In 2021, a group of angry farmers drove their tractors to the ‘Malieveld’ (‘Main square’) in The Hague, to protest the new nitrogen regulations. They felt angry because the politicians were not listening. When reading this news and following the politics around the farmers, a present call for sustainable change within agriculture could be heard. However, the changes which are currently spoken about, such as reduction of nitrogen or the number of dairy cattle, seems to be a black-and-white approach to frame the problem and does not represent a real or focused long-term plan.

Therefore, the aim of this project is to investigate the current system surrounding the dairy cow to find a new perspective on the complexity of the problem, and to create a fitting intervention which should bring about change towards a sustainable agriculture. This project will zoom in on specifically the Frisian dairy agriculture, exploring this context on a systemic level, and investigate using the ‘Transition Design’ method.

To gain insights in the complex system around the Frisian dairy cow, various stakeholders were identified. Some of these stakeholders, such as farmers or experts on nature or soil, were interviewed, while other stakeholders’ perspectives were investigated through in-depth research.

During the project, a new perspective arised. It can be concluded that the whole system surrounding the Frisian dairy cow is one large interwoven network. With at the centre not the dairy cow, but the one stakeholder which is directly connected to the entire system as every stakeholder depends on this: the soil. Without a healthy soil, which supplies raw materials, the entire identified system will not exist. Within our currently built agricultural system the discovered problem is that the soil will be depleted over the coming years and biodiversity will be expelled. Within this current system profits are not fairly distributed. The present system is mainly focused on yielding high profits by the banks, the food industry, and supermarkets.

Based on the research, a desired future vision was created which helped to map out the pathway of transition. To accelerate the transition of the current system of the dairy cow towards the desired future, an intervention was designed. This intervention was focused on helping young professionals to develop a level of self-reflection with which they can link their behaviour towards buying certain dairy products to the invisible exiting consequences of the Dutch soil degradation.

Through a diverse set of testing rounds with different iterated prototypes, the intervention was tested among the target group. This showed that through the designed intervention, a new awareness was created regarding the present state of our food or dairy system. In conclusion, it showed that the intervention increased the level of self-reflection in the habits of consumers towards buying and consuming food with all the connected consequences.


This project however has some limitations, the research had some time constraints and was conducted by only one individual. Therefore, when analysing, concluding and interpreting the data, the outcome, the new vision surrounding the Dutch dairy cow and the designed intervention could be received as subjective. Additionally due to the short time period of the research, not every stakeholder could represent them-self.
If the research was to be reproduced, all the stakeholders of the system should represent themselves, to create an equal and complete view on the current system.
Moreover, if the project was to be reproduced it should be continued by a larger team of diverse (design) researchers to create a more objective data analysis outcome.

Positive interactions amongst couples improve the quality of the romantic relationship they are part of along with their sense of well-being. It is known that maintaining a relationship takes active participation and work to avoid ending up in a relationship rut. Therefore, spending time together is a constructive way to maintain such a relationship. There are countless leisure activities, yet this paper focuses on how food connects people and can generate feelings of enhanced intimacy. The scope of the research centers adults living in The Netherlands, which are currently in a romantic relationship or have had previous experience with such a relationship. This paper contains research into the current dating culture, the food design scene in largely The Netherlands, intimacy in romantic relationships and how food connects people. In the secondary research section, a wide and explorative approach is taken by attending food design fairs, tantra classes, and fetish events to fully explore the extremes of ‘intimate connection’. Furthermore, Tinder dates were set up for an immersive experience and to discover how food sharing contributed to feelings of connectedness. Lastly, numerous food experiments were performed to ultimately lead to the final design. The final design is called Intime and is a food ritual where two people go on a date together at home. A cosy and warm blanket is placed on the ground somewhere in the house where the couple feels most at ease and they position themselves according to the design requirements. Each person receives their own dish with bite size chocolate balls, which they share with each other through handfeeding. This sensuous eating ritual sets the tone for a positive mood and ultimately generates feelings of connectedness.

This project considers the implications of carbon-negative materials in product design. It speculates on a future where decarbonization of different sectors of the economy increases the ubiquity of carbon-negative materials. Under these conditions, certain materials become a source of negative emissions, and their consumption benefits the planet from a climate perspective. Specifically, this project considers bio-polymers as being relevant to the industrial design field. With this future in mind, products must be reconsidered in a new light: besides acting to fulfil primary product functionality, products will also act as a storage mechanism for carbon. How does this change our approach to product design? These design drivers are explored through a research-through-design project that aims to optimize a furniture system-architecture in order to maximize carbon storage over an extended product lifespan.

