to people’s lives, thus I altered my project directions to help people within the medical field.

My second project (P2) was to design an engaging reminder for children with Cerebral Palsy to use their non-dominant hand more during daily tasks. The medical context in which this project took place interested me but it also showed me that you are not designing for one person. He also has a social ecosystem that should be considered throughout the design process to make sure designs are truly embedded into the user’s context.

Therefore, I chose my third project (P3) in the direction of people with dementia. These people heavily rely on their social ecosystem (varying from caregivers to relatives), so my designs should fit all. When looking at all the projects, I spotted a trend that ‘helping people’ translates to improving people’s well-being.

After experiencing a medical issue myself, I came to see that well-being also heavily relies on mental health. Which resulted in my choice of Vitality for my last project (FBP). In which I strive to “design for personal, emotional and physical wellbeing by designing with and for the user.” 



What did I learn along the way?

Over my bachelor I’ve worked in various directions and on several projects, resulting in the designer I am today. In the overview below I structured my skills by mapping them against the Double Diamond. The skills accompanying each stage of the diamond are tools/strategies I use throughout the design process. Mostly, but not limited to, the stage they are placed in.



Business & Entrepreneurship

There are two directions in which I developed myself within this area. It started in my first year when I created a Business Model Canvas and a Value Proposition Canvas by following the guidelines. However, I grew in understanding the canvas and how to use them mainly through the course Design Innovation Methods. I came to see how elements are interlinked and thus dependent on one another. I even took this development one step further by applying for a tutoring position for a course that focuses on this. I used my knowledge and understanding of the tools to shape the course manual and provide feedback to the students when they present their canvases. I developed myself in such a way that I can not only understand and use the tools but also explain them to others and revise their work.  

The second direction came during my internship. I came to see that working for a company is not only about delivering quality work. You often have to make choices based on the availability of time and money. Resulting in constantly making a formal and informal cost-benefit analysis. Preparing me for eventually working for a company. 

Throughout my FBP my main development has been in making a combination of different tools and aspects to create value for my target group. I did this by combining my vision and identity, the gap in the market, ethical considerations and carefully considering my user’s needs and wishes.



Activities within this area

Courses

  • Introduction to Business Design – DAB150
  • User testing, evaluation and improvement – 4WAU00
  • Design Innovation Methods – DAB200

Teacher Assistant

  • User testing, evaluation and improvement 4WAU00 
    • Help set up the course manual
    • Create and give inspiration lecture on creating personas and customer journey maps
    • Revise and grade student’s work (individual and group)
    • Provide feedback during weekly sessions

Extracurricular activity

  • Partake in the ID Connect event of 2019

Activities within this area​

Courses

  • From Idea to Design – DCB100
  • Exploratory Sketching – DZB120
  • Ideation and Preliminary Design – 4WEU00
  • Aesthetics of Interaction – DCB200
  • Human Factors – 0HV100

Teacher Assistant

  • Ideation and Preliminary Design – 4WEU00
    • Help set up the course manual
    • Revise and grade student’s work (individual and group)
    • Provide feedback during weekly sessions

Extracurricular activity

  • Partake in the ID Connect event of 2019



Creativity & Aesthetics

Creativity and Aesthetics find themselves in two parts of the design process. On one hand, there is how a product looks and how you communicate ideas/concepts to the rest of the worlds. Also, how a certain interaction works and how different materials can enhance this interaction. This came forth especially in the course Aesthetics of Interaction and Exploratory Sketching. I came to see that via a sketch or tangible prototype, you get a better vision of certain design principles or anticipate how people will make decisions. This is something I developed myself in through the course Human Factors, by the faculty of Psychology and Technology.

On the other hand, there is creativity in mindset. How you look at certain problems and brainstorm solutions. Over my bachelor, I came to see that I work best with structure, even during a brainstorm. When having guidelines I can follow, I create room for myself to explore and take on different perspectives to solve problems or come to interesting insights. I learned this mainly during my internship and my FBP. 

In my FBP I developed myself by exploring this area. I am more a thinker than a do-er so throughout other projects I brainstormed along but did not take the lead in these sessions. Since my last project has been an individual project, I had to. Therefore trying out different ways/techniques to generate ideas and work with materials to establish the desired interaction, was an explorative process.

