This graduation project is done with the Industrial Design Engineering faculty for the Master’s programme Integrated Product Design (IPD) and cooperating with the End Of Life Lab. Loop-Biotech is a Dutch start-up based at YES Delft and sells the product the ‘Living coffin’. A coffin made out of the living material mycelium. Loop’s purpose is to enrich nature and has the ambition to restore the human-nature relationship. Its objective is to grow its business and become a trend worldwide. The scope for this project concerns Natural burial in the Netherlands. 1. Introduction The reasons for the research are to ensure consumers’ wellbeing and meet their needs. The current design can cause stress and insecurities with the end-user and providers due to product failure and design mistakes. Internal communication with Loop showed a desire to improve the shape, experience and production process. The assignment of the project is to redesign the mycelium coffin to reflect and communicate the contribution to the cycle-of-life through aesthetics and create an experience to support the funeral ritual. The research will be used as input to realise this goal. As guidance for the development of mycelium or fungi-based products and growing in the funeral industry, the main research question is as follows: How can a mycelium funeral vessel be designed on a technical and experiential level to support and optimise its meaningful value in the funeral industry? 2. Research The research investigates five topics; These five topics mainly focus on providing insights about the current coffin, opportunities for the funeral ritual in the industry, the material and a contribution to the cycle-of-life. (1) The company: Research about the production, company and current coffin. The ‘coffin’ product perception causes failure and insecurities during usage. (2) The material mycelium: Testing the material’s performance with the MDD method shows it is possible to see and feel the material, which emphasises the material’s naturalness and ‘living’ characteristics. Additionally, the basic instinct of the material (to demolish) is suppressed, and products are shaped in basic shapes and forms. (3) The market: The funeral industry is changing and teaches us that it will move in four directions. Personalisation of mortuary rituals, increasing environmental awareness, high-quality services and death becoming a more accessible topic to talk about. (4) The end-users, researched through interviews and desktop research, are expected to follow the trends the funeral industry provides. They feel the need to mourn the death of someone, come together, perform a ritual and create a meditative experience that intends to help with emotional healing and thereby creating a memorable moment through a greener burial ritual. (5) The providers are researched through interviews and desktop research. Providers want to present consumers with product and service options that are sustainable and biodegradable. The natural burial trend meets the needs and offers opportunities. Since they do not want to overkill the consumer, simplicity and back-to-nature will become more popular styles to offer. 3. Design direction With the improvement of design elements, this project will showcase an experience supporting and enriching the funeral process experience using aesthetics and rituals. “Design a funeral vessel that includes an optimised mould system for sustainable production and product-use, while creating a memorable moment when life comes to an end”. The challenge is to create a different product perception. The ambition for the redesign is to distance the consumer’s perception from a coffin and stimulate perception as a vessel or Cocoon for the body. 4. Ideation The diverging phase, described in this chapter, shows the search for a design that fits the design direction. It investigates possibilities that are used later on during the concept design phase. Methods such as collage-making, brainstorming, sketching, and a speedform study are selected, and the required physics are investigated. All the requirements and wishes eliminate ideas that do not meet these demands. The ideation resulted in three concepts. 5. Conceptualisation For the concept design phase, three concept designs are developed equally. The design process of the three concepts is visualised. Different elements (the shape, the interaction and the production) are worked out apart. 6. Final Design The research, ideation and conceptualisation resulted in the redesign of The Loop Cocoon. To allow the transformation from death into new life, restore a connection with nature and create a memorable moment when life comes to an end. 7. Recommendations and discussion The recommendations concerning the aesthetics, samples, functional development, sustainability, the assembly process and costs are discussed. They can be used as future steps to develop the Cocoon into a fully functional product. The discussion provided a project evaluation and personal reflection.

The focus of this project is on the loved ones during the process of euthanasia. Currently, there is a lack of consistent and clear support for this group. The tips for loved ones that can be found on the websites of euthanasia organizations are often about how to support the person who wants euthanasia. Less support is available on how to deal with this process emotionally as a loved one.

