The impact of over-tourism on popular tourist destinations has become a major concern, affecting the environment, social dynamics, and local economies. This thesis, developed in collaboration with Withlocals, an innovative travel-tech firm dedicated to sustainability, explores opportunities for addressing this critical issue by redirecting tourist traffic to less-frequented areas. The main goal is to assess the feasibility of creating specific strategies that cater to the needs of customers, Withlocals, and society by using design tools and methods.

The project involves in-depth research, both empirical and theoretical, supported by tools and premises of systemic design, behavioural design and strategic design. The research highlights:
1. The complexities of over-tourism and methods to mitigate it (Chapter 2).
2. The factors contributing to high tourist numbers (Chapter 3).
3. The motivations behind tourists visiting less-frequented areas and strategies to encourage this behaviour (Chapter 4).
4. The strategic positioning of Withlocals (Chapter 5).

Building on these insights and a client-involving conceptualization process, the thesis proposes two actionable strategies for Withlocals: the shift to "Hallmark Experiences" framework, which promotes thematic exploration and provides diverse location and activity options, and the "Destination Education" and "Location Scorings" features, designed to enhance platform-based education and transparency regarding destinations and locations (Chapter 6).

These proposals are designed to direct visitors’ focus towards learning about unique hallmarks rather than just traditional landmarks, cater to visitors' personal interests and address their information and confidence gaps, while expanding the range of points of visits. Hence, they are expected to encourage visits to less-frequented areas and, partially, alleviate spatial congestion. The proposals also aim to reinforce Withlocals' values of originality, storytelling, and knowledge, while aligning with their plans to enhance the personalization. Finally, these strategies offer additional potential benefits for Withlocals, including competitive differentiation, booking conversion optimization, and an enhanced brand perception.

Significantly, to align with broader sustainability goals, these strategies must be complemented by robust growth and temporal congestion management measures, ensure the authentic representation of regional identities, obtain consent for tourism from local communities, and promote sustainable transportation options. Further steps should include validation with customers and hosts, evaluation of behaviour change effectiveness, and careful assessment of potential risks, such as increased operational complexity.

The accelerated digitalization of daily interactions, significantly influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic, has rendered the digital realm a fundamental aspect of life across generations. This shift has led to a transformation in digital asset management, ownership, and trade. The introduction of blockchain technology, especially non-fungible tokens (NFTs), has initiated a new era where digital items are capable of scarcity and uniqueness—attributes previously exclusive to physical luxury goods.
In this light, the project investigates the convergence of blokchain technology with the luxury automotive sector, seeking to unlock the business potential for luxury Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
Through creative trend research, emerging trends and developments have been identified, delineating the future landscape of luxury automotive. A strategic vision for luxury OEMs has been formulated, establishing a reference point for innovation and customer-centric product development.
The project has pinpointed four products, each embodying the promise to resonate with the evolving values of luxury consumers and to propel business growth. These products are central to a structured roadmap, which is segmented into three strategic horizons, guiding towards the envisioned future. Each horizon encompasses specific goals, in harmony with the progression and integration of these digital products.
The roadmap produced is a detailed blueprint for luxury automotive companies to contemplate the integration of blockchain technology with luxury experiences. The report concludes with an evaluation of the products and the roadmap by luxury automotive professionals, and suggestions for further research to
refine the strategic approach. This comprehensive evaluation encapsulates the project’s full scope and its approach to aid luxury automotive towards more meaningful and superior digital experiences.

The Energy transition is driving systemic changes in energy systems to reduce CO₂ emissions. The Local Inclusive Future Energy (LIFE) Project, a 'Living Lab' consortium, seeks to accelerate this transition in Amsterdam Zuidoost, by preventing energy congestion inclusively (LIFE project, 2022). The complexity of the challenge requires multi-sector collaboration to develop urban innovations (Energielab Zuidoost, 2023, Parsons DESIS Lab, 2022).