Course: Aesthetics of Interaction - First assignment

This first assignment was to design an interaction to control a music player. I chose to focus on an interaction to be executed with two hands. This to create a conscious and deliberate action.  White was chosen to convey a message of simplicity.

Course: Aesthetics of Interaction - First iteration

For the first iteration of the alarm clock the idea of an interaction to be executed with two hands was copied from the first assignment. This to create a moment of reflection and ’taking a moment’ before going to bed. Based on the persona and existing interactions in her environment, it was chosen to use a diaphragm.

Course: Aesthetics of Interaction - Consider the context of the final product

I carry the vision that the product should be embedded in the user’s context. In this project, this translates to considering the final placing of the product and how it is used in a daily routine. Resulting in a nightstand on which you place your jewellery before you go to sleep.

Course: Aesthetics of Interaction - Look and feel of the final product

To convey a message of luxury and serenity, it was chosen to make a combination of natural and soft materials. The extra soft white material was chosen such they would invite to place delicate items on, in this case, jewellery.  

Course: Aesthetics of Interaction - Interaction of the final product

The alarm clock is set at the end of the day by placing your jewellery on the designated spot, on the white fabric. Then, the diaphragm is lifted providing the user with feedback on what action is next. The user will then use both hands to close the diaphragm and the alarm is set. 

The user will wake by the light shining through the slowly opening diaphragm. 



Math, Data & Computing

At the start of my bachelor, I had trouble fitting this competency area in my schedule and development. In hindsight, this was because I did not fully comprehend the area and how it is integrated into a design process. The problems I now work with are often complex and dependent on a variety of variables that are also interlinked. By getting a grip on my project and process, data can play an important role. It can for example be used to explore and get a better understanding of a certain situation, context or interaction. On the other hand, it can be used as validation of a product, service, strategy or vision. 

Over my bachelor, I have learned how and when to make use of data to help my project. I followed courses teaching me how to analyze different types of quantitative data. From a large dataset with different variables in the courses Data Analytics for Engineers and Making Sense of Sensors. To smaller datasets to figure out if a difference in response is significant or not, in the courses User Evaluation Methods and Design < > Research. By combining this quantitative data with qualitative data acquired from interviews or observations, a sound vision of the actual context can be generated.

During my Final Bachelor Project, I chose to mainly use quantitative data to spot trends and use this to get a better understanding of the user. This approach can be enriched by using quantitative data to further discover and explore the user’s context.



Activities within this area

Courses

  • Data Analytics for Engineers – 2IAB0
  • User Evaluation Methods – DDB140
  • Design < > Research – DDB100
  • Making Sense of Sensors – DAB10

Teacher Assistant

  • Data Analytics for Engineers – 2IAB0
    • One year regular tutor
    • One year extra tutor with the extra responsibility to supervise four tutors
    • Revise and grade student’s work
    • Help students when they work on their assignments

Course: Design Research - Use a probe

For the course Design < > Research we researched the positive emotions perceived by the receiver of a digital gift. By Research Through Design and making use of both qualitative and quantitative data the project was executed. This project taught me how valuable it is to create a prototype to enable a certain interaction. This allows us, as designers, to learn from the user and how he handles a certain situation. 

Course: Design Research - Visualize data

 Because I already had followed the course Data Analytics for Engineers I knew that a difference in values doesn’t validate a claim of the actual difference. By visualizing the data certain trends do become apparent which is helpful, but to see if there is a difference between two situations, the appropriate test should validate this claim.

Course: Making Sense of Sensors - Use a probe

I used a different type of probe in the course Making Sense of Sensors. In this case, the focus was on measuring the user’s context (humidity and temperature) and compare this with the data acquired from a Mi-Band. This to research if there is a correlation between the user’s context and their sleep quality.

Course: Making Sense of Sensors - Visualize data

Due to the magnitude of data (seven days, 24/7 per participant) of the two sensors, the process of combining, structuring and filtering was excessive but due to the knowledge of the course Data Analytics for Engineers (which I also tutored), I had handles to work with. I highly valued the freedom in this assignment because it allowed exploring different methods of visualizing and structuring the data to answer our research question. However, coming to a conclusion was difficult because of the different test setups across the participants. 

