This report presents the findings and recommendations of a research project focused on developing a comprehensive strategy for commercial smallholder farmers in urban and semi-urban areas of Kumasi, Ghana. The objective was to co-create a strategy that addresses the specific needs and challenges of farmers in the region. The research involved extensive field visits, interviews, and collaboration with farmers, stakeholders, and relevant institutions.

The study identified three design challenges: developing a B2B strategy for farmers, enhancing farmers' brand awareness through marketing, and improving communication between market queens and farmers. In-depth interviews concluded that prioritizing the B2B strategy would be most beneficial due to demand from restaurants and hotels. Based on the chosen design challenge, strategic and tactical roadmaps were developed, drawing from literature research and coded interview transcripts. The roadmap consists of three horizons.

The first horizon focuses on enhancing cooperation among farmers within a farmer organization to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their produce sales. This involves building a brand identity and establishing a strong sales structure.

The second horizon centers around raising awareness among farmer organizations through various advertising channels, with a particular emphasis on packaging. Packaging plays a crucial role in extending shelf life, developing a strong brand identity, and enabling traceability. Efforts at the farmer level aim to increase brand awareness and drive customer demand for the farmer organization's produce. Students will also be involved in understanding brand development and designing effective marketing materials.

The third and final horizon focuses on securing storage and cooling facilities that can be collectively utilized by farmer associations. These facilities, provided by the government, are contingent upon farmers' progress and achievements. Additionally, an educational component is proposed, targeting students at Kwadaso Agricultural College through workshops that highlight the importance of advertising, storage and cooling spaces, and collaborative efforts among farmers.

Bluebird, a Dutch airline company, was founded over 100 years ago. To this day, they aim to provide memorable experiences to their customers. To do so, Bluebird must service their customers well at every brand touchpoint. Even though digital self-service is becoming the norm, knowledgeable contact centre agents are important to ensure a seamless transition between the online and offline touchpoints. Hence, the customer service agents behind the phone, i.e. the front-line staff, play a crucial role in providing the right support and offers for the customer, and consequently in delivering the Bluebird brand experience.

To provide the customer service, the agents rely on information that comes from Bluebird. This thesis specifically focuses on the information about ancillaries. The ancillaries refer to all additional options that a customer can buy to enrich the flight experience. By offering ancillaries, the airline responds to the upcoming customer demand for personalised travel experiences. However, Bluebird’s provision of timely and complete ancillary information currently falls short. Therefore, this thesis aims to investigate how the ancillary information flow to the contact centres can be improved.

This thesis makes use of a design approach. By means of qualitative methods, it is investigated how the information currently travels from the source to the agent, and how the involved people experience this information flow. The research reveals that the information passes through a four-step chain: it travels from the Ancillary Team and their colleagues (i.e. ancillary stakeholders), via Bluebird Customer Services and the contact centre Knowledge Management, to the agent. This current flow does not make use of a structured process and highly depends on individual proactivity. As a result, the information flow is found to be unorganised and inefficient.

Furthermore, the research shows that for the ancillary stakeholders it is not clear who, when, what and how they should inform. This results in confusion, misalignment, inconsistent output, and low levels of awareness and engagement in the process of communicating information. Hence, the goal of this thesis is to create an engaging approach to guide the ancillary stakeholders in an adequate information transfer process.

During the design phase, co-creative sessions are used to explore solutions to meet the design goal. This phase results in the Information Journey concept, which consists of a process proposal, a corresponding template, and an explanatory manual. The process consists of clear steps and dedicated meeting moments to ensure early involvement of relevant stakeholders and creates the opportunity to exchange feedback between those stakeholders. The template corresponds to the proposed process steps. It specifies which information is required at which moment, and motivates users to complete the document. The manual contains detailed explanations of the process and its background, as well as tips for the stakeholders to apply during the proposed meeting moments.

The Information Journey provides Bluebird with a set of tools that ensure a well-structured and consistent ancillary information flow towards the contact centre. The approach is flexible, reusable, and open for future iterations to make it worthwhile for the organisation.

Design has evolved significantly in the past decades and the corporate designer is on the rise. In recent years, several studies were conducted to link design to business value, resulting in promising outcomes. Even though this data very promising, many companies misunderstand design and underestimate the process of introducing design in their existing organization (Rousseau, 2015). However, the full commercial benefit of design will only be felt by the company if design is well implemented throughout the organization and design excellence is reached (Sheppard et al., 2018; Quint et al., 2022). Therefore, the research to successful design practices in existing corporates is becoming more relevant. This report will discuss a case study of promoting design within a multinational service providing corporate.

Through a design process following a double diamond approach, the problem is further researched, and a design goal was stated. The goal of this project is to create clear and relevant proposals, which takes the design process into account, so the client can be served in the best possible way.