The Nederlandse Vereniging voor een Vrijwillig Levenseinde (NVVE) is involved as the client of this project. They provide support and information to people who want to apply for euthanasia (Missie en visie, z.d.).

Every euthanasia process is different, every person deals with this differently, but design can support people to find a way to get through this carefully. In this project, the research focus is on the process of people with physical health issues. The process is looked at, from the moment the conversation with loved ones about euthanasia starts until the grieving with other loved ones afterward.

This project is based on an extensive context research process. During this stage the different players in the system of euthanasia within the NVVE were interviewed. The main research was focused on the loved ones and the NVVE. The loved ones were both interviewed and had a booklet to share their story. This resulted into a list of recognizable themes for loved ones. The analysis of the data resulted into a design vision and interaction vision.

Design vision:
“Design to foster the beauty of the process, by creating moments of silence and evaluation during the process of euthanasia.”
Based on these visions the concept “moments of silence” was created. Together with a roadmap for the NVVE which shows them possible next steps to give more support to the loved ones.

From the evaluation sessions it can be concluded that both the NVVE and the loved ones see potential in this concept. They both recognize the need for recognition and support for the loved ones. They recognize that standing still will help the loved ones to reflect about their own experience and help to create and cherish the beautiful moment together.

Moments of silence
The concept “Moments of silence” is a product-service combination for the NVVE which helps the loved ones to create moments of reflection during the process to be able to see/cherish the beauty of that process.

The folder will guide the reader through seven recognizable themes for loved ones during the process of euthanasia. Each theme consists of several stories which are based on real stories. They can either read or listen the stories, which fits their style of processing at that moment. Afterwards, the loved ones are asked to reflect on the theme in their own way. Positive questions and assignments are formulated to stimulate positive reflection. The folder emphasizes that the reader should take their own pace and way of using this folder, since it is such a personal and delicate topic.

We are used to having access to a wide range of products every day of the year. Technology and import enable this offer, as fresh products were initially seasonal bound. The topic of seasonality is often researched and discussed in the light of sustainability and health. The focus is either on how to reduce food miles or why a connection with nature is beneficial for our wellbeing. However, there is an intuitive side to seasonality that is often forgotten. The overall goal of this project is to make seasonality a positive experience. Instead of focusing on restrictions (limited offer per season), the focus is on what is available. The approach for this project is social practice theory. It prescribes to not target one single form of behaviour, but analyse the whole system around it. This way, you can create links and build a system between factors that is supportive. By changing the system around a person, the behaviour changes automatically as a result. The focus is thus not on nudging or creating awareness in one specific type of situation. Qualitative user research is performed, following the contextmapping method. This enables participants to give input by reflecting on what they think, want and need. By using a sensitizing package, a reflective state is triggered in the participant. From the contextmapping research, four design directions were derived. Focusing on the circularity and continuity of the seasons seemed most promising. The design goal is formulated as wanting to enthuse a group of friends to organise a festive get-together over food to celebrate the fresh products of a season, based on traditional seasonal celebrations. The resulting design is a concept called Gaia. It is targeted at a group of friends. They can organise a seasonal celebration together, according to a tradition that has aged or has merged with Christian celebrations. The main idea is that everyone brings something to the table. This can be food, drinks, an activity or decoration. The user can indicate which task they’d like to perform on the website. The concept consists of an inspirational package that the users receive at home with specific inspiration and guidelines for their tasks. The box is received two months in advance, which gives you time to prepare different elements (e.g planting seeds to pick for making flower decorations or infusing liquor to make limoncello). The focus is on seasonal, local and fresh products. Gaia gives a group of friends a reason to celebrate the season, without unnecessary obligations. You can put as much effort in as you like. The focus is on celebrating the seasonal products and going with what is available. It is an opportunity to create your own rituals and traditions with friends. User evaluation showed that the tone of voice appealed to the target group and that the participants were eager to put effort into their tasks as they got enthusiastic by the box. They tried to make a lot of things from scratch with fresh ingredients. The amount of knowledge about the products they’ve used also increased. For future development, the most important task is to design the website to enable a complete test with the whole scenario. Social media channels to promote it can also be tested this way.