Course: User Evaluation Methods - Use data to formulate recommendation

In this course, we evaluated the Planon Book a Room Application of the University. By using a mixed-methods approach we were able to gather the needed data to write a final recommendation on how to improve the application. A great learning point from this course was how to use data and proper analysis to ground certain claims and discover needs. This can be translated into a plan on how to optimize the application on a level of satisfaction, effectivity and efficiency.



Activities within this area

Courses

  • Creative Programming – DBB100
  • Creative Electronics – DBB200
  • Engineering Design – 4WBB0
  • Detailing, Realization and RPC test – 4WSU00

Teacher Assistant

  • Detailing, Realization and RPC test – 4WSU00
    • Help set up the course manual
    • Revise and grade student’s work (individual and group)
    • Provide feedback during weekly sessions



Technology & Realization

I have followed several courses to develop myself within this area, varying from courses from the faculty of Industrial Design and Mechanical Engineering. I used this knowledge throughout my projects and challenged myself to be responsible for the prototype during my second project.

Although I have worked quite some time with electronics, I notice that my main development has not been with the realization of concepts. My main development is with my personal attitude towards presented problems. By encountering problems that needed to be solved, I came to see that I am a resourceful person. From researching other sources, asking for help or changing my perspective on the problem, I came to a solution.

By going through these experiences, I came to trust myself and my capabilities more. Making me less hesitant to take on challenges in an area I am yet unfamiliar with. This came forth strongly in my FBP. Also, by working in this area I have not only learned how to make my own prototypes, but also came to see possibilities. For example with regards to the feasibility of an interaction with regards to the electrical components as well as on a material cost level.

Project 2 - Project direction

This project was about designing a fun, daily reminder for children with Cerebral Palsy to use their non-dominant hand. Therefore, we designed KwispelCare. A dog for which the child has to take care of, when he uses his non-dominant hand, he is provided with interactive feedback. 

Project 2 - Integration of the electronics

Because children had to interact with the product, the electronics should be safe and robust. We used an existing stuffed animal and I cut it open and added a zipper so all the electronics could be integrated into the stuffed animal. I used an NCF reader connected to a servo so if the child would pet the dog, the tail would wiggle. Also, when the child would ‘feed’ the dog, it would bark. With regards to the electronics, another NFC was connected to a speaker. 

Project 2 - Expand the system

After our user test, we noticed that not only the movement counts when the child interacts with the dog but also throughout the day. Therefore I connected an accelerometer to the system which would constantly measure the (lack of) movement. Ideally, the pet would ask for attention if a lack of movement is detected.

Project 2 - Present to the client

The project was created by Adelante, a health care organization. We presented our project on a project market and got great interest from the audience. Many visitors wanted to try out the product, and although it was robust enough for an individual user study, at the end of the evening we noticed some malfunctions in the prototype. Resulting in the choice to solder everything more carefully and create a more solid box around the electronics for the final DemoDay.

Project 2 - DemoDay

At our final DemoDay we were one of the two projects rewarded with the price for a promising project! Over this project, I learned so much about how to work with electronics and use existing products to create the desired interaction. This so we can learn from how the user behaves with the product and we can improve the product and concept even further.



User & Society

My development within this area has been on two levels. The first level is with regards to the tools I’ve worked with and can use as a skill. Especially in my internship, I came across various methods to involve different stakeholders on an individual level as well as how to set up one session with different parties. In the courses User-Centred Design and User Evaluation Methods, I also learned more quantitative ways of evaluating a product/design. I acquired skills on how to set these sessions up and guide them. A great addition to these courses has been the course Human Factors, taught at the faculty of Psychology and Technology. It helped my development by teaching me how people make decisions and ‘read a design’ and what this means for the way you design. 

The second level is with regards to attitude. Especially in my FBP, I came to see how important an open mindset and being able to take on different perspectives within your sessions. I talked to a lot of different people and talked about the complex problem of having a good Work-Life Balance. To get their true reasoning, I had to create an environment in which they felt they could answer the questions with honesty. So not only your interview protocol and set-up are important, but also how you bring certain questions and evolve conversations.