Multi-actor collaboration is essential to develop and integrate new energy systems, evident in actors' interconnection in value networks and complex value propositions for integrating these product services (Weiller, C., & Neely, A., 2013). However, ecosystem collaboration comes with challenges, as each actor operates under different principles and seeks different benefits (Bos-de Vos, 2020). In this context, service designers face the challenge of developing methods and approaches to improve actors' capabilities in navigating systemic complexity, and translating abstract values into concrete actions (Sangiorgi, 2009, Vink, J., 2021, Bos-de Vos, 2020).

To address these issues, this thesis examines the LIFE project, employing both theoretical research and empirical data. One significant theoretical gap is the lack of tools for value modeling from an ecosystem perspective. Within the LIFE project, complex conversations regarding values emerge due to differing perceptions, leading to value misalignment, siloed ways of working, and intricate decision-making processes. The prevailing view of value focuses on unidirectional exchanges, lacking an ecosystem or systemic perspective of the project. Thus, a need arises for a tool that provides an ecosystem view and allows multiple stakeholders to engage in explicit value conversations.

To bridge this gap, this thesis introduces the 'value ecosystem canvas,' supporting collaborative networks in value ecosystem modeling. This 'project-centric' tool is designed for co-creation sessions, enabling actors to visually model value exchanges iteratively with the aid of a clear value guide (Bos-de Vos, 2020), exploring potential links between actors and concretizing value exchanges. Additionally, it facilitates an ecosystem understanding of how product-services add value to other actors and what value could be potentially exchanged (created and captured).

In conclusion, the value ecosystem canvas aims to foster effective collaboration, align values, and promote a shared understanding of value exchanges within the LIFE Project consortium and other urban innovation initiatives. By enabling a systemic view, the tool empowers collaborative networks to navigate complexity and contribute meaningfully to the ongoing systemic transitions.

Language is one of the most important factors that international citizens need to acquire when stablishing in a new country, it enables communication, widens opportunities in relation to academic and professional development (Geurts & Lubbers, 2017b), and provides a sense of belonging. Therefore, it is important to understand what enables and inhibits the language learning process to make the integration process more user centered, propose actionable ideas and design effective interventions in order to optimize current language services, which in the end will result in cultural-societal impact (Sosa, 2019).

This project aims to contribute to such language learning services optimization, working together with NLtraining, who is a specialized Dutch school providing language courses for expats and immigrants.

A service design methodology is proposed to help bringing a user centric vision based on students’ real context but also provides a holistic scope including not just students and professors but also content making professionals and administrative departments.
The initial phase of the project explores existing literature from Second Language Acquisition and service design, where it was found that SLA research is centered on designing the ideal learning environment, however, in language learning, interactions in real life represent a great space for learning, therefore a gap between real context and learning environment was found.

Afterwards, exploratory research is carried out, interviewing students from NLtraining coming from different levels, where the main insights show that even though students have great motivation to learn the language and achieve academic and professional goals, their language use in real life is inhibited by different factors: cultural barriers, self-esteem, and deep complex reflective processes. It was found that professors who are the course facilitators have limited access to these kinds of insights, since they make their decisions based on assumptions from what they observe from the course, this, seen from a service design perspective, can become an opportunity to optimize current strategies.

The goal of the project is, then to design a tool that will help bridge students’ experiences through a reflective practice, which will support their learning process, as well as support professors with real insights of their students’ language use. Three exploratory concepts were developed, tested with students, and evaluated from a design perspective, then a final concept is presented, where a digital prototype is built, given its versatility and accessibility, it has the potential to be integrated into NLtraining’s current workload and bridge students’ context to the learning environment.

This tool helps collecting data such as: activity performed (listening, speaking, reading, or writing), description of the experience (text input), related class resources and emotion (good, neutral or not so good).