In the previous decade, a new type of air travel has seen a surge of interest from established and start-up companies alike: Air Mobility, a type of short range air travel as an alternative to taking the train or the car. Part of air mobility are a new type of aircraft, called Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing vehicles (eVTOLs), which hold potential for many new use cases.

Design agency Modyn wants to profile themselves within the field of air mobility through a vision concept for an ambulance drone. This use case, they reckoned, would be a good starting point for Air Mobility and eVTOLs, as it attracts more public acceptance than commercial use cases, such as an air-taxi service.

Modyn’s vision project was turned into this graduation thesis: an ambulance drone concept for the scope of 2035. Far enough in the future to capture the imagination, but near enough for it to relate to our present day reality in 2021.

Keeping the project grounded was one of the main challenges. It required a good understanding of the current ambulance system in The Netherlands. Which was the first research subject. A visit to ambulance station Delft and interviews with people from the field were all valuable input.

After establishing the current status quo, a look into the future was taken. Here, plans towards Air Mobility were investigated, in order to see how much The Netherlands is interested in this idea. The influence of technological and societal developments that relate to Air Mobility were plotted on a timeline, creating a roadmap towards 2035. This roadmap would create an input for the technical architecture of the ambulance drone.


Having a good picture of the present and a potential future, the research was distilled into a vision and a mission. The focus now clearly went towards using ambulance drones to replace the current ambulance helicopters. Also, the design challenges were identified and a program of requirements was compiled.

The design phase started off with the ideation, in which Virtual Reality was used to generate interior layouts. The interior is the most fundamental part of the design, as it is responsible for 90% of the interactions that the users have with the ambulance drone. An inside-out design approach was therefore the most sensible.

From the VR based ideation, the most promising interior layouts were translated into concepts. The direction was still rather open at this point, so in order to converge towards the final concept, a lot of experts were consulted for feedback on the concepts and the direction of the project.

This led to the creation of the final design, which was loosely based on two of the concepts. Thanks to the feedback from experts, the final design underwent quite a metamorphosis compared to the concepts.

The result is an ambulance drone concept with novel features and interesting ideas regarding the interior layout. The final concept has a recognisable, yet unique identity from a visual standpoint, being professional and approachable at the same time.

This report showcases the design process of an air purifier that is based on the technology ‘active botanical biofiltration’, is designed specifically for a target group and it serves as an exploration of solar power applied to the mentioned technology. Indoor air contamination is a big problem for our urbanized societies, as it causes chronic diseases and SBS symptoms (headache, dizziness, irritation, etc…) to the buildings occupants. Active botanical biofiltration has been proved in the last decades as a valuable option to reduce indoor air contamination. It can target a big range of pollutants, increase the thermal comfort and improve the indoors spatial quality, in a low maintenance and low energy requiring way. Currently, several portable active botanical biofilters can be found in the market. All the products follow the main principle of the technology: plant combined with an airflow; and differ from each other with other features such as air monitoring, water tank or app interface. Given the described situation, a research process is carried out about the active botanical biofiltration (literature research), the functionalities and aesthetics desired by the user (questionnaires and interviews) and the possibilities around powering the device with solar energy (literature research). After synthesizing this research, the design requirements that the product should follow are: Product targeted to Western Europeans, living in big cities and older than 30 years old; Product to include the functionalities: airflow generated by one fan; solar powered; water tank with water level indicator; upgradeable system and not including monitoring functionalities; Product to look like a normal potted plant but doing something extra; minimalistic, subtle, neutral, timeless, functional and natural; Product to use white ceramic and wood as main materials. After showing the process of research and synthesis, the final result of the product is shown in detail (digital design and functional prototype) together with the steps that lead to that final shape (prototyping, iterations, user testing, etc…). As a last step in the process, the prototype is used to carry out a design evaluation regarding the user experience and product’s performance in improving air quality (for CO2, VOCs, T and %H). With respect to the results performed, it seems that the device is able to increase the relative humidity (from 50% to 55% in the tests), but no big effects were noticed in contaminants removal. However, a big part of the obtained results are inconsistent, which points to the need of repeating the tests in a more controllable environment. On the other hand, the user experience test results are positive, as the users felt a positive effect in their perception over the space the product was being used, and the aesthetic style is appropriate according to the user’s opinions. Besides, two areas were recommended to be improved: making the integration of the solar panels in a more subtle way, and accompanying the device with clear and reliable performance results about the product in real life scenarios.