Using creative sessions, many ideas to solve the earlier defined problem were suggested. It was concluded that the problem could only be solved using more than one idea. Based on literature and the earlier research findings, the found ideas were structured into a Campaign planning, consisting of 3 phases: Know, Show and Grow. These phases were filled with activities that should be executed by the client. To further elaborate on the execution of the campaign, the campaign book was designed. This book is designed to give the client all necessary information, guidelines, and tools to execute the campaign.

The campaign planning and campaign book were validated with several employees and partners. From the validation sessions resulted that the campaign is desired, viable and feasible, and the campaign book is understandable and gives the right guidelines to start the campaign. After the validations, iterations took place, resulting in the final design.

By designing an internal campaign, the understanding of the value of design should be increased among employees of other consulting competencies, resulting in more and valuable collaborations.

This report presents an explorative study in finding solutions for finger tremor patients diagnosed with Essential Tremor (ET). Tremors restrict patients from performing delicate movements, creating difficulty in daily activities, such as drinking, writing, cooking or eating. Besides the challenges in performing tasks, social anxiety often occurs and negatively influences social life.

Currently, solutions for people with tremors are limited. STIL recognized this need and designed an orthosis for people with wrist tremors. The solution from STIL is an orthosis called the BEAM. The BEAM mechanically suppresses the wrist flexion extension and forearm pronation-supination tremors. Evaluation of the current BEAM concluded that wrist tremors are successfully suppressed, but tremors situated mainly in the fingers need additional stabilization. This study aims to design a functional wearable that mechanically suppresses finger tremors.

To better understand finger tremors, the project provides information on hand anatomy, the current market for finger wearables, and a video analysis of previous tests from STIL. The research found that there is limited knowledge about finger tremors and available wearables specifically designed for them. In user tests STIL saw many people with tremors also deal with a finger tremor, people can benefit from a finger wearable . In addition, the design scope research aimed to identify the specific needs and desires of people with finger tremors. The focus is on discovering a healthy and comfortable balance between freedom of movement and suppression of the fingers. The research conducted with three participant showed that the thumb, index, and middle fingers at the MCP (third joint from top of finger) and PIP (second joint from top of finger) joints need to be suppressed and that participants desire an inconspicuous and open design.

The ideation phase exists out of multiple iterations. The basis of the ideation is a meeting with an expert in Emerging Materials, a morphological card, and brainstorming with the team of STIL. The basis concluded in four promising design directions, which could suppress the finger tremor: wires with springs, gel/air damping, elastic bands, and splints with different stiffnesses. Prototypes were built to research and test the four directions. Finally, the most interesting concepts are elastic bands and splints with different stiffness. The elastic bands give a counterforce to the fingers by pulling them backward. The silicone splints in a glove are made of silicone with spring steel which lies on the fingers.

The working principle and ergonomics of the elastic bands and silicone splints have been validated in patient research. The results showed that the silicone splints were better in terms of performance and comfort, while the elastic bands were preferred in terms of design and adaptability. The final concept used the working principle of silicone splints. The final iteration focuses on appearance, ergonomics, usability, and connection to the BEAM.

In conclusion, this report provides a foundation for STIL to further develop a wearable solution for people with finger tremors. The working principle of using silicone splints to suppress finger tremors is promising, but additional iterations are necessary.

India is burdened by a variety of waste streams originating from both domestic and non-domestic sources, as a result of both production and consumption activities. The current infrastructure presents a challenge in handling these waste streams, resulting in a substantial volume of waste being mismanaged, losing value, and more concerningly, harming local communities and the environment.

This project employed systemic design to explore a circular approach to this issue, namely to create value from textile waste, and how these activities may be enabled through a communication means. Cotton-based textile waste generated by first-tier garment manufacturers in India was placed as a system of interest. Through primary and secondary research, further understanding of the system was gathered. Three methods of analysis yielded insights on the stakeholders, (value creation) activities, material flow, as well as barriers and drivers of value creation. Ideas collected from creative brainstorming sessions, combined with research insights, produced potential leverage points for interventions in the system, that led to the formulation of a design direction and a future vision.

An intervention in the form of an online knowledge base was conceptualised with the intent of closing knowledge gaps on circularity and the textile value chain, in order to propel informed circular actions from a system lens. It is targeted toward (potential) value creators with an existing motivation to create solutions for textile waste. The way of communicating information was built upon learnings from card sorting activities and the Three Horizons framework. Evaluation with the potential audience showed that the concept offered a valuable knowledge foundation in developing textile waste solutions. Additionally, it highlighted that more interventions would indeed be necessary to translate motivation into action. Learnings from the evaluation sessions were then incorporated into the concept iteration as well as future recommendations.

