This thesis investigates how an interactive, public-park installation can strengthen Connectedness with Nature (CWN) by reducing Plant Awareness Disparity (PAD), the tendency to overlook plants as active, meaningful living beings. Building on literature and various research acitivites the project frames a core design hypothesis: Through experientialising systemic electrical signalling in plants, this installation will foster at tention towards plants and information gain about plants, lowering guest’s Plant Aware ness Disparity, which enhances their Connectedness with Nature. The work first maps drivers of Disconnection to Nature and then empirically selects PAD as the most effective driver to address to reduce CWN through 11 anecdote-based interviews. This also forms a designable framework that describes how reducing PAD fosters CWN, called the Designable Framework for Reducing PAD to improve CWN using Affective Mechanisms. Further research activities define design requirements to achieve the framework. This creates the final installation: Onder de Schors: a modular installation that physically frames a tree and translates real-time plant electrical signals into synchronised audio and whole-body haptic feedback, enabling visitors to feel and hear plant responsiveness and support fostering Connectedness with Nature. The final in-situ evaluation (n=18) demonstrated significant improvements on both tar get outcomes: CWN increased from 4.57/7.00 to 5.97/7.00 (p<.001) and PAD improved from 5.02/7.00 to 5.95/7.00 (p<.001). PAD change and CWN change were positively related (r≈.66), supporting PAD as a designable driver of reconnection. Mechanism analyses further refined the framework: Attention was the strongest contributor to PAD reduction (r≈.73), while Calmness (physiological restoration) and perceived Liveliness showed stronger relevance for CWN than attention or information alone, indicating that PAD reduction is necessary but not sufficient for deep connection. Based on these results, the thesis adapts Zylstra’s framework into a staged, designable hierarchy: calmness functions as a state-setting condition for receptivity; attention and experiential information gain reduce PAD by making plants noticeable and inter pretable; and liveliness functions as the affective bridge that transforms noticing into relational CWN. Theoretically, this research contributes a measurable path from “plant as static background” to “plant as living agent,” bridging botanical social science with affective interaction design. Practically, it offers a viable blueprint for repeatable, public-park deployments that enable visitors to re-experience plant liveliness over time. ... Read more

This research addressed a critical gap in understanding how to engage maintenance technicians with emerging technologies to foster innovation within organisations. This research was conducted as a case study at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Through qualitative research methods with maintenance technicians, innovation managers, and external experts, the study identified three fundamental tensions: Innovation versus Integration (balancing innovation spaces with integration into existing workflows), Efficiency versus Exploration (providing clear practical benefits while enabling autonomous discovery), and Constraints versus Co-creation (working within operational limitations while enabling meaningful participation in innovation processes).

Three technology engagement concepts emerged from the research: Tech Triage, a facilitated workshop approach using problem cards from technicians paired with technology solutions to enable collaborative problem-solving; Mech, an AI chatbot trained on organizational innovation resources to help technicians navigate complex organizational structures and access relevant technologies; and Eureka, a spatial innovation intervention that transformed everyday workplace environments into technology discovery spaces. Following stakeholder evaluation using desirability, viability, and feasibility criteria and how each concept navigated the three tensions, Eureka was selected for development and validation due to its alignment with existing workflows, minimal behaviour change requirements, and leveraging of existing infrastructure. Eureka navigated the identified tensions through "structured serendipity," bringing emerging technologies directly into breakrooms where technicians naturally gathered. It featured functional technologies for hands-on testing, peer testimonial videos, autonomous exploration, and clear pathways to deeper engagement.
Testing Eureka at KLM demonstrated strong engagement across behavioural (139 technician visits over four days), cognitive (92% actively tried to understand technology functionality, 88% recognised clear work advantages), and affective dimensions (overwhelmingly positive emotional responses dominated by fascination rather than resistance).

The research provided theoretical implications, including spatial prototyping for innovative spaces, navigating paradoxes through design to foster dynamic decision making,
and the integration of personal passions in professional identities as a critical adoption mechanism. Practical implications included the following recommendations: integrating demonstration areas into operational environments rather than segregating innovation spaces, designing peer-to-peer technology transfer systems that leverage natural champions, redesigning organisational layouts to eliminate innovation barriers through spatial prototyping approaches, and creating holistic technology ecosystems that bridge personal and professional contexts.

These findings contributed actionable strategies for creating more effective innovation ecosystems in aviation maintenance and comparable contexts. They also advance theoretical understanding of user engagement in highly regulated environments where safety requirements, operational constraints, and technical complexity amplify both barriers and enablers to technology adoption.

There are three main deliverables from this thesis:
A validated concept to foster innovation, Eureka, that KLM and other organisations can implement
A strategic roadmap to implement Eureka across the organisation
Theoretical and Practical implications for the industry and academia to foster innovation, especially in safety-critical maintenance environments. ... Read more

This project investigated the question: “What role can modularity fulfil in computer peripherals, and how can it be used to improve consumer adoption of sustainable products?” It did so in the context of short life cycles, tightening right-to-repair legislation and the reference brand of Logitech with its ambition to combine sustainability with a great user experience in PC peripherals.

Following Buijs’ product innovation process, the work combined an exploration of modular architectures with an internal analysis of Logitech’s capabilities and initiatives, and an external analysis of modular leaders Framework and Fairphone. Literature on consumer behaviour and sustainable choices was integrated with a requirements framework to connect modularity to repairability, upgradability and user experience.

Digital Nomads were selected as target group through DEPEST and SWOT analyses, then studied via semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to understand their needs, tensions and attitudes to modularity. This led to a case study: a modular laptop hub for Digital Nomads, developed through iterative ideation, weighed-criteria concept selection, prototyping and validation sessions, and embedded in a business model and roadmap including a supporting community platform.

To answer the research question: The findings show that modularity is most effective when it forms a platform that enables repair, refurbishment, upgrade and configuration over time, while addressing concrete user benefits such as flexibility, reliability and compactness. For Digital Nomads, the modular hub demonstrates that such an architecture can support more sustainable behaviour through extended product lifetimes and improved end-of-life handling, provided it is framed around freedom and self-sufficiency, supported by accessible repair information, spare parts and credible modules while being distributed via fitting touchpoints. In this way, modularity can meaningfully improve consumer adoption of sustainable peripherals.
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Wheelchair basketball, the most popular wheelchair sport, plays a vital role in promoting inclusion and physical engagement among wheelchair users. However, despite the availability of government and institutional subsidies in the Netherlands, the processes of funding, customization, and maintenance remain lengthy and complex, mainly due to the high cost and extensive customization required for specialized wheelchairs. Users’ fitting needs, particularly among newcomers and teenagers, are constantly changing, yet the limited accessibility and adjustability of existing wheelchairs often forces players to rely on poorly fitted or no longer suitable, shared, or previously used equipment, creating notable pain points in comfort and performance.
In response to these situations, this thesis emphasis the importance of seat width fitting in recreational wheelchair basketball context, and proposes a novel improvement in basketball wheelchair design by integrating a quick and convenient seat width adjustment function with existing adjustable dimensions. The design achieved seat width adjustment by applying screw drive and Scott-Russell mechanism, and its ability to adjust to a high level of seat width fit has been verified through user testing.
Overall, Fitconnect helps to fill the gap in research and design of basketball wheelchair seat width adjustment. The design enhanced the wheelchair’s ability to maintain a high level of fit for both the changing physical conditions of a single user and the needs of different users. By introducing seat width adjustment, it not only better connect users to their wheelchair seats, but also enhances the user's connection to the community.
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