Picnic is an online supermarket currently operational in the Netherlands and Germany. Groceries are ordered from an app and delivered to the customer using a last-mile delivery vehicle. This last-mile delivery vehicle is currently used for densely populated cities and works well enough to support the current number of deliveries. However, this specific current last-mile delivery vehicle can not access all households in the Netherlands. This is because its speed is limited to 50 km/h and can only carry a limited amount of cargo. In order to expand and reach new households, Picnic is looking for a new last-mile delivery vehicle. Having started a joint venture with VDL and TNO, Picnic is looking to design and build their very own last-mile delivery vehicle that is purpose built for their needs. They are looking to become bigger, faster and stronger on the roads. Increasing the vehicle speed to 80 km/h and carrying more cargo allows them to reach the households that are currently out of the geographic scope. Having a vehicle that can reach those extra households would significantly increase their customerbase and consequently market share in the supermarket space. With the opportunity to build a purpose specific vehicle, they also have the opportunity to control the aesthetic of the vehicle. Picnic relies heavily on their brand image and identity as a means of differentiation from their competitors. Therefore translating their brand assets to the vehicle will give them a stronger brand presence in the consumer environment. Having identified the raison d’etre of the vehicle, reaching new households in less densely populated areas, research was carried out to find different design cues and assets that could be leveraged in the exterior design of the new vehicle. The result of this was that the new vehicle had to look quirky, friendly and electric. Accompanying these terms was a design vision also derived through research and in talking to the relevant stakeholders. “Design a next generation company icon, to remain a local hero”. Using this input, the sketchphase was conducted with a funnel approach. Creating a broad spectrum of different designs and options that were in accordance with the design vision and form language derived from the research. Through method of elimination with the input from the different stakeholders, the sketchphase reached a point of maturity, which consequently yielded a final design. This final design satisfied all the requirements derived from the research and embodied the Picnic aesthetic while remaining functional for the runners. This final design was thereafter iterated once more and presented using renders from a CAD model along with detailed renders of key features and elements of the design. That is the final phase of the project and the culmination of the efforts documented in this report. Further recommendations are also included at the end of this report. They aim to develop the sophistication of the design to the point that it is ready for VDL and TNO to create a proposal for the next steps required to take the design to a first prototype.

As one of the most popular musical instruments, drum kits' design has not changed a lot since it first emerged. However, the product contains some problems which significantly affect user experience. Not to improve the design, this project aims to dig deeper into the world of drum kit and drummers to identify their emotional values and related functional needs, hence to find new design possibilities for this classic musical instrument. Trend research, user research, and market research were conducted. The result was finalized into the fundamental emotion and related functional needs. The design vision was established, and the design was completed. The final design – Collector, is a conceptual drum kit with a new design language, which allows drummers to create their own sound library and is flexible to use in different scenarios. The design was evaluated with real drummers and was proved to be both practical and attractive. The concept shows enormous potential to be further developed into a commercial product.

If 10 people would answer the question “What falls into the category grooming and what is beautification?” there would be 10 different answers. For some, grooming does not go beyond taking a shower and brushing your teeth. But what about shaving? Or make-up? And a question that arose during quarantine: how important are hairdressers? Most people agree that cosmetic surgery does not belong in the realm of grooming anymore, but how about using injectables? This is where the discussion gets interesting. In this thesis the focus lies on the twilight zone of beautification, meaning on minor surgeries, injectables and trends that normalize enhancing your beauty in a way, that technically can be considered surgery, but are not perceived as such by the public.