The prototype is validated in the final stage of the project, where the main findings conclude that enabling such reflective tool can promote students engagement with the course, in first instance because it provides a structured space to share and vent their (positive or negative) experiences, identify elements from the course that are working well or not, and finally allow professors to learn, empathize and best prepare the content of the course, based on a loyal portrait of students’ needs.

This project presents the impact of service design practices in an educational setting, which includes supporting stakeholder communication and collaboration, helping scope gaps in the service based on user insights and enabling an iterative approach to fostering optimizations.

Every child in the Netherlands should receive an equal opportunity to begin their life with the best possible prospects. The first 1000 days of a child’s life are of utmost importance in establishing a strong foundation for future development. Children may experience a disadvantageous beginning due to various factors such as exposure to smoking or stress (Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, 2018; Roseboom, 2018).

To offer the best start also for children, the objective of this master thesis is to develop a digital tool that leverages the potential of big data to aid in the early identification and referrals of families living in vulnerable circumstances.

The research initiative known as “Making Big Data Meaningful for a Promising Start” is funded by the Dutch research council known as Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO), seeks to detect vulnerable situations at an earlier stage using predictive models that use existing large amounts of data (big data) to identify potential adverse outcomes for children. The prediction model has the potential to estimate the level of risk a family faces for experiencing a negative outcome in the future. In order to cater this model to the parents’ needs, various user-centred design methods were used.
The approach of this project was first to understand the context of the first 1000 days and understand who is involved, how the current risk identification and referral works, and the experiences of the parents and the healthcare professionals. Literature research and qualitative research methods such as interviews and observations provided insights into the different perspectives of parents and healthcare professionals in this specific context. This approach led to identifying several significant needs that would guide the design direction for the future conceptual tool. These needs include trust, safety and self-esteem. Parents often face fear regarding the potential outcomes linked to revealing specific information, and they may also experience emotions like shame, guilt, or self-doubt when they believe they are incapable of adequately providing for their child. This may result in parents choosing not to disclose information, which can lead to delayed identification and potential referral.

Once the underlying needs of parents were understood, the following phase involved creating together and exploring the solution space surrounding a digital tool. To achieve this, co-creation sessions were held with parents and healthcare professionals.
During the co-creation sessions, several additional requirements emerged that were deemed essential for the conceptualization of the digital tool.
Among these newly identified requirements was the consideration that if the tool incorporated a prediction model, it must not only identify risk but also offer actionable solutions and be implemented with repetitive use since circumstances can change over time.
Through understanding and aligning the needs of parents, a final digital concept Advies Op Maat was designed. The concept allows parents to fill in their information in a sandbox environment, enabling them to try the tool before committing to sending the information to the healthcare professional. Based on the information filled in, parents can receive preliminary advice and choose whether they want to continue.
By conducting moderated user testing, the experience of the digital concept was evaluated and explored. At the moment, a significant challenge in achieving trust and safety relates to the questions posed within the tool, which can be sensitive and confrontational for parents.

At the conclusion of this project, iterations were made to address and improve these specific aspects to potentially use parts of the concept in the next phases of the research project of the “Big Data and a Promising Start” initiative.

The experience of using a car can be defined as a lot of things. How comfortable it is to drive in? Or just sit in? What entertainment features does the car have that can keep all passengers entertained for a car journey? Or even for the more extreme motor heads, how does the engine sound when going through a tunnel? All of these factors shape how a driver and the passengers would experience a car. However, when you take a step back, there is so much more to it. This project will be looking into the experience away from driving; the non-driving experience.

As part of a University Research Project set up between the Industrial Design Faculty at Technology University of Delft, and Ford Research and Innovation Center, this project will be going into detail about how data can be collected from wearables in order to enhance and improve the user’s non-driving experience of cars. More specifically, how can the approach and leave scenarios of using a car be improved through this use of data.

The initial stages of the project were focussed on understanding where the problem lies. What context is best suited and has clear pain points, or potential moments of surprise and delight, to the problem? This was done through a number of research tasks including literature research, interviews, and workshops with a large variety of potential users.

