The project investigates the needs for learning environments in 2035 and how you can design that learning environment future-proof. The project has 2 results, theoretical design guidelines and a design tool. The theoretical guidelines are based on a multitude of factors that have been collected through literature research, interviews and observation. These factors may or may not have a connection with each other. By investigating these relations, 11 clusters have emerged. By linking these clusters to each other, looking for connections, fitting and measuring, trial and error, I created a framework. The framework is filled with patterns that influence behavior, interaction and engagement in educational situations, which led to types of spaces, so called typologies. Naming and grouping these patterns provides designers with guidelines that enable them to shape future learning environments through an organised yet flexible approach.

At the core of the typologies are 12 types that represent relevant actions in the learning environment of 2035. For example: exploring or sharing perspectives. To make these actions spatial and demonstrate how every action can be executed in different ways, for each action, 5 to 6 archetypes are connected to it. An archetype embodies a space or object that everyone has an idea or experience with, but at the same time everyone has their own interpretation of it, for example a cafe. The archetypes capture qualities and the actions of users. The archetypes serve as adaptable design references, offering insights into how different spatial arrangements can foster diverse educational experiences.

Building on this research, the second part of the project translates the framework into a tangible design tool: a card set that facilitates ideation, discussion, and creative exploration. This project is executed for Triomf Design, their designers are the main stakeholder for the design of the card set. Triomf approaches projects dynamically and intuitively. The tool encourages designers to experiment with spatial concepts and interactions. An interaction vision, inspired by children collaboratively building with Lego blocks, was used to define six key interaction qualities, ensuring that the tool fosters engagement and adaptability.

The card set comprises 18 archetypes and the corresponding actions, presented in a visually engaging format. To encourage playful exploration, each card has a unique shape, color-coded action labels, and visualisations that balance guidance with interpretive freedom. The imperfect fit of the shapes emphasise that there is no single “right” solution. This design invites users to interact physically with the cards, experimenting with arrangements and combinations to spark creativity. By incorporating both product and interaction qualities, the tool helps users think beyond literal representations, encouraging more intentional and innovative spatial designs.

Together, the framework and design tool offer a structured yet adaptable approach to shaping future learning environments. The framework provides a theoretical lens for understanding the typologies, while the card set translates these insights into a tool that supports designers throughout different stages of the design process. This dual approach ensures that educational spaces remain flexible, engaging, and responsive to future learning needs.

This thesis examines the influence of volunteering in GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) institutions as a way to assist individuals throughout significant life transitions, such as retirement, career transfers, relocation to a new city, or changes in relationships. The project involves the cooperation of two organisations: the Rotterdam Central Library and the National Museum of Scotland, with the active involvement of volunteers from both institutions. The study utilises a human-centred approach, employing a combination of literature review, interviews, and generative sessions to uncover the underlying motivations and thoughts of the volunteers who choose to engage in volunteering, and it aims to define the reasons why volunteering can be considered an effective emotional support tool for individuals who are going through life transitions. This study demonstrates how engaging in volunteer work at GLAM institutions can provide individuals with a revitalised sense of purpose and interpersonal connection throughout significant life transitions.

The design aspect of the project focuses on discovering a proficient method of advocating for volunteering in GLAM institutions by dispelling misunderstandings associated with the subject and increasing awareness of the advantages it can provide to those undergoing emotional upheaval due to a significant life transition. During the ideation phase, the research utilised participatory design methodologies to include the viewpoints of both present and possible future volunteers. This approach ensures that the final design solutions are customised to fit the varied demands of these groups.

The project provides a holistic intervention involving collaborating with different GLAM institutions in a city. It aims to showcase the activities and environment provided by these institutions to help individuals navigate the emotional challenges that come with life transitions. The program features three main touchpoints for promotion: a physical exhibit located within institutions, as well as a digital promotion strategy that includes a social media campaign and a website.

This thesis offers an alternative viewpoint on volunteering by challenging the conventional notion that it solely benefits the community. Instead, it emphasises the positive impact it has on individuals’ emotional well-being, underscoring the notion that engaging in activities for the improvement of society can also yield personal benefits.

The aim of this Master’s thesis is to determine how user engagement and motivation can be improved when using the Athlete Management System (AMS) as a monitoring system. This system monitors athletes subjectively and objectively for short and long-term progress. Increased use of this monitoring system will result in a more complete and valuable data set for coaches to identify the risks of under- or overtraining for KNSB talented athletes in both long and shorttrack disciplines.

Several interviews were conducted with athletes, experts from the KNSB Talent Teams (KTTs), and other experts in the field of AMS, sports psychology,
and sports innovation centers. These interviews were used to explore how the target group reflected on their sports’ progression and how the feedback process from the KTT staff played a role in this, supported by a literature review of related topics in the context of the project aim.

After interviews with athletes, coaches, and embedded scientists, potential design directions were identified and one was selected by evaluating the directions for feasibility and impact concerning the project aim. The chosen design opportunity is to improve communication about AMS between athletes and their coaches and to provide more guidance in an athlete’s reflective process when they need to measure their recovery-stress state of ‘Mental Readiness’ in AMS, which can be described as the athlete’s ability to concentrate on the execution of a training session. Measuring the recovery-stress state of an athlete can help identify the risk of under- or overtraining. Athletes and coaches experience difficulties interpreting and assessing ‘Mental Readiness’.