Firstly, the phenomenon Beauty Ideals was explored. While thoroughly researching this phenomenon, the Vision in Product Design was used to create six clusters, or overarching themes. Three of these clusters were chosen to design for. In order to create design for debate and awareness, critical design theory was applied to create three designs. For each design a dystopia was written, and a prototype was built and a scenario photo was made. The combination of these three, show three problems that could arise when we choose to beautify to an extent to which we can no longer return to natural.

First of all, the Wishbone is a face jewel that reflects how beautification affects our metal health. Often we beautify ourselves because we want to become happier, but research shows, that rarely ever this is the case. Short term happiness is achieved, but on the long run, on average, people become more discontent with themselves and the way they look. The design of the Wishbone reflects how we limit ourselves in the way we feel and express ourselves. Taking the current developments, such as preventive Botox, to an extreme, people will physically be unable to move their faces in a way that is healthy for both the brain and the body.

Secondly, the Tulip is a chair that reflects how beautification affects our relationships. The way we want to make ourselves look better, stands in the way of pleasant touch and how we perceive touch. Again, taken to an extreme, we see that an extremely important part of human connection is limited, muted or avoided all together.

Lastly, the Cloud is a ‘My-First-Botox-Kit’ that reflects how beautification affects our daughters and the generations to come. Having small amounts of Botox and fillers injected seems innocent, but young children, are vulnerable and susceptible to everything they see around them. Especially when it comes to their direct environment. Using injectables as a mother, aunt, teacher or other type of role model, gives off a signal to the younger generation that they are not good enough the way they are.

In the competitive road race-cycling sport, having a frame that is lighter and aerodynamic, grants a competitive advantage. If we look at the market, the lighter and expensive bicycles are made from carbon where the cheaper models are made out of metal-alloys. This makes the consumer biased towards metal-alloy frames, mostly about the weight. To make a optical and physical change in weight, the connection points (lugs) in between tubes are chosen. Using a topology optimised lug in frames improves production speed whilst maintaining conventional production methods and technologies. This lug has the opportunity to make the frame lighter and stiffer compared to a frame without lugs. The final product is a result of a marriage between craftsmanship and cutting edge technology. This product incorporates the characteristics and core strengths of the Braun-cycling company and the developments of CAD modelling software and additive manufacturing into a unique and high-quality product. It shows that metal-alloy bicycles are in no way outdated, but are futureproof.

This booklet will take you on a journey into the world of shape memory alloys, by showing the explorative route I have taken. Although the road was not yet paved and sometimes very bumpy, I managed to reach my final goal. I am proud to present ThermoTilt, a responsive insulation layer which uses shape memory alloy’s unique properties to achieve its shape shifting abilities.

In the past 40 years, an incomprehensible 8,3 billion metric tons of plastic has been produced and is primarily being discarded and incinerated, instead of being recycled. Only 10 per cent of this total amount has been recycled to date, therefore it was decided to focus on recycling of plastic waste to reduce plastic pollution which negatively impacts life on a global scale. Through an extensive analysis of the recycling context it was found that the biggest problem in plastic recycling is the inability to achieve a constant production of high-quality recyclate. With insufficient knowledge to address this found problem, it was decided to do an internship at Polytential BV, a start-up company located in Delft, the Netherlands. Their innovative product the Virtual Chemist, a device that analyses the composition of plastic waste up to 98,5 per cent accuracy, enables mechanical recyclers and compounders to analyse large volumes of plastic waste.
The solution will facilitate a transition towards a data-driven recycling industry, increasing profitability in processing plastic waste by providing the industry with accurate and representative composition data, as processing large volumes is currently not possible. However, The Virtual Chemist was still in an early development stage (MVP) and required further development to be presented to clients as a sellable product (MMP). This was done by addressing the user needs and facilitating the right user experience, achieved through an analysis of the context, user, current system, and workflow to define a baseline for this project. Additionally, each step was completed by focussing on the user interaction and experience. The analysis results were used to formulate a design brief, which defined the goal and direction for the ideation and conceptualisation of the product. This report presents a summary of the completed design process, research findings, and concludes with recommendations that focus on further development of the Virtual Chemist.

