01. IDENTITY
Growing up with the values of a small village in the south of the Netherlands, I was raised with a strong sense of integrity, respect for others, and an enduring commitment to pursuing what is right. I believe the values instilled during our formative years profoundly shape our decision-making and interactions, becoming the lens through which we interpret the world and respond to its challenges. Psychological research shows that, over time, our accumulated experiences are etched into the subconscious mind, influencing our beliefs, emotions, habits, long-term memory, actions, decisions, imagination, and intuition. This intricate interplay between the subconscious and conscious mind deeply fascinates me, particularly in the realm of design.
Ever since I was a little girl, I remember being immersed in creative pursuits, driven by a curiosity to explore and reinterpret the world around me, translating observations into visual expressions. This creative grounding, in combination with diagnosed dyslexia, helped me develop an empathetic attunement to subtle behavioral cues, foster a visual and spatial way of thinking and the ability to translate abstract ideas into detailed design-related realizations. As I grew older, I came to appreciate the depth and rarity that comes with realizing truly original work that resonates with users on a profound level of purpose and connection. Design practice, to me, means more than solving problems alone; it’s about taking reponsibility when embracing a designer’s position, understanding the psychological foundations of human experience, and continuously remaining open to new perspectives and ways of thinking.
As an introvert, I tend to have the natural need of processing information internally, often reflecting deeply on words said and actions taken. With the additional downside of over-analyzing, I recognize this characteristic as part of a deeper commitment to understanding – a strength I believe is fundamental for allowing true valuable change to emerge in the most effective, moral and radical way. Driven by a fundamental desire to uncover and investigate the deeper layers of a subject is an attribute that allows me to anchor interpretations, connect the dots, and enrich design decisions with depth and deliberation.
People around me would describe me as an observant person who rather takes all the information in before drawing conclusions too fast. Over time, I’ve come to understand through personal experience that not everything can be fully conveyed through language alone. Living with a form of dyslexia, I often experience a disconnect between the vivid, visual structure of my thoughts and the limitations of verbal expression. This has led me to develop alternative ways of communicating, through extensive preparation or visual forms that convey meaning where words fall short.
Driven by a passion for creative exploration, my design approach is fundamentally grounded in the principles of User-Centered Design, where I excel in graphic design skills, holistic technical integration, and empathic & conceptual thinking, while ensuring that the needs, behaviors, and priorities of users take presedence in the design process. I’ve learned that impactful solutions rarely arise in isolation, but rather emerge from contemplating the perspectives of diverse stakeholders and domain experts, which I therefore strive to actively seek out during endeavors. This approach is further informed by insights from cognitive neuroscience, which reveals that around 95% of our brain’s activity occurs within subconscious awareness. Therefore, I strongly advocate for the importance of uncovering the latent, unconscious factors influencing users’ experiences, and going beyond verbal communication alone to achieve seamless and intuitively aligned design outcomes.
Within the domain of Human-Computer Interaction, an innately relatable world I was immersed in from a young age through a household filled with constant technological experimentation, interventions that deeply inspire me prioritize an in-depth understanding of psychologically aligned human needs, and ensure that function, form, and technology grow organically from that foundation. Their work begins with a clear awareness of what truly matters to people and unfolds from there, unafraid to challenge assumptions, explore new perspectives, and think outside-the-box in order to realize innovative and meaningful solutions that foster genuine connection.
02. VISION
We evolve with time. From a young age, we are driven by the countless experiences in our daily lives. By observing our parents, community, and surroundings, we acquire new skills and develop an understanding of societal norms and values. As an aspiring professional Industrial Designer, I believe a large responsibility falls upon fully comprehending our human psychological foundation. Understanding the user’s pain points, nuanced behaviors, and underlying motivations requires more than verbal communication alone. I believe that contemplating the fundamental human psychological framework, as well as the user’s unique mental profile, is indispensable for creating truly effective and tailored design solutions.
In the design field, I have observed a noticeable lack of attention to incorporating the subconscious mind into both the design process and standard evaluation methods. Instead, the focus tends to remain on the conscious mind, often overlooking the importance of human defaults that are unique to each user. However, I believe that it is within these subtle nuances that profound impacts can arise.
“I believe that through full understanding and contemplating detail to subconscious mental operations, a closer step towards improving the user experience can be attained“
Consequently, to embody the principles of responsible design, I am convinced that it is essential to consider both conscious and subconscious mental operations within exploring design solutions, highlighting the untapped potential within current existing products and in products yet to arise.
In recognition of the value of continued human-centered research, I see immense significance in leveraging the fundamental motives that have shaped human behavior over the past millennia, such as the 7 identified by Griskevicius and Kenrick: (1) evading physical harm, (2) avoiding disease, (3) making friends, (4) attaining status, (5) acquiring a mate, (6) keeping a mate, and (7) caring for family [2]. I believe these deep-rooted human motives and their accompanying behavioral tendencies should serve as foundational considerations in any thoughtful design process, in order to align with the innate psychological architecture that continues to shape human behavior, perception, and interaction.
Moreover, by integrating an understanding the individuals user’s mental models, through actively unraveling a.o. ingrained behaviors, acquired skills, sensory experiences, expectations, cultural context, rituals, and cognitive patterns, we can begin to decode the subconscious foundations that guide intuitive decision-making [1]. This allows us to design experiences that feel not only usable, but innately right, as though they were always meant to be that way. I believe that constructing the user’s mental model should be an integral part of the design process, enabling us to understand their unique internal framework, and allowing us to smartly leverage existing defaults in the development of optimal solutions, as well as to effectively create new ones that align with the user’s specific situated contexts.
I believe that it is through this depth of understanding, that we can shift design towards delivering foundational systems that resonate on a recognized and well-understood psychological experiential level. In my vision of an improved world, design acts as a silent partner in daily life, either through products environments or technologies, anticipating needs and strengthening the sense of connection between humans and the systems or services they engage with.
Furthermore, health, to me, is a foundation upon which all aspects of human life are built. It serves as the starting point for personal growth, societal contribution, and collective progress. Through personal observations and experiences in my youth, I have recognized that health is fragile, and can be taken away in any form any time. Therefore, my personal connection to this domain lies in understanding the potential and responsibility of design to create systems and environments that empower individuals not only to holistically address enduring well-being, but also allowing humankind to fulfill its potential to truly thrive. This understanding fuels my commitment to designing solutions that respond to long-term underlying well–being that connects to both the human cognitive and physical dimensions of experience.
In pursuit of this mission, I actively seek to stay ahead of technological and societal shifts, recognizing that a truly future-oriented design practice demands more than adaptation alone, it requires responsible anticipation. I believe that embedding a forward-looking vision into the design process is not only essential for relevance, but critical to actively shape and direct the future we aspire to live in. As such, we can mold the experiences that we call life today, and responsibly recognize its potential within the dynamic technical and societal landscape of tomorrow.
Reference
[1] N. A. Jones, H. Ross, T. Lynam, P. Perez, and A. Leitch. 2011. Mental Models: An interdisciplinary synthesis of theory and methods. Ecology and Society 16, 1 (2011). Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/26268859
[2] Vladas Griskevicius and Douglas T. Kenrick. 2013. Fundamental motives: How evolutionary needs influence consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology 23, 3 (2013), 372–386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2013.03.003