Brainstorming and concept validation sessions are conducted to develop a final design: a workshop session consisting of a presentation with three assignments to allow athletes and their coach to share their interpretations of the ‘Mental Readiness’ scale and to give first steps of guidance on how to reflect as an athlete on this scale. The final design is an addition to the kick-off meeting at the beginning of the speed skating season. It also proposes a roadmap for the long-term implementation of the final design in the context of the target group, including additional suggestions for other workshops and presentations to improve communication and behavior around AMS based on the insights from the interviews.

Further research should investigate how the final design leads to behavioral changes in user engagement and motivation in long-term implementation.
In addition, other aspects of the recovery-stress state, such as ‘emotional state’ and ‘motivation’, could be explored to broaden the communication and enhance the self-reflection of the athlete. In future research, it is important to expand guidance for athletes in their reflective capacity and for KTT staff in the correct interpretation and next steps when receiving ‘Mental Readiness’ data. This will help to motivate athletes to work with the final design and increase user engagement with the Athlete Management System.

In this master's thesis in collaboration with het Nederlands Oogheelkundig Gezelschap (NOG), or the Dutch ophthalmic society, I developed an industrial design concept to improve the ergonomic working conditions of Ophthalmologists.

25% of Dutch Ophthalmologists (surgical eye doctors) have suffered from musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) during their careers, according to research by NOG. As a result of my research, including interviews with 14 Ophthalmologists currently employed in Dutch medical institutions, I concluded that 5 out of the 7 musculoskeletal injuries, experienced by Ophthalmologists, are in the back, shoulders and neck area. The concluded causes of these MSIs are equipment that does not accommodate for doctor/patient height differences, and neglect of personal health in favour of patient satisfaction.

Height Matcher is a redesign of the ophthalmic examination unit, integrating patient chair and equipment table, and upgrading their capabilities. The repositioning of components also allows the ophthalmologist to do standing examinations. The concept was validated through various user tests and expert interviews. By extending the height range that the unit can be set to, speeding up its adjustment, and introducing a separate eye height measurement, height Matcher enables the ophthalmologist to maintain an ergonomic posture during examination, without sacrificing patient satisfaction or comfort. With the concept, an ophthalmologist will have their eye height measured at the start of their career. This is done by a second person, ensuring proper posture and measurement. They measure the sitting and standing eye heights. When the ophthalmologist goes to work in the outpatient clinic, the two eye heights are dialled into the data profile using the interface panel on the examination unit. The equipment table moves to bring the eyepiece to the ophthalmologist’s eye height.

When the patient comes in, the ophthalmologist can adjust the patient’s chair forwards/backwards and up/down depending on the patient’s proportions. If the ophthalmologist wants to examine the patient in standing position, they press the mode change button, to transition from sitting to standing mode. The patient chair and slit lamp table move up proportionally, to maintain their relative distance, for seamless working. The doctor examines the patient as usual, with good ergonomic posture for both.

Project aim
In recent years, the amount of households facing problematic debts has been increasing. To combat the resulting problems, municipalities offer debt counseling, focusing on (voluntary) arrangements to help recipients become debt-free. The recent reduction of counseling duration from 36 to 18 months raises concerns about recipients’ ability to develop self-reliance, which potentially leads to relapses into debt after finishing the process. My client, the municipality of The Hague has therefore asked me to design for the aftercare program to counteract these negative effects.

The main design goal for this project is: “To support self-reliance of debt counseling recipients by providing tools that assist in finding suitable information, and lower the barrier to seek for help after finishing the process, in order to prevent the accumulation of new debt in the future.”
Recipients are the primary users of the proposed design. Their supervisors play a key role as main points of contact during debt counseling, which necessitates alignment with their needs and values too.

Methodologies
- Literature review: Exploring factors influencing aftercare, its contexts, and the impact of debt on individual well-being.
- Qualitative interviews: Generatively exploring needs, values, and barriers of recipients and relevant municipal employees supporting them.
- Research by design: Iterating concepts through frequent mini evaluations with recipients and supervisors.
- Generative sessions: Mapping the debt counseling system and evaluating concepts.
- Evaluation interviews: Reflecting on final design contents, use, and implementation with recipients, supervisors, and a quality employee.

Research outcomes
Main research outcomes about understanding the debt counseling system and recipient experiences:
- Types of recipients. Six archetypes of recipients were identified, with the “lost recipient” and the “insecure recipient” selected as those who could benefit most from adequate aftercare, as they benefit the most from support to address their challenges.
- Attention for aftercare. A significant portion of recipients express dissatisfaction with debt counseling and aim to exit the process quickly, leading to minimal attention to aftercare. Furthermore, supervisors prioritize the initial phases of other recipients’ processes over aftercare because they consider them more critical, and they are too busy to address both.

