This graduation project explores how interactive design can support museum visitors in engaging with colours. Inspired by Van Gogh’s practice of arranging coloured wool threads to test combinations, the project follows a research-through-design process, including contextual exploration, co-creation, prototyping, and user testing. The final outcome is “Select Colours Like Van Gogh,” an interactive installation combining a physical colour wheel with digital projections of Irises and Sunflowers and corresponding wool balls. The installation enables visitors to experiment with colour choices and reflect on their impact, fostering playful engagement and deeper understanding of Van Gogh’s creative process. The project contributes to design knowledge on tangible–digital museum experiences and offers practical insights for integrating interactive learning into art exhibitions.

Reading is a cornerstone of intellectual growth and a vital skill for thriving in society. In the realm of design education, design-related books serve as crucial resources for novice designers, offering both in-depth knowledge and practical insights. However, in an era where information is increasingly consumed through digital channels like videos, podcasts, and social media, the traditional role of reading is under threat. Despite the wealth of information available online, the depth and credibility provided by books remain unparalleled. Yet, as research shows, many design students struggle with maintaining motivation to read, often finding the material daunting or unengaging. This raises a critical question: how can we motivate novice designers to engage with design books and sustain their reading habits in a digital age?

This project sought to address this challenge through comprehensive research, including literature reviews on reading motivation and gamification, as well as context mapping studies. The research identified several key obstacles faced by novice designers and pinpointed effective strategies to boost motivation. It became evident that while increasing engagement is crucial, fostering a sense of knowledge-building and self-growth significantly enhances the perceived value of reading, turning it into a more fulfilling activity.

The whole design process evolved through continuous iterations, culminating in the development of Milegrow, a unique concept that integrates physical milestones with a digital design growth map. Milegrow encourages readers to reflect, connect ideas, and track their progress, ultimately fostering a deeper engagement with the material.

Key features of Milegrow include:
1. Physical Milestones: These break the book into manageable sections, giving readers a sense of control and progress.
2. Reflective questions: Embedded within milestones, these prompts stimulate deep reflection, making the reading experience more engaging and thought-provoking.
3. Record thoughts and reflections: This helps deepen the understanding of the content, thereby maximizing the utility value of the book.
4. Design Growth Map: A digital tool that collect reflections and tracks intellectual growth across various design fields.

Final evaluations revealed that Milegrow effectively enhances the reading experience by making it more engaging, thought-provoking, and reflective. It also fosters a sense of knowledge-building and self-growth, thereby increasing motivation.

Today, an increasing number of art, history, and culture-related items are being digitally reproduced and displayed by cultural heritage institutions on websites. As the digitisation of cultural collections progresses, digital collection websites are reaching a broader and more diverse audience, including a growing segment known as casual users. This user group is becoming more prevalent in the context of digital collections. However, despite their increasing presence, the current interfaces of most digital collection websites do not adequately support the casual user experience. Casual users typically visit these sites without a specific informational goal, preferring exploratory browsing. In contrast, many existing interfaces are designed for users with clear motivations, focusing on targeted searches. Tools like search bars and catalogues may limit exploration for casual users, who may feel less encouraged to explore freely. This raises a critical question: how can we design an innovative exploration experience that invites casual users to explore and supports their divergent exploration?

Through a literature review of psychological theories on exploratory behaviour, design principles for supporting casual users, theories on facilitating serendipity, and user research with six casual users, a deeper understanding of the context was gained, leading to the definition of the design goal. Four interaction qualities—exploratory, serendipitous, supportive, and playful—were then established as guiding principles for the project.

Based on the research findings, four initial concepts were developed and tested with nine participants. Insights from the first round of testing were used to formulate an integrated concept. An interactive prototype was then created to conduct a second round of testing with five participants.