This project was organised with Enviu as client partner, as part of the Putting Waste to Work project in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Concordia Textiles, and Purfi Global.

Context within Philips:
This thesis is part of a new project track within Philips with the goal of developing a roadmap of tangible and practical sustainable solutions, integrated in the Philips portfolio and inspired by a long-term vision. The case study of this project track and therefore thesis is the MCC business (Mother and Child Care).

Redefining sustainability in 2030:
Looking at current practices of sustainability, this thesis questions them as being too slow and not effective enough. This dissatisfaction with current actions required taking a step back and rethinking what sustainability means in this project. Resulting in using Gaia, a future with the ideal to "focus human activity towards restoring the natural dynamic balance of ecosystems that nourishes all life on earth", as the inspiration on what sustainability should become in the 2030.
Concretely, this means from a consumer perspective that our mindset needs to evolve from exploiting nature to giving back to nature. From a business perspective, however, this means to deliver value to the entire ecosystem and not only to humans – in contrast to today's businesses’ monetary and human-serving focus.

Process:
The complex topic of sustainable parenthood was analyzed though system analysis, which resulted in the identification of the parent's dilemma of wanting to act eco-responsible but being immersed in triggers for overconsumption. To make the complexity of the dilemma comprehensible for the stakeholders it got translated into a story telling map. User research has been conducted to validate and analyze the identified dilemma in depth.

Results:
This thesis delivered three main results.

1. Insight cards. They are based on the user research, giving further details on the dilemma and providing insight on how to resolve it. The can be used by the MCC stakeholders to develop future BVPs.

2. Dilemma model. The insight cards can be mapped down within the story telling map. Resulting in a model explaining the dilemma parents face when it comes to becoming sustainable and mapping the insights needed on resolving this.

3. Vision. The quotes and insights of the qualitative study have been applied in the context of a participatory story building workshop to create personas and develop a sustainable future vision for MCC.

95 % of all the buildings in the Netherlands rely on natural gas for heat. But in just 30 years, all of these 7 million homes must have said goodbye to gas forever. A complex project, since the alternative to gas, is not a one size fits all solution. There are several options and their feasibility is highly dependent on the neighborhood context. Therefore, municipalities became responsible for the Dutch energy transition. In the earlier energy transition from coal to gas in the 1980s, there were clear economic benefits for residents. Now, despite the record-breaking gas prices, the long-term returns on investments are uncertain while there are many short-term inconveniences.

The technical side of the energy transition tends to overshadow the social dimension. The technical challenges are clear and the path to work on the viable solution is familiar since the municipalities have been in charge of similar infrastructure projects. The social transition, however, is highly dependent on the local situation and requires time. The municipalities have to become the spider that holds the web of stakeholders together to make this complex process work. To help municipalities stay in charge of the energy transition, Stroomversnelling developed Wijkkompas: a process management tool that guides municipalities from ‘Transitie Visie Warmte’ to ‘Wijk Uitvoerings Plan’. Wijkkompas helps municipalities balance the social and technical side of the transition.

On the social side of the transition, participation is a well-known factor that municipalities already take into account. The goal of participation is to make informed decisions together with residents through representation. However, through participation alone municipalities will not be able to reach all seven million households. Therefore the goal of this thesis is to effectively apply the social contagion method to the Wijkkompas tool since social contagion is a process in which the network in the neighborhood will take on the task of activating residents themselves.

Social contagion theory teaches us both information and behavior can be transmitted in a network. Each has its optimal way of traveling through the network and thus has an optimal seeding strategy. For the energy transition, the transmitting behavior with the snowball strategy can be very valuable. Holistically it would be best to separate the participation from the social contagion approach and run a parallel process. However, for the social transition, we rely on volunteers who are busy and scarce. Therefore we propose a six-step model that adequately combines both techniques for a successful neighborhood transition.

The biggest impact can be made when municipalities find the courage to try out this new activation method. The Lopend vuurtje box, designed in this project, uses the principles of social contagion to spread the method through the inter-municipal network. The box invites its receivers to try out the method for themselves through personal assignment, a small experiment, an educational flyer, and by becoming part of the Lopend vuurtje network by sending the box further along its journey through the Dutch municipal network.