The main insights retrieved from iterative design phases:
- Grip to support self-reliance. Recipients benefit from two types of grip: passive grip with which they are supported to find suitable solutions to problems themselves and active grip with which they are helped by people or organizations around them.
- Self-reliance throughout the process. Recipients need to practice using methods to increase grip on problems they might face during debt counseling, to understand how to use it afterward. Supporting recipients throughout various phases of the process, not just during aftercare, is essential to enhance self-reliance.
- Personal service. Recipients might be more willing to cooperate until the end of the process of debt counseling if they are treated more personally.

The design
The tool: a card bundle
I designed a card bundle to enhance the recipient’s self-reliance, with cards for planning, celebrating, and gaining grip on problem solving. Gradually introduced by supervisors based on recipient abilities, familiarizes recipients with the personalised bundle, increasing the likelihood of use after debt counseling.

The intervention: a final appointment
A final, in-person appointment during aftercare could benefit both recipients and supervisors. This meeting would involve reflection, future planning, and celebration, guided by a designed infographic. It provides recipients with closure and acknowledgment. While supervisors may need to adapt their routines, they would find satisfaction in concluding the process with their recipients.

After evaluation sessions, I developed a final iteration of the design. Suggestions for implementation strategies are included for successful deployment. Pilot testing with a small group of supervisors and their recipients is recommended as the initial next step.

Goal
The objective of this project was to explore how participation is and can be shaped within the context of youth hubs. The design outcome aimed to develop a participatory approach that encourages youth workers to collaborate with young people in shaping the design and programming of these hubs, ultimately empowering the youth.

Background
The municipality of Rotterdam is currently working on opening 33 youth hubs across the city. These hubs are designed as spaces where young people can meet, develop and grow. Youth workers, the main facilitators and guides in these hubs, aim to build trustful relationships with local youth and support them in their journey to adulthood. Besides offering fun activities and opportunities for skill development, hubs are aimed to be shaped both by and for young people to create a sense of ownership. While the importance of youth participation is widely acknowledged, the practical implementation of such participation is often unclear. This project provides insights into the challenges of embedding participation in youth hubs and offers a method for youth workers to collaborate with young people in the design and programming of these spaces.

Methods
To gain a deep understanding of the context, I visited the youth hubs that were already open (N = 12). I attended some participatory activities myself (N = 5) and conducted interviews with civil servants (N = 4), youth workers (N = 8), and “key figures” of youth hubs (i.e., young active visitors of youth hubs) (N = 4). Additionally, I spoke with youth on the streets of Rotterdam (N = 40) and later iteratively explored low-fidelity prototypes in the library (N = 20). I also hosted a workshop with stakeholders (N = 12) of the project to test the design proposal, after which I conducted a more thorough reflection on the method with a few participants of that same workshop (N = 3).

Results
Gaining or giving away responsibility is an adjustment for both youth and youth workers. The focus should not be on simply swapping roles but rather on collaboration and creating an environment where both parties feel comfortable to explore their roles within the hub.Youth hubs are dynamic spaces, with young people growing older, youth workers moving on and the city itself evolving. This makes them vibrant yet complex environments. Participation in such spaces is challenging because it must be tailored to a diverse range of individuals, requiring creativity and adaptability from youth workers who facilitate the process. Thinking along still appears to be seen as something serious, separate from fun activities where children and youth are expected to adapt to adult ways of working. Despite many creative efforts, there is still a lack of a methodological approach that allows youth to freely contribute their ideas in a collaborative setting and express themselves in their own way.

Conclusions
The Ideediner (Idea Dinner) is a method that transforms a formal meeting into a dining experience, using the dinner table as a space for discussing the design and programming of youth hubs. A blank tablecloth serves as the canvas, where participants “bring something to the table”—using the metaphor of dinner and food to represent their ideas or thoughts about the hub. Each step and course of the dinner is drawn on the tablecloth, accompanied by questions and tasks that help participants bring their ideas to life. Seats are swapped throughout the process to encourage collaboration and multiple forms of expression are welcome, allowing individuals to contribute without needing to be the most vocal in the room. This approach fosters a more inclusive environment, where ideas can be explored visually and interactively. The method results in a tangible, visual representation of collaboration, which can be revisited and reflected upon. A facilitator’s guide, including a script and tips, supports the method and enables its execution.

Tests and evaluative interviews revealed that the method is highly regarded for its potential applications both within youth hubs and beyond. Stakeholders expressed interest in using it in various contexts, such as facilitating team meetings and guiding sessions for a youth council within the municipality. Given that the method relies on strong facilitator skills, further research is needed to identify the essential skills required and to explore effective training methods. Additionally, it is important to conduct tests to evaluate the readability and applicability of the current guide. Piloting the method in real youth hub settings over an extended period will also provide valuable insights for refinement. While the method aims to create a collaborative environment for youth and workers to generate ideas, further research is necessary to ensure these ideas are put to action.