The final concept, Wander More, is an innovative online tool for exploring digital collections. It is designed to invite casual users to wander through diverse cultural items using connected keywords in a simple, playful, and surprising way. The key features of the final concept are as follows:

1. Wandering through various items via keyword connections in a simple and endless way.
2. Playfully dragging keywords to generate a diverse range of surprising items.
3. Viewing exploration journey summary
4. Also supporting deep and specific exploration

In the final evaluation, the design was assessed to determine how well it achieved the design goal. Five participants found it to be a simple and enjoyable experience that allowed them to explore diverse items in a playful and surprising manner.

This report outlines the design of an interactive reading assistance system aimed at enhancing reading efficiency and experience for individuals with dyslexia.
The design process is divided into four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver.
The Discover phase includes literature and technical research. To achieve the design goal, eye-tracking technology combined with AI generation was identified as an ideal combination for intuitive information exchange and analysis during the research.
After finishing the design definition, the research involved a comprehensive iterative design process, incorporating insights from functional tests, user interviews, an expert interview, and a technical focus group. A notable innovation is the use of reading data from eye movements, integrated with AI to provide real-time personalized reading assistance.The powerful capabilities of AI bring unlimited possibilities for the system's flexibility. To this end, a comprehensive strategic roadmap and system map were also designed to ensure the feasibility of the project.
Despite its innovative approach, the project faced challenges, including workload constraints and technical hurdles, which affected the thoroughness of verification and validation. These limitations highlight areas for further development and refinement. By addressing the challenges, this project has the potential to influence broader accessibility practices in digital reading.

Designers in practice face multiple challenges while aiming to solve social problems, most of them require the gathering of multiple viewpoints, types of knowledge, and the consideration of conflicting angles. This type of work, known as transdisciplinarity, is a challenge on its own. Designers often face difficulties in explaining their process to other practitioners, leading to communication gaps. Most of the efforts on communicating design are focused within the design community and do not adequately target other disciplines and practitioners.

The primary goal of this project is to create an open and streamlined communication platform for
practitioners beyond the design community. The aim is to introduce users to design methods using specific sensitizing concepts that will familiarize them with design practices, thereby increasing awareness of the value design methods offer beyond the design community.

With the continuous development of society and technology, accessibility for minority groups, particularly visually impaired persons (VIPs), is gaining more attention. This paper explores ways to enhance VIP reading efficiency and experience through the design of a tailored automatic text summarization tool, contributing to the European Accessibility Act's objective to improve accessible products and services. In collaboration between Delft University of Technology and Koninklijke Bibliotheek, this project addresses the specific challenges VIPs face when accessing information in both physical and digital library environments.
This research highlights the gap between sighted readers and VIPs in skimming reading strategies, a critical aspect of information retrieval. Skimming, defined as quickly identifying the main ideas of a text, is typically a faster process for sighted readers who can use spatial cues. For VIPs, reading is linear and auditory, increasing their cognitive load and reducing comprehension. Through a detailed analysis of VIP needs and existing skim-reading tools, such as Skimmer, this paper narrows its design scope to address the identified gaps, particularly in two-dimensional navigation.
The primary goal of this research is to develop an AI-driven summarization tool that enhances the skim-reading experience for VIPs by supporting non-visual implementations of macro-structures and enabling non-linear exploration. By tailoring summaries to VIP preferences, the tool allows users to quickly access relevant sections of text, improving both reading speed and overall comprehension. The design employs inclusive, iterative, and user-centered methods, ensuring the final product meets the specific needs of VIPs. User testing and feedback are integral to the development process, refining the tool to enhance usability and accessibility.
The project also contributes to the theoretical understanding of VIPs’ cognitive processes during skim reading. It reveals the importance of designing summaries that are intuitive and customizable to meet diverse needs. By integrating generative AI tools, the tool can produce personalized summaries, progressively refining them to align with user interests. The final deliverable is a web-based application that provides VIPs with efficient and satisfying reading experiences, closing the gap between sighted and visually impaired readers.
This research advances assistive technology by addressing the lack of suitable reading tools for VIPs, particularly in non-academic, everyday reading contexts. The project fills market gaps by offering an accessible solution for digital reading materials that can cater to the unique challenges faced by VIPs. Ultimately, the tool enhances VIPs' cognitive abilities, reduces their cognitive burden, and fosters a more engaging reading experience, contributing to increased reading efficiency and self-efficacy.

