This thesis explores the development of a quality assurance solution specifically tailored for training programs. Prowareness is a consultancy firm specialised in agile transformations. A big part of their value proposition is training. Prowareness is growing and has a reputation for offering training to high end clients. However, in order to ensure a consistent client experience, they are in need of a quality assurance model.

The author uses a double diamond approach. First, relevant literature is studied to gain more insights on the topic of quality, intrinsic motivation, and agile. The data analysis in the discovery phase is done using the Straussian approach of the Grounded Theory Methodology and a questionnaire. The main insight from the analysis was that currently employees each have their own definition and approach to quality assurance of training. Also, the employees have the need for a standardised quality assurance model.

From the data analysis the author formulates a product goal that says:
“The product goal is to provide a comprehensive description of the process to be followed before, during, and after conducting a training, along with its implementation. The aim is to ensure that every trainer follows the same process, creating a shared understanding and a standardised approach for quality assurance.”

The content of the solution is developed with input gathered in several co-creation sessions with Prowareness employees. The author considers the employees as the experts of the content. Also, including the employees in the creation of the product, increases the chances of adoption and boosts intrinsic motivation. Based on the input and design criteria, the form of the final product is then chosen by the author.

The result is a live Handbook that employees can read to know exactly the steps that need to be taken before, during, and after a training. Since it is a live document, it can easily be updated in real time by the responsible person. The author also provides an implementation strategy that is needed for the roll-out of the Handbook within the company.

The author ends with recommendations for Prowareness regarding quality assurance.
... Read more

Selecting the perfect cycling saddle can be a long and painful process trying and buying multiple saddles. Riding on the wrong type of saddle can cause various irritations and can even result in erectile dysfunction (Goldstein, 2007) and may in the end spoil the fun of cycling.

A direction in the design of female saddles was chosen because all of the female questionnaire respondents experienced discomfort while cycling (appendix 7). The project was done with saddle brand PRO, which doesn’t have a female saddle shape yet in their product portfolio and most saddles on the market are based on male research. Male cyclists have various male based saddle shapes to choose from, females only a few.

Female cyclists have a larger sit bone angle and a greater sit bone width. They also prefer a different pressure division on the saddle compared to male cyclists. Next to these anatomical differences, chaffing of the saddle nose, during the leg movement, is a problem that often occurs for females.

Increasing the lifespan of the saddle, being able to repair or upgrade the saddle and adjusting the comfort level are things respondents seek in a new saddle (appendix 6) and are in my opinion the best way to be more sustainable. With a modular saddle structure, the durable use of carbon fibre can be extended over a longer time frame and be standardized.

Additive manufacturing has the potential to be a manufacturing method for PRO saddles. Advantages are that forces can be locally absorbed by geometry and ductility can be modified. It is essential for PRO to get acquainted with the technique now to keep up with competitors. Next to that, this process allows customization and local production and could bring longevity by upgrades over the lifespan of the product. Being able to adjust the ductility and form is especially desirable for female cyclists, who have more sensitive pudendal nerves in their pelvises (Bicyclelab 2012).

The availability of new additive manufacturing methods and the clear focus of Shimano to produce saddles with low environmental impact, make room for this new approach. Therefore, the goal of this project is to design a solution that captures females’ requirements and transform these into a road/gravel saddle. Women should be able to select the right saddle within the PRO collection.

To determine sensitive focus areas, a sensitivity map (appendix 12) was made and is promising as a tool for future saddle design. This map adds in relieving sensitive zones and will increase the chance of designing a more comfortable saddle. This research showed that variation in female saddles is particularly needed in the current nose width, hardness and cutout position of the saddle.

Research shows (appendix 6) that users want to be able to adjust their saddle to achieve the highest personal comfort levels. This Modular Saddle System [MSS] could give users the possibility to adjust their saddle to their preferences. With a modular saddle structure, the durable use of carbon fibre could be extended over a longer time frame. Next to that, being able to repair or upgrade can increase the lifespan of their saddle.

To validate the concept of a modular saddle, models are made based on the most comfortable rewarded (appendix14) PRO saddle. A pressure map was used to prove or show what people feel when sitting on a saddle, together with a Likert comfort scale rating.