Outdoor play among children of the new generations is shifting, and not necessarily for the better. A considerable number of kids are missing out on spending their free time outdoors, and those who do engage often lack diversity. For instance, in the Netherlands, only about one-third of children playing outdoors are girls. These observations have prompted numerous studies aimed at observing and understanding children’s play behaviors and preferences in outdoor environments. However, these studies often overlook an important group – the children who are not outside.
This graduation project focuses on children aged 8 to 11 who are currently less engaged in outdoor play. A specific approach is used in analyzing children’s play preferences, which is to examine the link that exists between outdoor play and their personalities.
The project involves several research activities: literature research on outdoor play and personality models, consultation of experts, direct observations of children, and contextmapping sessions with outdoor play stakeholders. By combining the results of the research, a design framework for outdoor play emerges. The framework features five distinct characters, each representing a different type of child who is often overlooked when designing outdoor play spaces.
Leveraging this framework, a series of design concepts is developed to cater to these five character profiles. These concepts are presented in a booklet, which aims to inspire designers, urban planners, and decision-makers in the field of outdoor play to create more inclusive and engaging play environments for all children.

In special needs families, family dynamics are slightly different from the dynamics in other families. A child with special health care or educational needs requires a lot of attention and special care treatment from all family members. The parents‘ attention is mainly shifted to the care needs of the brother or sister and the siblings are mostly on their own (Okma, Naafs, Vergeer, & Berns, 2014). In Germany, 6.1 % of all children between 10 and 18 years old are officially caring for one of their family members. This means that in every school class at least 1 to 2 pupils are affected (Bühring, 2018).
Literature points to a wide range of positive as well as negative influences on the
emotional well-being of these siblings taking over care responsibilities at home, namely anxiety, depression, behavioral and social issues, but also strengths of character, such as empathy and kindness (Giallo et al., 2014, Martinez et. al, 2022, Milevsky & Singer, 2022).

This project focused on the personal experiences of siblings at a young age (6-12 years) growing up alongside a child with special needs. By conducting literature research, context mapping according to Sanders & Stappers (2012) with children, and
supplementary interviews with parents the following underlying core values of siblings have been identified: 1. Feeling understood, 2. The need for adult attention and feeling cared for, 3. Just being themselves. Briefly, growing up with a special needs sibling comes along with the challenge of truly feeling and acting like a child.
These insights resulted in the design vision and goal for Ontzorghuis, a Dutch organization offering workshops, retreats and reflective tools for special needs families: Designing for playful and engaging experiences to support siblings (age 6 -12) to assume their role as a child by empowering and facilitating the sibling through interpersonal connections. Through a research-through-design approach (Stappers & Giaccardi, 2017) the essential interactions of playfully sharing secrets in the form of affirmations and personal wishes with each other, were identified. The final design proposal resulted in the storytelling tool “Robin” to create a special bond between siblings and their parents. The playful tool enables children and their parents to create secret and surprising stories together that may involve personal needs or dreams of the child covered in the personality of Robin. The storylines are built upon research insights and the final story aims to serve as a conversation starter to understand the child’s perception and wellbeing of the current situation.
A limitation of this project is that within the scope of this master thesis the final design proposal could not be evaluated with siblings in order to try out the interactions, nor the intended context, the sibling’s home. Therefore, it is recommended to further evaluate the different parts of the design proposal in collaboration with siblings, their parents and sibling experts to prove the effectiveness in diverse contexts in order to create space to feel like a child.

Digital literacy has emerged as an indispensable skill in the 21st-century workforce, compelling educational institutions to adapt their curricula and incorporate digital literacy into their teaching methodologies. This research abstract specifically addresses the challenge of integrating digital literacy into the secondary educational course Design&Technology, which adopts a project-based, competence-driven approach that presents difficulties in establishing overarching guidelines and methods.
The primary objective of this project was to explore the structural inclusion of digital literacy within the Design&Technology course while preserving the existing teaching methods. Digital literacy permeates various stages of the Design&Technology projects, particularly in the learning and utilization of digital programs for creating and communicating models, research, and designs. The course emphasizes the significance of self-regulated learning during this process; however, teachers often encounter challenges in fulfilling their coaching role. To foster self-regulated learning among students, teachers must ensure the presence of key elements such as competence, relatedness, and autonomy. Regular reflection on their instructional practices and the course's relevance is crucial for applying effective didactic methods.
The final design outcome of this project is a game, intended to be played during pivotal moments within the Design&Technology faculty, such as the start of a school year. The game facilitates the exchange of views and perspectives, promoting a unified outlook on the Design&Technology course at the school. It prompts teachers to reflect on their interventions with student design teams and evaluate the effectiveness of their approaches in supporting the self-regulated learning journey emphasized in the Design&Technology vision. Furthermore, the game provides a safe space for players to express personal opinions and viewpoints.
The research project involved initial theoretical research to establish an overview of the scope, followed by engaging internal stakeholders in context-mapping sessions. The iterative phase of the project incorporated experts and stakeholders closely related to the identified problem statement through co-creative sessions, which further refined the game concept. The final evaluation was conducted in a realistic context and involved stakeholders who had no previous involvement with the research project.
The evaluation affirmed the anticipated outcomes, demonstrating that the game successfully facilitated reflection among the participants, allowing them to critically assess their daily teaching practices, make informed judgments, and raise questions or uncertainties. Consequently, teachers are now better equipped to provide tailored support to students during unexpected situations, thereby enhancing their self-regulated learning.
By employing the game, the integration of digital literacy into Design&Technology projects can be achieved in a structured manner. Engagement with the game improves flexibility, innovation, motivation, and enables teachers to deliver student-centered education.