This graduation thesis report gathers the research activities investigating loneliness and the design to postpone it. The research approach refers to Vision in Product design (ViP), which includes exploring the domain. The context factors were gathered based on the literature, interview experts and non-experts, and observations. The research was formed in a world view, summarizing the driving forces around loneliness. The vision was formulated from the context research, including a design statement, interaction vision, and product qualities. From the research summary, loneliness can happen for a variety of reasons. However, one thing that every lonely person has is a lack of control. In contrast, a driving force that keeps a person away from being lonely is a sense of security, including self-awareness, sense of place, and belongingness. Following this insight, the design goal was to enhance people’s sense of security by giving them agency in the environment. Ideation involved creative sessions and individual brainstorming. The outcome was the Sound of a city, a sound creation tool using augmented reality, letting users create their sounds and add to their location. The design was validated through user testing of the interaction between users and the environment. In conclusion, the Sound of a city provided users a positive experience in having their personal (sound) touch in the public space. Participants agreed that this could make them bond with the places, resulting in more security. This master thesis contributed to bring some potential results in bringing sense of security to postpone the loneliness.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine patterns of human behaviour that underlie stereotyping and categorisation, and use this knowledge to design a physical model allowing the creation of acknowledgement between different groups of people at Milkshake festival by reducing prejudice. A survey of Milkshake festival 2017 showed that 85 percent of the visitors are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Observation of Milkshake 2019, combined with interviews (appendix), showed that the festival provides a safe zone where visitors can love whom they want to love, dress how they want to dress and be whom they want to be. Apparently, a safe zone, secluded from society, is necessary for the LGBTQ+ community to express itself. Why is that?Although it is thought that the Netherlands is progressive, as it was the first country to legalise same-sex marriages (Wijnants, 2018), 30 percent of the population finds it disgusting to see two men kiss (Bos, Buijs and Beusekom, 2019). This is presumably caused by heteronormative behaviour (Duits & van der Sanden, 2018), which leads to categorisation, and is maximised by upbringing and society. According to Bos, Buijs and Beusekom (2019), homosexuals and bisexuals feel more often unsafe, depressed and disrespected than heterosexuals. Psychological reasons for categorisation are examined, in order to understand why people display categorisation. At the biological level, the unconscious categorisation of objects and groups allows fast processing of information in the brain (McLeod, 2015). The downside is that such categorisation can lead to stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination. This is linked to the three principles (ABC’s) of social psychology; Affect, Behaviour and Cognition. Stereotyping is the cognitive side: “the positive or negative beliefs that we hold about the characteristics of a social group.” (Jhangiani & Tarry, n.d.). Prejudice is the Affect part: “an unjustifiable negative attitude toward an outgroup or toward the members of that outgroup.” (Jhangiani & Tarry, n.d.). The behaviour part is discrimination: “unjustified negative behaviours toward members of outgroups based on their group membership.” (Jhangiani & Tarry, n.d.). Stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination can negatively influence the way people interact with each other. The LGBTQ+ community wants to be treated like everyone else, and longs for respect and appreciation by the overall society. However, user research shows that stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination are also happening inside this community. For finding respect and appreciation in the heteronormative society, the LGBTQ+ community must perhaps first deal with its own behaviour. The design goal of this thesis is formulated through the 13 Universal Human Needs of Desmet & Fokkinga (2017) (appendix), and aims at creating acknowledgement (respect and appreciation) between different groups of people at Milkshake festival by reducing prejudgment. The interaction vision works as an analogy to provoke specific emotions in visitors when they interact with the concept. These emotions are respect and appreciation, provocation, surprise and connection. An experiential journey is created through a spatial storytelling method.The ideas are created according to the three points of reducing prejudgment (Cherry, 2019), which are empathising with another person, reflecting on their behaviour, and having meaningful interactions. The ideas are evaluated and iterated into a concept proposal. This concept proposal is iterated and re-evaluated through tests with rough prototypes (appendix). The concept ‘Hokjesgeesten’ ironically refers to thinking-in-boxes. It aims at developing an understanding for other groups of people by listening to stories, which focus on four different aspects of certain stereotypes, prejudgments and discrimination. These aspects explain overarching themes within different groups. In addition, the box forces visitors to reflect on themselves by questioning their current behaviour towards another group. For the final evaluation, the space of Hokjesgeesten was simulated by a real-size prototype made out of iridescent foil. Nine participants were asked to partake in this test. They filled in a survey to provide general information, such as age and gender (appendix). The test itself was recorded by audio. The results were analysed and evaluated to form a conclusion and recommendations. Results from the final evaluation suggest that participants felt more appreciative and connected after experiencing the Hokjesgeesten concept. Nevertheless, the concept requires fine-tuning to maximise the desired goal.

Museums are often believed to be aimed at adults, yet museums specifically aimed at children are becoming more common, and most museums attempt to cater not only to adults, but to their younger visitors as well. Museum Prinsenhof Delft is one such museum. This report presents the process of creating a new experience aimed at families, who come to visit the Pieter de Hooch exhibition at Museum Prinsenhof Delft. The experience focuses on families with children aged 6 to 10 years old, and aims to provide a playful but educational experience to the families, to bring them into contact with the topic of the exhibition. Research showed that family days-out are a social event in which activity and fun for the children are the central theme. From the research 3 key qualities were pulled which seemed relevant for the families to be included in a family day-out; Fun, Social and Engaging. These 3 qualities would help shape and define the final design. The final Design, called Courtyard Quest, is and experience consisting of 2 elements; An audio tour specifically made for families with children And an activity in which family members work together to build their own Courtyard in the style of Pieter de Hooch’s paintings.The information presented to the families in the audio tour, is used in the activity at the end, when deciding what to put in the courtyard, and how to place it all. The audio tour presents this information in an entertaining commentary which contains not only explanations but jokes, questions and songs. While the activity motivates visitors to look back at this information by providing challenges when building their courtyard. User research in the final phase showed that the Design did what it set out to do, achieving both its Design goal and Interaction vision. However there were still a few things which could be improved upon, or explored further, which were given to the museum as recommendations.