UX, or User Experience, is an intricate subject. Some people would argue it is the new way of designing a ‘user interface’, others might say it is an over arching idea that encompasses everything a product/brand/service represents, including branding, marketing, research, aesthetics, product interactions, UI’s, services and ‘gut-feel’.
to be entirely honest, I also don’t have a very concrete idea of what UX currently is, mainly because I believe it is still growing and evolving alongside our users and their use of technology. Think how mobile apps, personal devices, mixed reality and AI all (will) influence the way we experience our products.
I believe that our current era of personal computing and individualisation is what enables UX, and as long as we innovate in our personal technologies we inherently innovate on our UX approaches.
What I do know, is that the notion and the ability to exchange and share experiences is becoming much more important than before. I’m curious to see how this will influence UX in the future, and look forward to be able to design for shareability in experiences.
My Bachelor and Master at Industrial Design focused on user-centered design that combines this development with rich interactions. Here I learned that a good user experience comes from a rich and satisfying interaction between the user and the product/service. This also relates to UI design, which I elaborate on here.
On this page I am presenting several projects that I feel relate to Interaction design and UX, one way or another.
NAVI (Interaction Design)
During my final master project I developed a device focused on interacting with- and experiencing sound-based AR. The design specifically focused on translating an experience into an interaction
In this example I wanted to find a new way to interact with the notion of discovering and sharing music. So… what if we were able to share music through mixed reality? What would that look/sound/feel like? And more importantly, how would we interact with such a unique digital landscape?
CITY VITALITY (Experience Design & Research)
For my final bachelor project I worked in close collaboration between Stichting Woonbedrijf and the residents of one of their building complexes to find ways of improving the perceived sense of safety and vitality.
We combined several solutions that varied from interactive lighting and artwork to better locks. This was all done through close collaboration between me, the residents and the company.
Intelligibility in Intelligent Systems (Research)
During my masters I wrote a paper about intelligibility in intelligent systems and the visualisation of internal processes with the goal of optimising user experience.
In the paper I argued that complex systems, even when intelligent, need to communicate their ‘inner processes’ to the user to a certain extent. The higher its ‘intelligibility’, the better the user will be able to experience the interaction (in this case, listening to music).
For more in-depth explanation and info, click the images below.
Visual Design
Not just good interaction design, but image and visual perception/communication are also very important for UX. This is not just a matter of the users opinion, but also a ‘feeling’.
Parallel to my education I’ve developed strong visual skills through my work as a Graphic Designer. Therefore, applying the same design principles to branding, print, marketing and web design has become a personal standard.
For a more thorough overview of my graphic works, please visit my graphic page!