Having modular parts depending on parameters like weight and personal preferences will allow every rider to be able to find the correct saddle in the PRO product portfolio. ... Read more

Because of human interventions in our seas, like commercial (over)fishing and the introduction of diseases, the presence and biodiversity of natural reefs is declining severely. Reefs provide a habitat for a variety of marine species and are of great value to marine ecosystems. Therefore, it is of importance to recover affected reefs.

Also in the Dutch North Sea, a majority of the reef has disappeared, including reefs of the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis). Oysters in particular play a key role in reef ecosystems and are therefore the ideal starting point for the recovery of reefs in the Dutch North Sea.

There is no possibility that these oysters will naturally recover: they are not numerous enough to naturally breed and spread. Therefore, there is a need for active restoration. Several methods for restoration exist already, however, these are not proven to be effective and have several drawbacks.

Recently, marine biologists suggested a new method for the restoration of flat oyster reefs, where oyster larvae settle on a small product, which then gets sown in the ocean and naturally form oyster beds. However, this method is theoretical; no such product is developed yet. The goal of this graduation project is to develop this product: from conceptualization to embodiment to preliminary validation in laboratory settings. By the end of the project, the product is ready for field tests and will ultimately enable the restoration of reefs.

Literature review showed no reference model or design guide, as no such products exist yet. Therefore, ideation started with the exploration of basic shapes and their behaviour underwater. These basic shapes were altered in such a way to fit the purpose, whereafter several iterative steps concluded in five final concepts. A practical approach enabled quick iterations.

Simultaneously, exploration of bio-based materials suitable for an application underwater resulted in a material that meets requirements. Two concepts were chosen and made into operational prototypes to test in laboratory settings. These tests, executed in a sediment flume, indicated the performance of the products in water flow. One of the two concepts was more successful in this simulated environment; this product is elaborated.

The final product promotes larvae settlement on the product and allows people to touch the product without touching settled larvae. The product sinks to the sea bottom and stays in place as much as possible, which entails resisting water flow up to 1.9 m/s. The design protects larvae against larger predators and makes sure they stay above the sediment. Finally, the product is large enough for a grown oyster and persists between six months and two years on the seabed, after which the naturally occurring material degrades into biologically safe components.

In conclusion, a product has been designed that can enable the restoration of oyster reefs. With this product, large areas of reef can be restored in an effective and minimally invasive manner. As the indication of performance is only performed in laboratory settings, the advice is to validate in a relevant natural environment to improve knowledge about this product and method. These tests should clarify the performance of the product and the material. ... Read more

The amount of tourists visiting the Dutch flower bulb region is growing every year. The Keukenhof, one of the biggest tourist attractors in the region, already welcomed 1.5 million visitors in the eight week during flowering season in 2019, which is almost twice the visitor count of 10 years ago. Because of this growth, the local population’s day-to-day businesses become increasingly disrupted. The pressure of these disruptions is mostly felt in three sub-contexts: •The flower fields; tourists that trample flower bulbs while making pictures •Regional accessibility; tourists causing traffic congestions which burdens the local population that has to travel to or from Lisse •Retail shops in Lisse; reduced accessibility causing regional shoppers to avoid Lisse, leading to less revenue. The choice has been made to merely focus on the last of these three sub-contexts. Although tourism was found to be a burden for the retail shops of Lisse, quantitative and qualitative research showed not only temporary inaccessibility through tourism threatens the centre of Lisse, but also online shopping, attractiveness of city centres and vacant stores pose a threat. At this moment, the strengths of the centre of Lisse as a regional shopping area can no longer outweigh the pressure that comes with these threats. This causes the centre to slowly degrade, manifesting itself in an increasingly amount of vacancies and shop owners that do not feel motivated to collaborate and invest in the centre any more. To counter this effect of degradation, a transition should to be made where Lisse is no longer regarded as just a regional shopping area, but as a village centre that is rich with experiences and where it pays off to do effort for the centre by taking ownership. The value of ‘the centre’ stands or falls by the amount of stakeholders that feel that they are part of the whole and have a responsibility to that whole. If this is present, ‘the centre’ will provide experiences to the customers and a positive business climate to the shop owners. In this way, the whole becomes more than the sum of the individual parts. For implementation, it is important to put focus on the symbiotic relationship that exists between individual stakeholders and ‘the centre’. For the short term, the benefits of investing in experiences can be demonstrated through pilots in individual stores. Eventually, the long term goal is providing a richness in collaboratively made experiences that bind the whole of the centre together, making current threats insignificant while providing positive spill over effects for the local entrepreneurs and customers. Stakeholders that have a purpose in governing the region such as HLTsamen should take a role in facilitating and orchestrating the transition. ... Read more