This master thesis shows the research and design to tackle overconsumption of products within the context of recreational shopping practices in city centres. Thereby show the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management how they could tackle the ‘Refuse’ strategy of their Circular R-ladder, which is currently unexplored.

Why...
... this approach?

Sufficiency asks to change the way society consume
Merely relying on circular strategies is insufficient for reduce overconsumption. In order to accomplish deep emission reductions, people have to make do with less. Therefore, the focus of this thesis lies on absolute reductions of product purchases.

Practices are embedded in our everyday lives
The strategies from the Ministries National Program Circular Economy focus on product categories, but this implicitly assumes people have a need for those products, while excluding other types of products. The practice perspective shows that the ‘need’ is embedded in people’s ways of doing and if those ways change, the need can fade or shift to non-material alternatives and thereby reduce overconsumption.

... does overconsumption happen?

People like products, even more in certain circumstances
Literature research showed that people like products for multiple reasons and are influenced by the industry. A sustainability label for ‘Refuse’ won’t work and materialistic views should be tackled, especially the question: when are people materialistic?

Shopping in city centres results in unplanned purchases
Through street interviews and generative sessions with recreational shoppers, it was discovered that important elements of shopping are fueling novelty, feeling fulfilled, and bonding with a shopping companion. These are currently predominantly facilitated by the product (environments).

How?
A future perspective that involves long-term happiness
Through explorative research with stakeholder interviews and the Vision in Product approach, different futures of practices in city centres were framed of which this one showed how long-term happiness can be facilitated in the city centre.

Change orientation towards the city centre
This strategy derived from the qualitative research aims to change the current situation by changing the focus from the product environment tot the city environment.

What?
The final design, Wend, proposes a new type of practice for returning visitors in the city centre that support long-term happiness, whilst keeping it a place to achieve fulfilment, enhance bonding and fuel novelty in a low key way.
Wend offers story routes that allow people to engage in specific happiness topics and discover other perspectives together, creating a space for happiness in the current city center context, without feeling like it is a serious and effortful activity. This is achieved through:
•The storyroutes substitute the engagement with stores and instead offer multiple real-life stories of average people, which can be listend to at different points in the city.
•The activities during the route and in the app let people work on their personal happiness together, thereby improve their wellbeing and develop resilience towards materialistic tendencies.

The concepts implementation fits a bottom-up approach best, together with a municipality, and alongside more testing and validation, it could help move towards practices that support a sustainable and happier society.
A multitude of recommendations are proposed for the Ministry to tackle overconsumption that emphasize to look at practices of everyday lives, social embeddedness and long-term happiness.

Project aim
Recently, the importance of developing spatial thinking has been recognized with the European Union stimulating its development at an early age. Many studies of ways to foster spatial thinking of young children, through online activities as well as embodied activities, have been conducted and provide valuable insights that can be used in preschool settings. In design and engineering, spatial thinking is required to imagine and visualize novel and creative solutions and products. However, design play in preschools has not been researched in the context of spatial thinking so far. Next to this, little is known on individual differences in the way preschools use and develop spatial thinking skills in early childhood. Therefore, in collaboration with Sciencehub TU Delft the aim of this project was to:
-Gain insight into diversity of learners and the way they engage and interact with design activities in a classroom context.
-Develop educational innovations which take the diversity of learners into account, and stimulate spatial learning in the context of Design and Technology Education.
-Develop a tool for educational professionals which communicates the findings of this project.

Methodologies employed
Throughout the project the following methodologies were employed:
Literature research exploring spatial ability in the context of preschoolers, education, design and play.
-Participatory qualitative interviews and observations with preschoolers in their classrooms to explore different play preferences.
-Generative design research methods grounded in ethnographic research and therapeutic practices to discover how preschoolers with different play preferences interact with an empathic, story-based open-ended design challenge.
-Focus group with preservice teachers to explore how they currently take the diversity of learners into account.
-User tests with preschoolers and teachers to test and improve the proposed design interventions.

Research outcomes
Exploring the context of preschooler and teachers resulted in the following summarised research outcomes:
-Important play preferences for preschoolers are: construction play, pretend play, open-ended objects, and defined objects.
-The play preferences of children influence the length and nature of design activities as well as the design outcomes.
-Design activities stimulate children to practice spatial thinking in a creative context.
-Teachers know a lot about their students, so the intervention should allow them to use this knowledge.

Intervention – preschoolers
Based on the research outcomes two variations of assignments, which have the same learning goal, were designed. Each variation focused on a different set of preferences, allowing the preschoolers to interact with the assignment that fits their preferences best.

Intervention – teachers
A booklet summarising the outcomes of this project was made. An actionable step-by-step plan and worksheet were created with which teachers can design their own variations of assignments based on preferences of students in their class.
The interventions were evaluated with preschoolers and (preservice) teachers, and showed promising results. Recommendations regarding improvements and implementation are provided.

