Professional Identity
In my design, I aim to design solutions that have value for users, and which target the core of issues. I use technology, business, and human expertise to provide an impactful design solution for people's daily lives.
I am a person who is naturally calm and reserved, and who enjoys observing and thinking about things. When a design case intrigues me, it makes me enthusiastic and energetic. This enthusiasm can lead to my being tenacious. My tenacity can result in me being persistent in resolving an issue, but it can also lead to losing track of time.
I've always enjoyed doing things like watching Japanese art animations, making wooden toys, and drawing my own avatars since I was a kid.
As a designer, I enjoy working on well-defined projects that have a social purpose and benefits different kinds of people soon. Defined assignments allow me to concentrate on developing the solution right away. This allows me to use my strengths. I am well rounded as a designer, and my strengths lies in creating. Creating prototypes which integrate technology I am confident in. In addition, working with clients to show them the economic value of design and creating a business case around it is some of my strength as well.
Having worked on open assignments recently, I have learned that I still need to gain more experience in this area. It was especially challenging for me working alone on an assignment of this nature. I am working on building up my written and verbal communication skills, as I found out that this was especially important in this case, to keep track on a timeframe.
My preference is to work as part of a team, as we can use each other’s expertise and create new ideas together. In a project I take into account the perspectives of all stakeholders, i.e. the designers, the client, and the users. In a team setting, I often position myself to be more in a role of a “monitor” trying to see all the angles and provide support. I have the patience to listen to ideas, question them, and think about improvements.
I can use various tools to assist me during the design process. My current technology skillset includes 3D modeling (Blender), CAD modeling (Fusion 360), programming (HTML, CSS, Arduino, Processing) and create circuits with electronics. For creating graphics, I can use Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Blender and Davinci Resolve for video editing.
My goal is to develop myself in such a way that I can become an independent entrepreneur and advisor for clients to consult them with the design for products.
Vision
I envision a society in which people are less connected. Design will play a significant role in preventing and resolving this issue. My work will make people connect in a cost-efficient and enjoyable manner.
Many developments in society cause people to become estranged from one another. For example, war, politics, and epidemics can cause this to happen. We have seen this happening in the last few years. People are unable to see each other or are forced to separate. At the same time, we are seeing a movement in technology to try and keep or create the relationships with each other over distances. For example an important technological trend, is the Metaverse. The Metaverse intends to provide people with the tools they need to continue interacting with one another inside their homes. As I see it in the long run, my role as designer will be to determine how these technical developments will shape how connectivity among people will look, as well as mitigate the consequences. Furthermore, designers will prioritize the user and their values during the design process.
I'll design products that are aesthetically pleasing, affordable, enjoyable and most of all provide the value that's been missing. It is critical that the product is designed with the goal of being user friendly for the customer base and be sustainable. As a designer, you must examine the material for aesthetics, as well as be able to estimate costs from a simplified business case. The price of a product has a significant impact on people's lives, as observed in society and the economy today, this as a result of inflation. I see the trend being that the coming generation of people, will only purchase “must have” products. Furthermore, people’s life expectancy is getting higher. This means products must be user friendly, since older people will make use of the products that I would design. This ties in that I believe products need to be made from more sustainable materials. This will contribute to the climate and can add value to the product. At least once during the design process should these thoughts on design be considered.
Furthermore, I believe that a designer should not attempt to make the product so intuitive that people use it without thinking about it. While utilizing the design, the user should become aware of their actions and choices. Having more awareness can lead to people gaining a more thorough understanding of the impacts of their choices and behavior on themselves and on the world at large. This may lead the to reflect on their behavior. I believe part of the designer's role is to mitigate the consequences that a product could have for society; providing this awareness is part of this role. How people interact with one another and with the rest of the world is important. This has an impact on many aspects of life, including how we interact and feel about one another. This is how my work will promote and maintain connections amongst people.
The product must first and foremost be created with the users need in mind. There is no need for consumers to purchase something if it does not provide value to them. As a designer, I will make use of appropriate ways to learn about the users' pains and gains to understand their perspective; this will help to make the product experience enjoyable. I will not be hesitant to include cutting-edge technologies.
If there is no value for the user, it might lead to waste or resource loss and not solve the user's problem. I believe that every product should improve the quality of life; this can only be reached if it is known that the product has value.