This thesis examines the influence of volunteering in GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) institutions as a way to assist individuals throughout significant life transitions, such as retirement, career transfers, relocation to a new city, or changes in relationships. The project involves the cooperation of two organisations: the Rotterdam Central Library and the National Museum of Scotland, with the active involvement of volunteers from both institutions. The study utilises a human-centred approach, employing a combination of literature review, interviews, and generative sessions to uncover the underlying motivations and thoughts of the volunteers who choose to engage in volunteering, and it aims to define the reasons why volunteering can be considered an effective emotional support tool for individuals who are going through life transitions. This study demonstrates how engaging in volunteer work at GLAM institutions can provide individuals with a revitalised sense of purpose and interpersonal connection throughout significant life transitions.

The design aspect of the project focuses on discovering a proficient method of advocating for volunteering in GLAM institutions by dispelling misunderstandings associated with the subject and increasing awareness of the advantages it can provide to those undergoing emotional upheaval due to a significant life transition. During the ideation phase, the research utilised participatory design methodologies to include the viewpoints of both present and possible future volunteers. This approach ensures that the final design solutions are customised to fit the varied demands of these groups.

The project provides a holistic intervention involving collaborating with different GLAM institutions in a city. It aims to showcase the activities and environment provided by these institutions to help individuals navigate the emotional challenges that come with life transitions. The program features three main touchpoints for promotion: a physical exhibit located within institutions, as well as a digital promotion strategy that includes a social media campaign and a website.

This thesis offers an alternative viewpoint on volunteering by challenging the conventional notion that it solely benefits the community. Instead, it emphasises the positive impact it has on individuals’ emotional well-being, underscoring the notion that engaging in activities for the improvement of society can also yield personal benefits.

This project, in collaboration with the TU Delft Library, aims to design an interactive experience to engage students with the academic heritage collections, specifically to encourage visits to the Collection Wall. Although the library houses an extensive collection of academic heritage objects, many students are unaware of them due to limited visibility and accessibility, as the collections are stored in the basement. The goal of this project is to address this by creating a playful learning experience with academic heritage, engaging students during a study break to initiate interest in the Collection Wall.

The project’s design process followed the Double Diamond method, including the phases of discover, define, develop, and deliver. In the discovery phase, museum studies were explored to understand engagement strategies and the use of digital technology in cultural institutions to inform the design of interactive experiences. A context mapping study revealed students’ needs, behaviors, and attitudes toward the current facilities at the TU Delft Library, their study breaks, and the academic heritage collections. Key findings were captured in user personas and storyboards, identifying the “Determined Socializer” persona as the target group. This group seeks a mode-shifting experience characterized by: social engagement (encouraging discussion through the sharing of perspectives), playful interaction (free-choice learning through discovery), energizing activities (intuitive interaction with minimal cognitive load), attractive design (spontaneous and time-flexible engagement in the break area), and hands-on experiences (active engagement through tangible interaction). This target group expressed an interest in academic heritage content related to past student life.

Based on this research, the concept Storytiles was developed for the Exhibition Cabinet, featuring Delft Blue tiles with embedded technology. These tiles allow students to engage images and news articles, specifically provocative content related to past student life. The outcome of the activity is the creation of a digital collage displayed at the Collection Wall. The stencil machine, sourced from the museum collection, was integrated as a smart-related object. By creating a collage of old student news articles and images and turning the handle of the stencil machine, students metaphorically share opinions on ongoing student life topics, sparking relevant discussions.