Schistosomiasis is a Neglected Tropical Disease, prevailing mostly in poor and rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly those that heavily rely on water bound occupations, such as fishing and specific agriculture. In 2019, a total of 236.6 million people required treatment for schistosomiasis and only 1 million received it. Without treatment people are vulnerable for chronic infections and eventually death. Accurate diagnosis is crucial to reduce risks of chronic infections. Schistosomiasis is currently diagnosed through the detection of parasite eggs in stool or urine specimens. Eggs are detected and counted by a trained microscopist examining the filter on a glass slide. This is difficult and hard work, requiring a non-ergonomic posture and medical training. Only a limited group of people can properly receive this training, due to a lack of resources for education. As an alternative the INSPIRED Project has developed the Schistoscope to automate this process to assist the microscopist. The current prototype, the Schistoscope 4 is an automated digital microscope that analyses images through Artificial Intelligence to provide diagnosis. In 2021, the research group will execute a field study in Nigeria. The goal is to collect samples in highly infected communities and compare the work of the Schistoscope 5 to a standard microscopist. The Schistoscope 4 is considered insufficient for executing this field study. Consequently, an improved device is required. An analysis on previous versions of the Schistoscope provided challenges for improvement. The challenges addressed in this graduation project are: (1) improve the stability and fixation of the camera. (2) Include the illumination in the optical set-up of the device and (3) allow for a change of view received by the camera. Furthermore, (4) the view of the camera must consistent and reliable. At last, (5) all systems must be integrated in to a stable embodiment, (6) protected from the outside environment. The graduation project uses a PDCA-cycle approach combined with systems engineering to structure the design process. With this iterative approach, the requirements are continuously evaluated and updated. The final design presented in this thesis provides the research group with reliable and sufficient quality results. A stable construction with aluminium profiles allows for the required adaptability needed because of the dynamic nature of the research project. Additionally, the aluminium profiles provide easy attachment of numerous off-the-shelf components. These off-the-shelf components provide consistent movement of the sample and optical system. They allow for changes in electronic hardware and overthrow the initial 3D-printed production method. An enclosure system integrates all systems inside the device and protects these systems from impacts from the environment. During the project, a total of three prototypes are produced, of which two devices are successfully transported to Nigeria, where they are operational in the field test laboratory. The Schistoscope 5 is a clear improvement of the previous prototypes and excels in stability of the components, reliability of movement and consistency in quality.

When we look at all of the benefits of having houseplants around us, it is not hard to see why they have been around for ages already. However, over the past years they have seen a huge surge in popularity. The pandemic has been a big accelerator to this surge in popularity. This thesis was done for Overgrown Plantshop. This surge in popularity has given Overgrown the opportunity to grow and thrive, but it also came with a set of challenges. The quickly changing market brought on a lot of new small plant shops, making competition fierce. In addition to this, rare plants became a lot more difficult to source in an ethical way. Because of these challenges, Overgrown wants to develop a new product, service or product-service system to expand into a new niche. As a young company Overgrown has little to no knowledge or experience about the market outside of the rare houseplant niche. This lead to the following design assignment: “Get a deep understanding of the market and it’s consumers. Use this to drive a new strategic future vision which is visualized in a roadmap and create a first product or product-service system towards realizing this future vision “ The double diamond approach was followed. Through broad and orienting interviews, a crucial moment was identified in the journey to becoming a plant parent: the green spark. This is a crucial part for whether a person commits to being a long(er) time plant parent, or falls back into believing they are not capable. A context mapping study was used to get a deep understanding of users during the green spark. The results were a persona and a set of design requirements with accompanying ‘how might we’ questions. Lastly, the results were used to determined Ovegrown’s new future vision: “Overgrown aims to support sustainable consumption of plants by supporting plant parents to have longer lasting bonds with their houseplants“ The first step towards this future vision is Emma. Emma helps to lower the barrier for new plant parents. Right now, the most common trigger that creates a low barrier is a cheap plant. In the case the plant dies, not a lot is lost. Overgrown wants to achieve a similar low starting barrier, but in a more sustainable way. Instead of offering a cheap plant that is easily replaceable, Overgrown offers a high quality plant that is all ready to go for a smooth start. After the purchase of Emma, Overgrown offers additional services that help the plant parent form a closer bond with their plant. These services are developed and added onto through three horizons that are laid out in a roadmap. Throughout these horizons Overgrown’s focus shifts from selling plants to selling plant care. By doing this Overgrown wants to take the focus away from always acquiring new trendy plants to having stronger bonds with the plants you already have. Overgrown gets a closer bond with their customers, becoming a partner in long term plant growing.