Butterfly Works (BW) is a social design studio based in Amsterdam, working mainly in international development for over 20 years. This project aimed to equip the team at Butterfly Works with a design methodology that allows them to navigate and work with complex problems and position them as practitioners and facilitators of systemic change. The process started by analysing their current practice with a systemic design perspective to identify how they are tacitly adopting this approach and find ways to complement it with new approaches. A framework was synthesised based on the systemic design principles from the literature and used as a lens to investigate their approach to an ongoing project that served as a case study. Practices that followed the principles and challenges related to them were identified. Understanding relationships, navigating systems, experimental prototyping and long-term strategies were the challenges from that case that inspired the creation of strategies based on the systemic design principles to address them. The strategies were validated in a hypothetical future project to see how the team envisioned their use. The validated strategies were synthesised and integrated into BW’s current design methodology. The result was an eight-phase methodology, previously five-phase, with several activities and recommendations for using new tools and methods.

The green pioneers of Rotterdam are actively making the city a greener living environment. Through the infrastructure provided by the municipality of Rotterdam, citizens can apply to take over a green space from the municipality or to introduce green elements to the predominantly grey streets in which they live. They not only improve the neighbourhood experience, but also have the potential to contribute in addressing local climate challenges such as climate adaptation, climate mitigation and the mitigation of biodiversity decline. However, it depends on the interpretation, the actions the creators take, if this potential is utilised. The goal of this project is to create a toolkit that supports the green pioneers of Rotterdam in their actions to improve their contribution in addressing their local climate challenges.

I research the green pioneers of Rotterdam, to figure out how they approach their projects, why they are involved, and what they do exactly. Moreover, I investigate their current contribution to the local climate challenges and how this can be improved. Therefore, I conduct different explorations, including three case studies in which I meet three initiators who are involved in a green initiative in the city. This resulted in the following main insights. 1) the most promising challenge for green pioneers to improve their contribution in, is the mitigation of biodiversity decline. This challenge is therefore chosen as a focus for this project. 2) Most green pioneers want to contribute to biodiversity where they can, but are not always aware when they are able to do so and how. 3) Green pioneers can improve the contribution to biodiversity with their green initiative, by adopting an ecological gardening behaviours.

By analysing the difference between ecological gardening and current behaviours, I arrived at four options in which the design can help improve the contribution of the green pioneers of Rotterdam:

1) By providing green pioneers and the citizens they influence inspiration on possible actions and their ecological effect
2) By stimulating green pioneers to make decisions with a focus on the effects on animals and plants.
3) By broadening the perspective of green pioneers and the citizens they influence by including unfamiliar/unattractive animal- and plant species.
4) By encouraging an interplay-experience between the actions of green pioneers and the input of natural processes.

These four solution spaces lead to the development of a toolkit concept. The toolkit provides inspiration and support to help the green pioneers of Rotterdam to optimize the ‘natural site’ that they created in the city. The toolkit can be incorporated in any approach, initiative type and group structure.

Nowadays, a public library is no longer a place just for the collection of books. It has offered multiple functions to take the responsibility of being a public cultural institution for all citizens. However, in the Netherlands, libraries are losing their members, especially young adults. With the development of technology, a public library is no longer the only choice for books. Libraries are encountering a challenge to attract young people back. They need to strive for providing new kinds of public services to attract this potential new audience.

Westfriese Bibliotheken is one of these libraries which has 10 decentralized community libraries in 6 places in the north of the Netherlands. Westfriese Bibliotheken is facing a challenge to reach a bigger group of the generation of youngsters who think a public library is a dull place to go. To narrow down the scope, the book discovery experience for young adults between 18-25 years old was focused. Augmented reality as the technology this project worked with has been proved to benefit the library context.

Hence, the objective of this thesis is to explore a new book discovery experience for young adults in the public library in Stede Broec.

From the theoretical study (chapter 2) about the book discovery behavior, the behavior pattern was investigated and worked as the design requirements. User research (chapter 3) was conducted to understand the current book discovery experience in the context through contextmapping. It discovered users' concerns and expectations about the book discovery experience. Moreover, the opportunity of this project: designing a new book discovery experience to facilitate serendipity was concluded based on user research findings. Under the framework of the serendipity theory (chapter 4), design opportunities for facilitating serendipity in the current library were gathered. The study on augmented reality (chapter 5) helped to define design qualities and technologies that this project can make use of.

With the research insights, a design goal with three design qualities (fascinating, playful, and inviting) and relevant design requirements were formulated (chapter 6). They contributed as a guideline to the design solution.

Ideas were gathered through a creative session and based on these ideas three initial concepts were generated. Concepts were evaluated and iterated with users, clients, and fellow students. The final design outcome is a phone-based AR application with two main parts: exploring and browsing parts. It offers both basic and additional information about books to stimulate users to experience serendipity in the public library.

Finally, an evaluation test was conducted to validate if the final design can fulfill the design goal. The final design achieves a good usability and desirability performance evaluated by 6 participants in the library. The evaluation test demonstrated that the additional information about books and interaction between the physical and digital world can let users feel fascinated, invited, and playful during the book discovery experience.