The design process involved co-creation sessions and several iterations of prototyping. Feedback from these sessions was used to refine the Storytile concept and ensure it delivered the interaction qualities of a mode-shifting experience. The final design was then evaluated through user testing with students at the TU Delft Library, which showed that tangible interaction and provocative content were effective in engaging students with academic heritage during a study break. It also highlighted areas for improvement, such as enhancing the concept’s attractiveness for spontaneous interaction in the break environment. Future recommendations should focus on refining these aspects and further developing the showcase at the Collection Wall

In conclusion, this project demonstrates the potential of using interactive and tangible design interventions to engage students with the academic heritage collections at the TU Delft Library. It contributes to the knowledge on how a participatory approach can incorporate students’ perspectives in designing heritage-related experiences.

The present research delves into the social aspects of food, commensality, and food rituals. It investigates the interplay between embodied gestures, artifacts, and language in shaping food cultures. To do this, the study delves into the acculturation of dietary habits within two multicultural communities in the Netherlands, mixed households of Turkish-Dutch and Dutch-Surinamese individuals.

Recent years have seen a shift in food studies towards recognizing food as a cultural practice embedded in embodied experiences, social interactions, and language usage. This exploration extends to food rituals, reflecting and reproducing social norms and values, while language in the culinary world serves as a dynamic space for intercultural communication and identity negotiation. The complexity of multicultural contexts poses a challenge for designers aiming to develop inclusive solutions that resonate with diverse cultural perspectives. Context mapping techniques have emerged to address this, offering designers insights into users' contexts, including their cultural and linguistic dimensions. However, ethical considerations and the need for a robust framework for ritual observations demand reliable tools.

To this end, the Ritualia toolkit was developed. It provides a systematic approach to observing and analyzing rituals, guiding designers in understanding the material world with artifacts, habitual actions and gestures, roles played by diners, and the language they use in food contexts. This toolkit equips designers and practitioners with the means to navigate the intricacies of diverse cultural settings, fostering culturally sensitive design solutions.
By relying on solid anthropological and cultural frameworks, these toolkit contributes to bridging the disciplines of interest for gaining a deeper understanding of cultural practices and values. Applying an interdisciplinary approach allows designers to engage with diverse cultural contexts, crafting concepts contextually tailored.

As food studies progress, this study contributes to a deeper comprehension of the complex interplay among food, culture, and societal dynamics in the modern world, hoping to spark new research and design initiatives that dive deeper into this aspect of human existence.

This project focuses on translating a historical pop-up book into a meaningful virtual experience. The project is in collaboration with the National Library (KB) of the Netherlands, which has a special collection of historical pop-up books. The KB will be moving their collections to an external location, making the books inaccessible. These books are meant to be interacted with; however, this interaction also makes them fragile and rare. Virtual reality offers a solution to this dilemma as it can be used to preserve the original heritage while also making it accessible in an innovative way. The use of VR fits within a wider development of new technologies being implemented in museums and cultural heritage institutions. This project creates a VR experience with a pop-up book called: Tip & Top boven de wolken, created in 1964. The project specifically focuses on two different aspects of the heritage: the materiality and the narrative. It researches how these aspects influence the experience in both physical and virtual pop-up books. It also aims to enhance the aspects using the affordances and interactions possible in VR, with the ultimate goal to integrate the aspects into a coherent experience.

The project starts with a literature review, which selects relevant frameworks for characterizing the materiality and measuring the narrative engagement. It is supported with additional desktop research looking into existing applications of VR/AR for (children’s) books. Two observation studies were conducted focusing on the materiality and the narrative. The first study compares the materiality of physical pop-up books with that of virtual pop-up books. The second study is focused on the narrative engagement and interpretation of the story of the case study book. These insights form the input for the ideation and conceptualization phases. A creative session was hosted to generate ideas for new interactions with the virtual book that integrate materiality and narrative. The interactions and general flow of the virtual book were tested using different storyboards, ranging in fidelity from paper to interactive digital storyboards. A new approach to materiality in VR was created to combine the materiality of the artifact with that of the narrative. The insights of the different concepting rounds were incorporated into a final prototype. The final concept integrated the materiality and the narrative through special interactions called material touchpoints. The final concept was compared to the original book and the interactive storyboards and it met all the design goals.