The aim of this project was to design a new lighting product for the company Fatboy. In Figure 1 an abstract overview is shown of the project process, consisting of three main phases.

Fatboy is a Dutch design brand that provides accent furniture products which bring more (fun) to living. The company is especially known for its colourful and iconic bean bags. Besides these textile lounging products their relative younger lighting category especially distinguishes itself from other brands with portable and simplistic designed lamps. The products are playful and flexible in use, while iconic and simple in shape.

When looking at the future of the lighting market an important aspect is the shift in the functioning of light. For years the functioning and experience of light was mainly evaluated on its visual performance. Only recently researchers realized that light can accomplish a certain atmosphere and therefore affect people in their mood and emotions. Furthermore the development of LED technology creates new possibilities for this, by making light for instance smart and adjustable in colour. Besides the development in the connected lighting market, LEDs are also boosting the innovation in embedded lighting. The miniaturization of electrical components, results in LEDs the size of 1 mm2. This makes it possible to integrate light sources in flexible structures and architectural materials.

The future context of living was mainly defined by the population growth and urbanization trend. More people are moving towards big cities, which results in smaller living spaces. Furthermore the trend of small and compact living is also driven by the environmental awareness and mindful living. Experiences are becoming more important than the possession of physical objects. Furthermore the Danish hygge principle showed that there is a desire for experiencing more nostalgic and cosy moments of togetherness. Especially in a world where people are surrounded by technologies and distractions, there is the desire to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. For these reasons it was considered important for the new lighting product to be: flexible, sustainable, atmospheric and personal.

According to the Vision in Product (ViP) design method, a vision was created to form an inspiring basis for the conceptualisation phase. The statement was defined as: “I want to enable people to enjoy the simple pleasures (together) by creating a cosy atmosphere in a flexible way”. From this a few main product qualities were defined as: playful, affectionate, care-free and supportive.

With the vision as starting point ideas were generated, which resulted in various key ideas. From these ideas new insights were gained and a new focus was created. The flexibility in the use of the product is of great importance in this project. Therefore the concept should leave room for the personal interpretation of the user. The light experience is focussed on moments of cosiness and relaxation. Furthermore the interaction with the product especially should be playful and intuitive. Eventually it was decided to focus on ideas in which the combination of textile and light is the essence. The use of textile makes it possible to create flexibility in the lighting product, but the tactility of textile also refers to cosiness and comfort. Furthermore it creates a direct connection between the Fatboy product categories.

Further literature research was done on the integration of LEDs in textile (products). Different technological principles with supporting product examples were explored, that resulted in concept directions which were tested with material experiments. To maintain a low tech, simplistic and friendly experience of the product, which is important for the connection to the Fatboy design language, it was decided to integrate the LEDs underneath the textile. In this way the light experience becomes a surprising element in the design. The LEDs are connected to another textile material with the use of conductive yarn, which maintains the flexibility of the product. Furthermore it was decided to make use of a light pattern, which creates a natural, playful and cosy experience of light.

The essence of the idea is that the flexible lighting product shaped like a small slightly thicker blanket boosts the relaxing atmosphere at home. Due to its flexibility it is possible to bring the light close, even on soft unstable but comforting places like the couch or the bed. With the warm and soft light pattern an instant cosy atmosphere can be created. Furthermore with the looped rope makes it still possible to hang the product somewhere.

The final form of the product was inspired by the shape of an animal skin rug, which is playful but also refers to the cosy elements of the hygge principle. The product exists of a sleeve, an electronic inner part and some accessories like the rope. The embodiment of these parts were defined by their materials, measurements and manufacturing principles.

A working prototype was made and tested with participants on the qualities that were defined in the design vision. There was concluded that the product is validated on these different aspects. Some more qualitative insights were also gained from the making and testing of the product which resulted in recommendations for the further development of the product.