The motive for this thesis project was to translate an intervention into a product that is applicable and replicable in other neighbourhoods to improve the perceived safety. This project was executed in collaboration with MV Design and Matching Futures. These design consultancies initiated an intervention in 2019 to stimulate the energy transition in the neighbourhood Reyeroord in the south of Rotterdam. This intervention used the frame of the night and was therefore called ‘De Nacht Club’ (The Night Club). During this intervention, the perceived safety in the neighbourhood came forward as an issue. In 2021, the design consultancies wanted to proceed with this concept with the new motive of improving the perceived safety in neighbourhoods in the Netherlands.
First, research was needed to identify why or how De Nacht Club could improve the perceived safety in neighbourhoods. Systems thinking is applied to describe how perceived safety in neighbourhoods originates. This research includes a theoretical study as to what perceived safety is, as well as field research with the neighbourhood Reyeroord as a case study. The combination of the desk and field research leads to the insights needed to create a systems map of perceived safety in neighbourhoods. Based on this system, possibility space is identified to intervene in the system, incorporating the existing knowledge and resources of the initial intervention. The research phase indicates that the perceived environment of people affects the perceived safety. By broadening people’s (social/physical) environment, people affect their expectations and perceptions of the environment. This can be done by broadening the public familiarity or strengthen the collective efficacy. The following field of tension comes forward. To increase one’s perceived environment, one must encounter or discover new environments. But discovering new environments is often unsafe and defiant in itself. This describes the frame of De Nacht Club: to offer a safe way to discover new – social and physical - environments. De Nacht Club uses the power of genuine encounters to do so. This way, De Nacht Club affects people’s perceived environment and therefore their perceived safety. In this report, a (re)design of the product (De Nacht Club) is presented with a coherent strategy to improve the perceived safety in neighbourhoods. The strategy consists of the substantiation of the design frame, a brand vision, mission and DNA and a three-piece method. Furthermore, the strategy includes a generic approach to applying the product to different neighbourhoods. This approach is presented in the shape of a set of design criteria for De Nacht Club. These criteria consist of six categories to ensure the value of an edition of De Nacht Club. Lastly, the set of criteria is refined based on expert validation. The product and coherent strategy designed in this project, translate the initial intervention into a coherent product to improve the perceived safety in neighbourhoods. The set of design criteria offers a generic approach to applying De Nacht Club to other neighbourhoods while ensuring the value of the intervention.

Schistosomiasis is a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) that is caused by water-base parasite, putting more than 800 million people at risk. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for approximately 93% of the world’s schistosomiasis cases with the highest prevalence is found in countries like Nigeria. Current diagnostic devices for schistosomiasis haematobium in Nigeria either demonstrates poor specificity and sensitivity, too expensive and do not fit the local healthcare infrastructure. Also, the schistosomiasis diagnostic landscape in Nigeria involves a multiplicity of stakeholders with different diagnostic application and strategies that are often not met by current diagnostic devices. New diagnostic device for schistosomiasis that fit the local healthcare infrastructure and support the different stakeholder diagnostic strategies still remains a critical need. This study therefore focuses on; understanding the context of use and application for a new diagnostic that is needed to make a first use for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis haematobium? Q-methodology was applied within this study. Q-methodology investigates subjectivity by exploring how stakeholders rank-order opinion statements about a phenomenon. The method was use to understand; the subjective view-points of stakeholders on the context of use and application of new schistosomiasis diagnostic device and how these viewpoints are shared with other stakeholders within this study. As a result, four key viewpoints (factors) on the context of use and application for a new diagnostic device for schistosomiasis haematobium in Ibadan-Nigeria we pinpointed. New diagnostic device needed for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis haematobium will either need to (i) be deployable to nearby and remote communities, (ii) provide affordable diagnostic test at the grassroot or community level, (ii) test (diagnose) patients before treatment and equip community healthcare facilities and, (iv) fit the local healthcare infrastructure. The findings in this study will guide development of new diagnostic devices for schistosomiasis that matches the contextual landscape and stakeholder diagnostic strategies in Ibadan-Nigeria.

This thesis was performed in assignment of Alpha.One for their new eye tracking prediction platform expoze.io. The project started of with the brief; What does the future of expoze.io hold? This indicates the need for a future vision. In order to create a future vision the company purpose must first be researched, the reason why they exist. The purpose of the company is often related to the customer needs, therefore it is important to understand the subjective value that the product offers to the customer. Therefore before the preliminary research the research questions proposed were; What does the future roadmap of expoze.io look like? What is the future vision for the predictive eye tracking platform expoze.io? What is the purpose of expoze.io? What is the customer value of expoze.io? What are market gaps / differentiating factors in the market? The preliminary research revealed that for the roadmap to succeed a process integrating the roadmap should be designed. This process should also fit the company as it is still a startup, therefore it must be time, effort and cost efficient. Another insight was that there needs to be a shift to a more human oriented mindset within the company. These insights led to the addition of the following research questions. What does the future roadmap of expoze.io look like? How can the roadmap assist in adapting the product to be more Human? How could the roadmap be best adopted into the operation of the expoze.io team? (process) How to build an innovation process that fits a small startup team? cost, time, effort efficient How to create a shift to a more human oriented mindset in this process? How to make sure that ideas selected fit the needs of the customers? Through customer interviews it became evident that the subjective customer value that expoze.io brings to the customer is confidence. Through eye tracking analysis the customer gains confidence in their advertisements and if they will perform in the market as they would like it to perform. It also brings confidence in presenting their analysis to their bosses or clients. This in turn makes the purpose of expoze.io “bringing confidence to marketeers”. By accompanying the purpose with the insights from competitor analysis, customer research, trend analysis and market research the future vision could be created. Through brainstorming the following vision was proposed; “Bringing the brains to the art of marketing”. This vision was tested through a workshop with the employees at Alpha.One. The workshop also ensured the involvement of the people working at Alpha.One in the creation of the roadmap, it also facilitated communication about everyone’s ideas about the future path of the company. The vision was chosen by the most people and is therefore implemented into the roadmap. The roadmap was based on the vision that was created accompanied by the insights from the research to fill in the steps that need to be taken in order to reach that future. The core strategy of the roadmap is to create confidence by facilitating deeper insights through the platform. In order for the roadmap to succeed an innovation process to support roadmapping was designed. This innovation process will also facilitate the shift towards a more human mindset by incorporating the customer in the ideation and validation of ideas. The innovation process revolves around three meetings on the following topics; strategy, ideas and planning. For every meeting a process is designed that interacts with the roadmap and makes sure that ideas added are actual customer needs and will create an impact for the customer.

