My Identity and Vision
To specialize as a designer, it is important to know who you are. This portfolio will communication my Identity and Vision as a designer, my Development and my Future activities.
Background
My passion for technology and design is deeply rooted in my past. In 2013, I started creating review videos on technology. My evaluations of design grew in popularity, leading me to write articles and create videos on technology for multiple companies. Not long afterwards, I started building and designing, such as building a drone for my high school graduation project and converting classical moped headlights into LEDs.
Professional Identity
I am driven by a desire to create and explore, shaping me as a researcher. I believe that design can be more human and intuitive, which is why I position myself as a research-driven designer to bring this change. I believe more natural designs not only omit the need for a manual, but can also take less effort, have more natural interactions and leave more attention free to enjoy life. As designers, we control how users interact with daily life, and thus we should not design interactions that negatively influence life by taking too much attention. I do not like to take things for granted, and like to explore how I can help humans and technology connect with less effort. I learned that I am a critical bridge builder in a group project. I try to bring elements together, in a coherent product, which is supported by my multidisciplinary knowledge. With my natural interests in technology and human interactions, I feel most comfortable working on design realization and studies with humans.
As designers, we are not only responsible for exploring options and following our instincts but also for validating this through research. My strengths lie in creating designs and then validating them appropriately with users to gain new knowledge. For this reason, I have a strong focus on exploratory user research, concept realization, and the development of testing procedures. My strengths lie in researching future technology for gaining new knowledge, not in the design for today.
‘The same technology that simplifies life by providing more functions in each device also complicates life by making the device harder to learn, harder to use.’
- Don Norman [1]
I strive to enrich lives, by creating products that do not pull you out of the current moment
Vision on Design
My belief is that good design is not intrusive. Most products should be made so that you are not forced out of your real-life experiences. The usage of technology should facilitate a valuable experience, and not be at the center of attention. This vision is supported by concepts such as flow [2] and operating in the present [3].
With that in mind, I am critical of the visions behind existing products such as navigation screens in cars, which take you out of your task to let you change basic functionality. To realize these better interactions with technology, we not only need good designers with a strong sense of intuition and design but also research to validate these designs. With the increasing importance of technology, I believe that my view on interaction design has an important position in the future.
I envision a world where I contribute with research data-driven design focussing on intuitive interactions between humans and technology. The societal impact of intuitive, effective, and minimal design lies in clear interactions that give users the opportunity to focus on what they find important, resulting in mental space for users to manifest. After all, driving a road trip is less fun when all your attention needs to be on the car, it’s more fun seeing the road and being in the moment.
To be able to apply this vision, I have worked on developing the needed competencies.
References:
[1] Norman, D. (2013). The design of everyday things: Revised and expanded edition. Basic books.
[2] Csikszentmihalyi, M., Abuhamdeh, S., & Nakamura, J. (2005). Flow. Handbook of competence and motivation, 598-608.
[3] Kiken, L. G., Lundberg, K. B., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2017). Being present and enjoying it: Dispositional mindfulness and savoring the moment are distinct, interactive predictors of positive emotions and psychological health. Mindfulness, 8, 1280-1290.
Portfolio By Rutger Verstegen | 2023