Digital technology is conquering private homes and changes the way people interact with products and services. Today already, devices provide intelligent support for daily tasks, by making homes automated and context-aware. This inexorable trend is projected to further reshape the nature of consumer goods. However, several threats come along with blindly implementing digital technology. Meaningful human-product interactions can get diluted, or even lost, by the ongoing automation of the kitchen. Especially, highly emotional luxury brands like German kitchen appliance manufacturer Gaggenau, rely on the physical qualities of their products. This dilemma makes the brand hesitate when it comes to the implementation of digital technologies, facing the thread of their products becoming obsolete on a market driven by digitalization. A crucial task for the brand’s future development is to find the balance between support and automation while preserving their user-centered brand values. While analyzing the target group it was found crucial to understand their process of cooking, in order to identify novel opportunity spaces.
An essential insight derived by analyzing the relationships of a product and its surrounding environment. Supportive countertop devices take a big amount of space. When managing bulky kitchen machines, the user has to restore the device after every use or leaving it on the countertop permanently. Additionally, every machine comes with its own, heavy motor block which is doing essentially the same thing - providing motion. The design principle was formulated, describing the idea of an universal motion port, submerged in the countertop surface of a kitchen. The seamlessly integrated hub provides motion and heat via an electromagnetic field, powering various modules placed on top of the counter.
Exploring the principle, became the focus of the project and a blender module was chosen as an example module. During the embodiment of the product, several ideas were tested to transfer a rotary momentum through a solid surface. The principle of an axial flux motor was sensed promising and got prototyped and tested by many iterations. A more elaborated prototype from machined parts was made, proofing the concept idea as valid. Due to the successful implementation of the axial flux motor principle an ultra slim motion port was achieved. To further enrich the product experience, a haptic input controller was designed. This completely detachable magnetic dial works with a digital user interface shining through the counter surface.
The final design of the blender module was strongly guided by the three design attributes - light, pure and effortless. The semi-transparent glass object can lock in on the submerged motion port on a perfectly unbroken surface. While processing food, the cook can perceive the color of the produce, even through the lid. The frosted glass finish combined with the light and pure appearance of the product, makes the device harmonize with its surrounding. Finally, The Gaggenau Sous Chef, was designed to be unobtrusively accessible to the user and to allow a flexible operation of modules by an universal motion port.

This graduation project is a demonstration of the potentialities of a theory-based approach to design for mood regulation, which is based on the belief that design can influence mood by enabling and stimulating people to engage in effective mood-regulating activities.

For this project, the western home bathroom was chosen as a context of research, due to the personal interest of the author in the relaxing properties of bathing, and bathing related activities such as the Finnish sauna, and the Turkish steam bath.

The goal of the project was kept very broad in the beginning and gradually narrowed down during the analysis phase. A significant contribution to the creation of a well-defined design goal was given by the realization that, while relaxing practices are usually well accommodated in the domestic environment, little attention is paid to activities that influence people’s mood towards a high energy state such as exercising.

Eventually, the project’s objective became to design a piece of furniture, in which physical exercise-supporting features coexist with more relax-oriented attributes. This product would aim to make high energy state inducing activities an integral part of the everyday domestic routine.

Three concepts were generated by following an incremental process in which insights from one idea served as a starting point for the next. The third and last concept was then developed using a broad variety of techniques such as sketching, collage making, digital visualization, prototyping, and testing.
The final result is a piece of furniture to exercise and to relax on, which form stands somewhere in between a bench and a chaise longue. Its name is Ginnasio, a reference to the building that, in Ancient Greece, functioned as a training facility, but also as a place to relax, socialize and engage in philosophical discussion.

The aim of this thesis is to analyze if a fully electric super yacht is feasible, desirable and viable. This is done using a “research by design” approach using the current (and future) drivers, enablers and barriers to design a concept.

First, a vision is developed using the ViP (Vision in Product design) method, in order to create a clear raison d’être (reason of being) for the concept to be successful.