There are currently no technological options in the market for the oral care of edentulous population. Dental Robotics, a company already involved in the production of dental care devices for elderlies, is interested in new technological solutions to attend this sector. The design is challenging as it has to meet several requirements: 1) be built upon an existing platform (the Air 1 handle), 2) to demonstrate potential for efficiently clean different mouth morphologies, 3) to use an actuator that requires minimal maneuver and is easily accepted by patients and be practical for nurses, and all these while showing manufacturing feasibility and production scalability. The methodology followed a combination of design thinking and lean startup, meaning a human centered, technology-based iterative and integrative process of prototyping and test. Through this progressive development, diverse strategies were applied, including literature research, field work observations and empathizing with the problem, comparison of market-available alternatives, exploration of materials and prototyping processes, evaluation of effectiveness and acceptance of different design versions, image analyses to evaluate cleaning capacity, manufacturing process, etc. The result is a validated prototype that meets the technical requirements and represents the optimal solution within the explored options; however, future progress could result from optimizing the motion of the Actuator, improve design features to make the assembly easier, explore different arrangements of tufts textures to increase comfort, increase the sample of mouth morphologies to better represent the edentulous elderly population in The Netherlands, to test the effect of the gum cleaner with Laser Doppler Flowmetry to find out if it could stimulate blood flow (Irrigation) on the gingiva, and for how long, and evaluate the long-term impact of this device in the reduction of Residual Ridge Resorption clinical tests. If proven, this could be an added value offered by the company. The proposal for oral care in edentulous elder patients developed in this work proved promising as market product after further performance and manufacturing process refinements. ... Read more

This graduation assignment is about Vahlkamp, a health care alarm manufacturer, which noticed that the appearance of its products doesn’t convey the right brand image: being a socially responsible and technically skilled manufacturer.
As it is a small company, which is being strategically stuck in the middle in a big market with a lot of competitors, a way to make Vahlkamp more visible and distinctive and their message more clear is another challenge.

The goal of this assignment is: Update the Vahlkamp brand identity, so it will become a more visible and distinctive brand. Show how to convey the renewed image in a coherent way.

The process of this assignment is the following: By analyzing the company and it’s context, insights on the challenges were found and translated into a roadmap to get to this updated brand identity. This is close to the original one, but differs in the conveyed look and emphasizes the reasons to believe the brand. The roadmap shows three different implementations to come to this identity: a brand guide, a portfolio update and a niche market focus strategy.
A brand guide is created first to set a standard, also for the coherence, and provides the company with an handhold for all future brand communication. An proposed homepage serves as example.
The portfolio update consists of new cases for the core products (bed alarm, multisense, Epi-Watcher, Wet-Watcher and Teleroep). Three case designs with each different aspects are shown to employees of care organisations and their opinions about characteristics are collected. Based on their feedback, a final design is made and again shown to them. This is also 3D printed. Advice about changes of the design is given.

As the current brand essence is making simple but qualitative health care alarms for smaller disease groups and the current mission is to enlighten the burden of these people, the strategy is to focus on niche markets: small disease groups.
Vahlkamp already has products for niche markets, like the Epi-Watcher and products for the blind and deaf, but also sell mass market products. These should remain in the background.
By keeping research into the emerging niche markets and new technologies going, opportunities can be found. By contracting companies for their niche products or developing new niche products, the portfolio can be expanded.
In this way, the strategy supports their caring character and makes them more visible and distinctive, especially in the smaller niche markets.
As was found in the analysis phase, most competitors design for the majority and thus not focussing on the majority, but on the niche markets, is a good strategy for more visibility and distinctiveness. Also, the threat of substitution of multiple alarms by the use of cameras is a reason to comply with this strategy.
By using a brand guide, updating the portfolio and following the niche focus strategy, Vahlkamp’s brand identity will be updated so Vahlkamp will be a more visible and distinctive brand while conveying this message in a coherent way. ... Read more