Activities within this area

Courses

  • User-Centred Design – DBB200
  • User Evaluation Methods – DDB140
  • Human Factors – 0HV100

 

Project 1 - Project direction

My first project was ‘Smart in the City’ in which we focused on children living in the city and having less and less space to play outside. The goal of the project was to create a device that would enable children to play more games on a smaller surface. Olly is a device with which several pre-set games can be played but there is also room for the children to create their own games.

Project 1 - First user involvement to understand our target group

The first user involvement was to get a better grip on the context and our users. We went to an elementary school and talked with children aged 7 to 10. We set up our semi-structured interview guide with the main purpose to explore. We noticed that some children had another sense of time than others, resulting in a variety of answers. I also noticed that the set-up was too formal for the audience we were talking with, resulting in a different approach for the next involvements.

Project 1 - Second user involvement to learn from the user's behaviour

In the second user involvement, we presented the children with the prototype and gave them the rules of the game. We divided the group into two and let the children play and see how the rules evolved over time. In the end, we split up the group in four and had smaller conversations with the children about the game and what they liked and didn’t like. 

We created the game in such a way that two groups would play together who didn’t know each other because we also wanted to learn more about the social aspect of the design.

Project 1 - Third user involvement and form exploration

For the actual user involvement, we had to create a robust prototype to ensure it would withstand a roughly played game. Ideally, all children or a family has a product they can take with them when playing outside. Therefore we created four mockups to explore the form and design. We created paper cards with outlines of the product so the children could colour the product and show us what they would like. Results varied from patterns to one coloured side. A trend was spotted in the button, which had to be red according to almost all children.

Project 1 - DemoDay

We proudly presented our work at the final DemoDay and also used this opportunity to gather more feedback on the shape and design of the product by involving the audience in the conversation we had with the children from the user studies.

Project 3 - Project direction

My third project was with people who had dementia, and the research was in the direction of sensory stimulation. We used different visual stimuli (text, icon, light) and sound and used these in our probe to see what was most pleasant and effective in triggering curiousity.

Project 3 - User involvement

For our first user involvement, we created this probe. A book in which a screen is incorporated to alternate between icon and text. A sound can be turned on, on which the lights at the side react. To evaluate the probe we went to our client, Pleyade, and placed the book in one of their care facilities (no pictures due to privacy). I talked to the people while the rest observed and took notes and timed how long after the probe would provide certain feedback, action was taken by the participants. 

Project 3 - Data Analysis

The data was analysed by means of closed coding to validate or reject our hypothesis. Based on the statements made throughout the user involvement and the times recorded, the prototype was altered and a second version was created. Making a combination of qualitative and quantitative data was very valuable, especially because we were working with a vulnerable target group. Their statements can not always be used to validate or reject the hypothesis.

Project 3 - Learnings

It was intriguing to work with such a vulnerable target group and it has shown me how and when to adapt your perspective or approach and that you have to be extremely aware of unexpectencies. However, it has also made me realize that I want to help people and improve well-being, but not per se in a medical field. 



Show Time!

The videos of the projects I worked on can be found here.

Future steps


Where do I want to go to?

As stated at the start of my portfolio “I am a curious and ambitious designer with a great interest in strategy and research”. Over my bachelor, I highly noticed my passion for finding creative solutions to a complex problem by taking on a different perspective or looking for another approach. This is why I chose my internship at Design Innovation Group, where they try to shape the future for companies. They do this by organizing sessions to establish a vision for a company by including different stakeholder, creating visuals to spark conversations and creating strategies for companies to become more ecofriendly. I felt in place during my internship and creating strategies and combining the visions of different stakeholders. Resulting in my ambition to further discover this area.


And how will I get there?

I am an analytical designer because I alternate my focus between convergent and divergent which helps me to create a valuable perspective on the project and find interesting ways of solving complex problems. I want to use these analytical skills to apply in an area of strategy, resulting in the Masters Strategic Product Design in Delft. This will become my new playground to develop myself further in this direction.

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