Urinary schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the Schistosoma haematobium parasite. People can get infected when they get into contact with contaminated fresh water. The disease is most prevalent amongst children, farmers and rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, the disease is diagnosed by microscopic egg count in laboratories. However, there are limitations to use of this method in low resource settings. At Delft University of Technology, smart diagnostics are under development that allow diagnosis of urinary schistosomiasis without microscope. However, the user and diagnostic setting for these tests has not been specified yet. The goal of this project is to combine gaps in the healthcare system and the needs of stakeholders with technological possibilities into a target product profile for a diagnostic device for urinary schistosomiasis for specific use case scenarios. This project takes Nigeria as study field. There are two optical diagnostic methods under development, which combine a simple optical system with an algorithm to automatically detect S. haematobium ova in urine samples. The Schistoscope uses a reversed lens attached to a smartphone or Raspberry Pi camera to magnify and take an image of an urine sample. An algorithm localizes and classifies potential ova. The SODOS uses an optical sensor and a lens to perform a holographic analysis of urine samples. The algorithm digitally reconstructs the image, from which ova are classified. These technologies can offer the following benefits compared to microscopy; 1) Simple and user friendly; 2) Rapid; 3) Sensitive; 4) Robust and portable; 5) Affordable; 6) Data collection. An qualitative research with semi-structured interviews was conducted in Oyo State, Nigeria to explore the context and identify gaps and stakeholders for i) case management on primary healthcare level, and ii) the control & elimination program. The main problem in case management is that diagnosis is not done at primary level due to limited resources and awareness, which leads very few confirmed cases. For case management, the stakeholders are divided into healthcare enablers, formal health providers, informal health providers and healthcare receivers. The control & elimination program is divided into i) mapping of schistosomiasis prevalence and ii) mass drug administration during Deworming days. The problem in the control & elimination program is that lack of diagnosis leads to an unknown disease prevalence. As a result, there is limited government interest and funding. For the control & elimination program the stakeholders are divided into initiation, organization, mapping implementation, Deworming implementation and target populations. The benefits from technology were combined with gaps in the healthcare context into twelve opportunities for diagnostic scenarios. Three diagnostic scenarios were selected; 1) Test at PHC consult by a community health worker, which allows testing at PHC level; 2) Mapping of adult populations at risk, where adults are tested at occupational group meetings by community health worker and/or lab assistant; 3) Test as sensitization tool, where diagnosis is done by a community resource person in communities to create awareness. Insights from the research were combined into target product profiles with acceptable and ideal values for product attributes. A creative session was organized to determine the value of this specification list for product design.

This report is a graduation thesis for the master Integrated Product Design at the Delft University of Technology. Carried out in collaboration with Philips Design in the Netherlands. The project is about how to engage consumers in the transition from a linear towards a circular economy in which we make more efficient use of materials and resources.

One of Philips’ objectives for 2020 (Philips.com, 2016) is that 15% of the turnover should come from solutions that meet Circular Economy principles. This was 8% in 2015 (Philips.be, 2016) which is a big change for a company.

Senseo has a large installed base. This is due to the huge success of the product since its launch in 2001. In 2012 a Senseo could be found in 60% of Dutch, and 27% of French households (Expatica.com, 2012). Besides, Senseo is the best sold product in the coffee business of Philips, mainly because its ease of use (Senseo.nl, 2018). Because of the high volumes and high distribution in the Netherlands and surrounding countries, an opportunity is found for creating much circular impact with the Senseo.

However, companies cannot shift to a circular economy alone: consumers are crucial in the success of the circular economy. Because even if a product is designed to circulate in a closed loop, its potential will only be realized if the consumer participates. Therefore, the goal of the project is to activate consumers to engage in the circular economy with a case study in Senseo coffee machines.