Yearly, roughly 350.000 child hospitalizations take place in the Netherlands and 27% of Dutch children had a chronic disease in 2019, varying from frequently occurring diagnoses like asthma to rare and progressive diseases. However, the life expectancy for children who suffer from a chronic illness continues to increase considerably. This results in a focus on long-term effects of disease and the quality of life for diagnosed children (Van de Putte, E. M., & Van der Ent, C. K., 2019).This project is a collaboration with the Wilhelmina Children’s hospital in Utrecht. In this thesis, the meaning of wellbeing in a pediatric hospital is explored and defined through literature studies and generative sessions with patients, family members and staff in the WKZ. The aim was to implement the insights from the research in a redesign for the activity room in the hospital. The design goal derived from the research outcomes was to give patients of the Wilhelmina Children’s hospital the tools and empowerment to create control over their environment and autonomy over their activities in the hospital, which will be enhanced by stimulation of social involvement among patients within the hospital. Using a participatory approach, patients and former patients of the WKZ were involved in concept development through an idea generation session. Two initial concepts were tested in the WKZ, which led to the establishment of the final concept. The final concept is a spatial design for the activity room focused on the free, independent exploration and play of children. The design gives children the opportunity to control their own playing environment with geometric lightweight blocks or to find a place of their own in cavities in the wall. It stimulates social interaction among children through a semi-transparent playing wall and allows them to express and leave their personal creativity. The results from the final concept test in the WKZ were used to establish a Vision for future designers who work in a similar context. In this vision, the insights from the research and testing sessions of this project are stated as design opportunities with possible solution areas that can improve patient wellbeing in a pediatric hospital.

This thesis describes the design journey that resulted in a post-pandemic vision for distributed teams and the development of a concept to fulfil the lack of spontaneous encounters in hybrid working environments. The research follows two different approaches, the double-diamond and the Dive method and includes extensive literature review, remote user research, future context definition, generative and creative sessions and a final round of ideation, prototyping and testing. The whole process keeps the user experience and interaction at the core of the research. The project involved a Consortium of three experts in the realms of businesses, people perspectives and technology from three different companies: Muzus, Ford and Miro. Their participation was vital to generate knowledge at the verge of their fields of expertise and evaluate the ideas generated during the different phases of the study. The initial section of the project was devoted to understanding the past and the present by focusing on the effects of forced remote working caused by the pandemic through literature research, interviews with experts, workers and students. This helped to identify relevant gaps in knowledge for further research, as well as potential opportunities for design purposes. The first phase highlighted a new way for workers to perceive remote working, an increased sense of responsibility rising from the work from home practice and an evolved connection with the team. To approach the future exploration, a generative session with the experts investigated the insights collected and explored some future scenarios. A series of context factors were used to develop a Future Vision, useful to contextualize the next research steps. Two creative sessions were held to explore the future vision and analyse the differences between hybrid and remote. The last design phase was meant to communicate the future vision by creating a fictional future Magazine published in 2030 and by designing a vision concept, a physical token that connects workers through a virtual office. A proof of concept of the vision was prototyped, showing that it is possible to create serendipitous encounters and connect dispersed workers by means of a physical token and a video call platform. In conclusion, the next future will see a rising trend of hybrid workspaces and, in order to keep the work efficient, it is imperative to facilitate collaboration with the help of people and tools designated for this scope, as well as fulfil the gaps of time zones, cultures and expertises.

In 2015 a new child act was implemented in the Netherlands. This meant that municipalities became responsible for the organisation of all youth care. First evaluations of the youth act show that a lack of collaboration and coherence in the youth care has resulted in complaints from youth and parents concerning long waiting times, complexity in finding their way in the care, and issues in the continuity of the care (ZonMw, 2018). This project is executed in collaboration with the municipality of Renkum. Like most municipalities in the country, the municipality of Renkum has been struggling with the transitions enforced by the decentralisation. A lack of overview of, and a lack of collaboration and coherence between, the network partners in the system, prohibits the deployment of light and fitting care and instead has lead to an increased amount of referrals into expensive and heavy specialized care. In this thesis, I address the lack of collaboration and coherency between the network partners within the jeugdhulp system in Renkum and design a strategy to support the transition of the system to become more collaborative and able to offer fitting and coherent care. To embrace the complexity of the jeugdhulp and find how stakeholders- as well as the factors hindering them from collaborating- are connected, during this research I have adopted a systemic design approach. Building on insights gained through interviews with the network partners, I created a map visualizing the network partners in the jeugdhulp in Renkum and the connections between them. Drawing on living networks theory and the frame innovation method I concluded that the jeugdhulp in Renkum is currently in a state of isolation- a lot of parties are working towards the same goal, but only do so from their own island. This isolation has resulted in fragmentation of knowledge and a culture of endless referrals for the families. Although most parties in the jeugdhulp system see the value of collaboration, they seem to miss an overview of their network partners and structures for connection and collaboration lack. Currently, the municipality is working to connect the network partners, but there seems to be a lack of trust in their leadership which leads to hesitance of the network partners to commit to the collaboration. Using the frame innovation method I have explored interventions that would support the jeugdhulp transition out of a state of isolation, to a future where the network partners actively work together, share knowledge, create novelty and have the ability to grow together. The final result is a framework for the organisation of a series of events. These events- to be organised by the social team in collaboration with their network partners- are designed to support the transition towards a collaborative system by creating change on three levels: Supporting the municipality to take a facilitating leadership role Supporting network partners take ownership of the relations in the system Creating room for experimentation and innovation