Context and Technology analysis lead to the formulation of a design brief, which was used for the Ideation. A main idea is selected to be developed into a concept, which is used to answer the research questions.

The design of the final concept showed the possibilities for fully electric yachting within the boundaries as set in the design brief. A fully electric super yacht will be less flexible in usage and is potentially only suitable for a selected clientele. The main barriers are technical and related to the infrastructure and usage.

Wimoto is a motorcycle engineering company, owned and run by Wido Veldkamp. Wimoto has a strong focus on engineering and the related driving characteristics, compared to the more lifestyle oriented competitors.
Wimoto’s unique combination of skills and the related quality of work is outstanding but the connection between the company and its potential customers leaves room for improvement. There is an opportunity to interact with customers in a more understandable, appealing and profitable way.
A low threshold option for custom suspension upgrades for multiple motorcycle models is provided to differentiate from the ‘shallow customs’ that currently dominate the custom scene. Connected to the values of the company, the product increases awareness of the importance and possibilities of suspension design and helps customers with decision making. In this way Veldkamp’s expertise can be used fully and new customers are more likely to make an inquiry.
The physical part of the design is a cantilever swingarm that can be adapted to the different motorcycle models. This is partly done with the use of a parametric model, which is constructed in Solidworks. The parametric model also allows Wimoto to apply new geometric design to the donor motorcycle, which is essential for improving driving characteristics. The design is theoretically validated for stiffness using finite element analysis. The simulations showed an improvement in stiffness compared to original swingarms.
The complete upgrade was validated with the build of a prototype and test rides. Building the prototype showed what the upgrade exactly means for the company. Test rides proved that the driving characteristics improved substantially and the subjects were sincerely surprised with the experience.
How the design should exactly be implemented, is not yet fully defined but recommendations are given.

Methodology: literature research, conversations

During this project, the possibilities between carbon fibres and glass were explored. It appeared that no significant improvement in mechanical properties can be obtained by reinforcing the glass. Therefore other directions were explored in the kiln, with hot glass, with glue and with electric current, both aesthetic and functional. Eventually a method, in which a weave of carbon fibres is used as a mould to blow glass in, was chosen as most promising.

This method has many values and advantages: the possibility to create non-withdrawable designs without seams (a new method with different restrictions), digitalisation in glass processing by generating sewing patterns, a fast, cheap and easy method to create easily adaptable moulds and finally a new aesthetic value by having a textile texture and in that way ‘soft’ glass. Possibilities have been explored and optimised and user evaluation showed that the contrast between textured and untextured areas was appointed as the most aesthetically pleasing aspect.

These values and results have been verified, proven and showcased in two final designs. A digitally generated sewing pattern was used to create a soft squirrel out of glass and the contrast in texture was applied in a planter design for Van Tetterode’s own product line, following the trend of bringing the outside inside.

Chronic (persistent) pain is a global health concern that affects one in ten adults ( Europe Pain Report, 2004). It is associated with pain on certain tender points of the body when staying still for long periods. Performing physical activity is key in combating this illness, but is also a challenge as patients suffer from fear of movement in the earlier stages, as well as maintaining movements on a regular basis. However, recent studies have shown that slow body movement positively correlates with emotion and well-being (Tal Shafir, 2016). This provided a started point to design a device that fosters happy, full body movements in people who have chronic pain.
The design process was focused on a making centred approach to have a first-hand experience of how movements and posture are percieved with constant referral to chronic pain research. Many prototypes and interactive technologies were designed and tested to find the correct mechanism for full-body movement and muscle stimulation. The final concept prototype focused on a seating device which can be used for work, and as well as a rehabilitation tool in connection with a computer game to practice and visualize movements, serving as a distraction towards pain. This device was eventually tested with chronic pain patients and a physiotherapist to check the quality of interaction. The qualitative results obtained were positive, showing easy control of the device along with a straight and healthy posture while making movements. The design and developement of this device was also addressed as a vision for the industrial design concept,provided it is taken further and developed.