Senseo users can show circular behavior by taking good care of the product and by repairing it when it is malfunctioning, for extending the product’s lifetime. At the end-of-life of the product, the user can contribute by disposing the product at proper recycling points in order for the materials to be reused.

The outcome of the project is by integrating connectivity in the product (the internet of things, IoT), circular behavior among consumers can be stimulated and circular impact can be achieved.

Two main findings of the analysis are:
1. Need for support at the point of malfunctioning
2. After-sales data gaps

Connectivity (IoT) can contribute to these findings as follows. Connectivity can improve support because it facilitates easy access. The support stimulates circular behavior because users that receive support are encouraged and more likely to solve the problem instead of replacing it. By registering the product, users data can be gathered. This enables a virtuous circle because with the gathered data the support can be based on customer segmentation (e.g. demographics) and users can receive more customized support.

This corresponds to the Utopian vision that by means of a connected service, the Senseo has an unlimited lifetime and any of its parts can be replaced. Of course this is an ideal situation from an environmental perspective which cannot be achieved in the short term. By creating a roadmap, steps are proposed that contribute to getting closer to achieving this vision.

The early goal of this project is to investigate a local healthcare context for implementation of a technology under development by TU Delft. The technology is intended to create a smartphone-based Rapid Diagnostic Test that can detect Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya. The project tried to understand the local healthcare context and find the essential characteristics that can match with the characteristic of technology under development.

Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya possess non-specific symptoms. Hence, making a clinical diagnosis only through symptoms recognition is challenging. A supporting diagnostic test is needed to verify the diagnosis. However, a reliable and easy to use diagnostic test for Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya is not always available.
A case study was performed in Indonesia to understand the current situation of local healthcare context. It investigated the local health care system, the diagnostic and treatment process, the available tests, and also the potential users.

In Indonesia, Dengue is rarely diagnosed through a specific Dengue diagnostic test. The main reason of that is due to the affordability of Diagnostic test. Hence, the healthcare professionals prescribe a complete blood count test instead of a Dengue antigen detection test. Another reasons that medical professionals only prescribe the Complete Blood Count test is because it provide a better understanding of patients general condition. However, for nurses and midwives, understanding the result from Blood Count is difficult. It is more helpful for them if they can get a quick definitive result about Dengue early on.

It result on three step of product innovation that started with a simple yet robust product for early detection, an smart diagnostic that can detect and monitor patients progress, and finally a smart product with data analytic function that can provide insights for policymakers and researchers.

From the three concepts, a strategic roadmap with three horizons was developed. Each horizon brings the product innovation process a step closer to the future vision. The first horizon focus on market introduction, the second horizon focus on engaging more people and building a database, the last horizon focus on database utilization.

This report provides an analysis of the consumer experience at the end-of-use phase of a product. The study in this report focussed on the consumer-product relationship: how this plays a role in the process of product detachment, and what this means for products at the end-of-use, with a specific attention for products in a circular economy.
This end-of-use phase has been analysed with the goal of creating a design tool that enables industrial design students to design for the end-of-use consumer experience.

A theoretical framework of detachment is developed that shows the process of consumers when wanting to detach themselves from their possession. This framework is based on the works of Roster (2001) and Türe (2014). The detachment process consists of two parts: (1) dispossession, which is the mental process of distancing yourself from the product, and (2) separation, which is the physical act of removing the product from your life.
During the dispossession process, the consumer evaluates the product on what it is still worth to him and shows a dispossession behaviour to enable himself for physical separation.

To be able to design for the end-of-use experience, designers need to comprehend the detachment process, the consequences of the dispossession behaviours and need to be able to apply this knowledge into designing an end-of-use experience.

The developed design tool enables design students to analyse the detachment process with the use of consumer-product lifecycle, and recognize where opportunities lie for an end-of-use experience by reflecting on the lifecycle and defining a design goal, concluding the analysis. The tool will be used in a workshop context, where the students are introduced to the concept of detachment and the consumer experiences at the end-of-use. They are supported to find opportunities for which they could design a new end-of-use experience that stimulates their consumer to keep their product in the circular loop.