The context of using your wearables to improve the routine of family cars was chosen to go into further detail and exploration. Families often have different routines that happen simultaneously at times, and it was interesting how a family car can be so flexible in adjusting to each members routine. Data was looked at throughout this project in order to get an understanding as to how it can be used in a way to create a relationship between car and driver.

Throughout the development phase of the project, ‘Ford Experience’ came to fruition, which did exactly that. It used data from the wearables of both the main driver, as well as family members and other passengers, in order to adapt and respond to a number of different inputs from individuals. Throughout this day-to-day use, the vehicle works with the user in order to provide the best possible, and most efficient experience possible.

Clinical documentation takes up 40% of clinicians’ time. To ease the administrative burden of clinicians, digital scribes offer the potential to automate clinical note taking. Digital scribes are intelligent documentation softwares that combine automated speech recognition (ASR) and natural language processing (NLP). Digital scribes transcribe clinician-patient consultations and convert the conversation into structured clinical notes. Attendi, the client is developing a digital scribe for orthopedics: the Assistant. Hip arthrosis consultations have a well-structured anamnesis, therefore a promising use case for the digital scribe.

This Master thesis investigates the clinician perspective of implementing the Assistant. Literature was reviewed to understand the problem space and the design implications of the enabling technologies. Core concepts in human-AI collaboration such as system transparency and human control were identified to design for hybrid documentation. Also, the perspectives of recording consultations were translated into values for hospitals, clinicians and patients. The findings lead to both mutual benefits and tensions for the clinician-patient relationship and obstacles for implementation.

To contribute to developing the Assistant, user research was carried out in context by shadowing orthopedic surgeons to see their day-to-day workflow and understand the current cycle of clinical documentation. Several surgeons were interviewed to gain more in-depth views about the digital scribe. As synthesis, personas and journey maps were created both for a typical consultation cycle and a daily workflow. From the research phase, a list of user requirements were gathered in order to aid the design phase and future development. Finally, the envisioned user journey is presented in a service blueprint with the developed interface of the Assistant.

Our society is built around a financial system that includes debt. It is a classic saying that anyone can end up in debt, but it is how we treat those with debt that defines their well-being. With the current financial system, we are prejudicing a part of society, making an already vulnerable group even more prone to debt.

We have designed systems which are almost impossible for these people to navigate, making vulnerable groups overrepresented in private debt. These vulnerable groups are made out of intellectually disabled, illiterates, multi-lingualists and financially stressed people. The goal of this thesis is to lift the barriers drawn up in private debt, and to introduce an inclusive approach to debt collection for collector coeo incasso.

During the analysis I will explore the private debt system as implemented by law. The debt trajectory is complex - privacy and new regulations make interventions difficult - leaving little design space.

The typical debtor and the implications of debt on human well-being are perhaps even worse. We can find vulnerable groups making up more than half of debtors.

These vulnerable groups then have to deal with the implications of debt, symptoms such as chronic stress and shame are common. This can even go as far as suicide. The effect of debt goes far beyond the wallet, it impacts every aspect of life.

When looking at the current debt trajectory ats coeo incasso we see that there is room for improvements which may drastically reduce barriers for debtors. By slightly altering the current layout of a debt trajectory we can help debtors have a more stress free debt experience.

The proposed interventions, on a service and interaction level, have to goal of lowering those barriers by making debtors feel acknowledged in their skills.

By lowering these barriers we can now expect debtors to live a more stress free life. These practices will help anyone, not only vulnerable groups. By introducing these interventions we can expect coeo to fully align with their goal of being the most empathic debt collector again.

Through these principles the debt trajectory can now be improved. New methods of communications, such as interpersonal communication, are introduced. New colalborations with municipal financial advisors are set up.

But also the existing communication is redesigned. New letters in understandable language will be sent. Digital communication now includes important accessibility principles. By implementing these kind of design choices coeo can now offer a debt trajectory with lower barriers.