When a child with special needs is born, the lives of all family members radically change, and so does their family culture. For the well-being of their parents, it is crucial that they feel connected with the people in their surroundings, for fulfilling their fundamental human needs, for maintaining their connection with their surrounding culture, and to get support in the many challenges they encounter. Therefore, the first aim of this graduation project is to provide the designers of Ontzorghuis with an overview of information that contributes to their understanding of the bigger picture regarding the relationship between CSN parents and the people in their surroundings. Insights from literature research, interviews with experts, and contextmapping research with 6 highly educated CSN parents with Dutch heritage, have resulted in 3 overviews of information. The Opportunity Framework lays out the different levels in capacities that CSN parents desire from people in their social surroundings, going from a vague acquaintance to a close friend. The Framework of Values illustrates 3 influential values of CSN parents, to better understand what is important to them and how their coping strategies are affected. The Practical Learnings and Attitudes offers designers an understanding on a more practical level. It offers insight into the psychological challenges CSN parents can face, navigating their own and other people’s expectations and attitudes. Secondly, this project proposes a design intervention that supports CSN parents in awaking a feeling of ownership among a few people in their social surroundings. The final design is a DIY-booklet with the following key aspects: it invites CSN parents to be soft with themselves, it promotes the common recognition and acceptance of long-term social support, and it inspires CSN parents to make it a positive event to ask for long-term support. The main message incorporated in the booklet is: it is important to be kind to yourself and it is okay to need support. First, the booklet introduces them to the novel concept of ‘zachte wacht’ or soft guard, a long-term social support circle for CSN parents. Secondly, it encourages them to reflect on what they expect of themselves, what they need to stay on their feet in the long term, and what they can expect of people in their surroundings. Thirdly, it guides CSN parents through the steps of setting up their own support circle, the final step being a small ceremony to seal their supporters' commitment. Although there is still room for iteration, the evaluations of 6 CSN parents demonstrated that the design is desirable for the target group. Everyone that expressed their opinion of the zachte wacht, CSN parents as well as experts, considered it to be a beautiful concept. The design capabilities, understanding of the target group, and network needed to implement the booklet and other aspects of the concept are a perfect fit with the unique strengths of Ontzorghuis. The concept has the potential to appeal to a large and growing target group. Moreover, promising opportunities for collaborations, funding, and subsidies are awaiting.

This research explores the music making practices of musicians in a band, uncovering their needs to carry out successful collaborations. This work focuses on three key areas: the creative activities of music making, the dynamics of collaboration, and the tools used to support these.

This research unravels the complexity of the workflows of musicians, which lie amidst their individual musical expression, the constant exchange of their ideas, and the evolution of their personal relationships, with the goal of contributing to a shared musical piece. Additionally, currently used music making apps do not facilitate collaborative activities, making musicians seek alternative file sharing and communication tools to fulfill their needs online. This blocks their creative flow and slows down the band’s progress, particularly in the context of remote collaborations.

In a bid to address these issues and improve their collaboration, a solution was designed: Syntonize is a simple music making app concept that enables musicians in a band to easily collaborate on their early music making activities. They can create music teams with their bandmates, as well as shared music projects where they can easily record and combine their ideas. They can also communicate about their music, whether it is for precise feedback on their work, or general project management.

This report describes my graduation report for the Master Design for Interaction, part of Industrial Design Engineering at the technical University Delft. The project is in collaboration with both the Play Well Lab and the SWKGroep.

The SWKGroep asked for a child participation toolkit which would help them discover the latent knowledge of the children. In order to be able to go into depth while designing this toolkit, the project is split up into two individual graduation projects. This report describes the first project.

“My design goal is to develop a substantiated and partly tested vision for the development of a child participation Toolkit, which is suitable within the context of the SWKGroep facilities and based on the expectations, wishes, needs and capacity of both the staff members as well as the children.”

The first chapter will introduce the different stakeholders involved in the project. These are the SWKGroep and the Play Well Lab. The chapter will conclude with the relevance of this project for both stakeholders.

The second chapter will describe the research phase, including different interviews, a generative session and an analysis of the results. The chapter will conclude with the discovered problem area and my design focus within this project.
Within the third chapter, an approach for this defined problem area will be defined. The chosen approach will be explained and the chapter concludes with an explanation on why this approach would fit the defined problem area.

After describing this approach, the approach will be elaborated into ideas. This is done in chapter 4, which includes the ideation phase. This chapter will end with a set of 23 ideas/tools which could be used for child participation at the BSO.

The next step, described in chapter 5, is validation of the approach. This is done by testing a selection of the ideas at the BSO to see what the obstacles and enablers are when doing child participation at the BSO. The insights from the user-tests are discussed and this chapter will conclude with a validation of the approach including conditions to be met and an overview of opportunities which were found during the tests.

Chapter 6 will conclude this report with recommendations for the follow-up project and a reflection on this project.