Mobile phones are one of the most ubiquitous devices in our lives. The ever-growing demand for mobile phones and rapid upgrade patterns, gives mobile phones an unsustainable linear character, with a big contribution to e-waste. This study is about stimulating consumers to return their mobile phones to extend its life or fulfill another purpose through refurbishment and recycling processes. This project is conducted for the case of KPN’s return program and aims towards a beneficial exchange between KPN and consumer. Beneficial transactions of resources, already take place for millions of years in nature, where designers can learn and derive inspirations from. Therefore, these are explored and used as an inspiration throughout this project. Simultaneously an analysis of the mobile phone ecosystem is done to understand how and why retailers and consumers behave in the current context. An in-depth study with consumers resulted in insights on the impact of factors on current take-back programs. Next, to financial incentives, family friendly practice and charitable/circular motives are identified as incentives during the end-of-use stage. Users need to be informed well on the importance of the return of phones, the ease of the method and their privacy. Also, the perceived value of payback should exceed the perceived financial, functional and sentimental value in old phones and the perception of effort. This requires the elimination of negative factors and enhanced benefits for both KPN and consumer in their cooperation. The insights enabled the generation of relevant elements in nature and a translation onto the case. Based on the insights the design goal is formulated: a satisfactory disposal phase that ensures an alternative and long-term payback method for both KPN and users, that enables the involvement of other users for the spread of circular behaviour. As a result, KPN Bewust is developed: a return system that promotes the spread of information and circular behaviour through its return service. In this system, returning an old phone and involving others, is the by-effect of purchasing the next contract with or without a phone with discounts, which reduces the perceived effort. Persuading friends and family to return their phones, is rewarded with mutual benefits. These generous offers will give KPN a competitive advantage compared to traditional take-back programs, with more longterm and satisfied clients in return. Through the KPN Bewust profile, an overview of the generated discounts, and contacts shows how the advantages of a returned phone can outweigh the advantages of keeping them. This experience will increase the likelihood of repetition and the spread of return behaviour.

With the ever-growing development of technology, being able to innovate is the ultimate goal to create an advantage for organizations, regions and countries. Innovation enables the prosperous growth of communities all over the world, but not all regions are able to keep up. This thesis focuses on regions that have not benefitted fully from this innovative development. Fryslân, a northern province of the Netherlands, is an example of such a region. This research aims to explore the social constructs that block progress and help regions to enhance their innovative output.

To provide a holistic understanding of regional innovation systems, this research determines two consecutive paradoxes. Paradox 1 relates to the interdependency of social and technical processes within innovation systems. A comprehensive approach to innovation must consider social processes as a part of innovation, which makes understanding social constructs crucial. Social relationships form a significant part of social constructs, which are the enablers of the knowledge exchange that will lead towards an innovation ecosystem. Paradox 2 focuses on the contradictory set of relationships between actors. Social relationships among a group of individuals are commonly identified as networks and therefore, social network analysis (SNA) is an appropriate tool to study the social constructs that are relevant for innovation systems.

The analysis showed that the networks in Fryslân are compact and not open enough for external knowledge. In addition, the actors that are involved are weakly connected to each other. Although the strong friendship bonds play a role in the hampering closed-like social structure of the province, the least problematic network in Fryslân is the friendship network and, therefore, it must be utilized for the purpose of innovation. Friendship does not have a direct link to innovation, but the power of existing networks and the local dynamics makes the friendship network the best path towards innovative progress.

The reduction of waste materials is an important step towards a more circular economy. Within the mattress industry, the focus on sustainability and recycling has increased substantially over the last few years. In the Netherlands and a few other European countries the recycling of mattresses is strongly encouraged or made mandatory by local and national government.
Matras Recycling Europe B.V. is a Dutch company that specialises in the collection and disassembly of used mattresses. In order for this business to be viable and to increase the circularity of the entire mattress industry, it is important to find a suitable application for each of the materials of a used mattress. This thesis focuses on researching the potential of the outer layer of the mattress: mattress ticking.

This report describes the methods, outcomes and decisions that were made to create the final product. At the start of the project, the research question was:
“How can recycled ticking materials be used to design pet products, in the most sustainable way?”

The Material Driven Design method (Karana et al., 2015) was applied as a framework to determine the properties of the material, determining the market opportunities for mattress ticking.
Focus groups with the target group resulted in insights, which in combination with interviews with experts and other research, resulted into a preliminary list of requirements where the product should abide by.
After exploring multiple search areas, the search area “Travelling with dogs” was chosen because of the high viability. This search area led to 17 ideas, which were scored using the Harris profile method.
After further elaboration of the three concepts (Fence, Sunshade and Hammock) that scored best, one concept was chosen because it had the highest viability and desirability. This concept (Fence) was developed into the final product: Dipi. Dipi is a simple dog tent that protects dogs from the sun and creates a secluded area for the dog to lay in. The product is lightweight and easy to use. The product is intended to bring along on holiday.
The launch of the product is supported by a marketing strategy and a list of potential production partners, that is proposed to the client company.
After materialising the final design of the product, a prototype was made. The final prototype was tested in an exploratory user test with the envisioned target group, after which final design recommendations were set up.
The thesis is concluded with further recommendation for developing the Dipi and an extensive evaluation of the used methods during the project.