The Netherlands is known to score well on guiding children to achieve a fundamental level in mathematics However, they could do better in guiding the children who already score well, so called skilled mathematicians. project focused on deigning a tool that would support this group of children, in the 3rd and 4th grade in learning spatial ability. This project was done in collaboration with ScienceHub TU Delft and the design goal was:

Design a tool that makes use of design and inquiry based learning in mathematics classes to improve the development of children’s spatial ability for skilled mathematicians at primary school in grades 3 and 4 in the Netherlands.

The methodologies that were used throughout this project were literature research, observations, meetings with experts, prototyping and user tests.
Some of the most important findings throughout the research phase were:
- There are three types of skilled mathematicians: good, quick and creative ones, each with different needs.
- Skilled mathematicians are sometimes not supported well because the education system or school has insufficient time or knowledge on how to do so.
- Spatial ability can be divided into five skills that are tested at primary school: visualisation, rotation, orientation, symmetry and spatial relations. However these skills, and the word ‘spatial ability’ is not mentioned, nor really know by teachers, let alone children.
- Spatial ability exercises are often 2D and sometimes unrealistic. Children would be better of with realistic and 3D exercises.
- Children are better of learning with an aspect of play.

The product that was designed is the Wednesday Afternoon Adventure Club toolkit. This toolkit consists of a booklet with exercises and additional physical, 3D, map, measuring tiles and characters. The booklet includes a comic story describing a story about five characters and throughout the booklet these characters phase ‘issues’ that result in mathematical, spatial exercises. The physical map is a direct translation of the world that the characters live in and so the story, and exercises can be directly followed, physically. The characters are based on the five spatial skills mentioned above and characterise these spatial skills with human aspects, allowing for a feeling of connection to what spatial ability means in real life situations.

This project focuses on the research as well as design aspect of the question “How to integrate drawing as a learning strategy in the classroom, such that it contributes to the student’s understanding of the course material of subject-based courses?” The starting point of this project has been the alarming sounds that have been heard concerning the reading abilities of Dutch 15-year-olds, as results from a European-wide research show (PISA, 2019). While scoring high on looking up information in a text, the Dutch students score far below average when it comes to text comprehension and evaluating and reflecting upon a text. One could say that they struggle with making connections on two different levels: on the one hand, with connecting the course material to themselves, so understanding how the material relates to their prior knowledge and their own beliefs. On the other hand, with connecting the different elements within the course material, so understanding how these relate to each other. Even though these concerns might at first instance be associated with a language course like Dutch, these lacking skills are also a challenge when it comes to subject-based courses taught at secondary education like history, geography, economics and biology, where text plays a major role in conveying the story that is being told. This project arges that these textual challenges might profit from a visual solution. Drawing, namely, could be used as a learning strategy to contribute to the reinforcement of both connections, since the translation from word to image requires interpretation while connections between different elements can literally be drawn. Though research shows the benefits of drawing as a learning strategy, the subsequent question is how to integrate it in the classroom. ‘Connect-it!’ is the physical translation of this question and is designed to give teachers and students the necessary guidance and tools to implement drawing in class, such that it contributes to connecting with the course material, while also connecting it. By focusing on the communicative rather than artistic aspects of drawing, it lowers the threshold for implementation and emphasises that students already possess the basic skills needed. This project aims to show how drawing can contribute to, not replace, textual understanding of subject-based courses, thereby putting the textual and visual on a more equal footing.

The title of this graduation thesis, “Why hide it? Reimagining the role of urban edge computing in an AI-inspired, human-embodied manner,” reflects the main focus points and results of this project. The client, HiroEdgeMicroDataCenters B.V. develops software and hardware solutions for edge micro data centers (abbreviated EMDC), came in with a speculative idea of rethinking the role of edge infrastructure in the environments they are placed in. Current technical infrastructure contributes to visual ‘pollution’ reinforcing discomfort and stress. The public is calling for alternative solutions to integrate technical infrastructure, focusing on enhancing the aesthetics and functional aspects of community environments. This call is timely and pressing as various technological developments necessitate large-scale introduction of edge equipment into data-generating hotspots, such as city centers. Hiro was in search of a timeless EMDC enclosure design that would not be perceived as visually disturbing technical pollution, but rather enhance the aesthetics and appeal of buildings and public spaces they are placed in while also serving as a statement of their brand identity.

The project consisted of two major parts: the Discover and Design phases. In the Discover phase, research activities pertaining to the original project brief led to reframing it into a problem and vision statements. Initial research also included an analysis of internal hardware, product interaction, and client brand identity, resulting in a comprehensive list of preliminary performance and aesthetics requirements. The project then moved into the Design phase, which consisted of two main design moments. The first moment focused on defining the macro form factor that would create a timeless design that reflects the identified brand identity. Perhaps the most distinctive element of the search for the desired macro form factor was its co-creation with the generative AI tool, MidJourney. The first moment resulted in down-selecting an inspiration image for the desired macro form factor aesthetic. During the second and final design moment, the shape from an inspiration image was put against various requirements and feasibility constraints to detail it and turn it into a Hiro EMDC. The result, consisting of a concept board and the CAD model, presents the first embodiment and iteration of the Hiro EMDC enclosure concept, accounting for its aesthetical and functional aspects respectively.

This report presents the process of defining a future vision and concept for NS train stations in 2030. This graduation project, in partnership with NS, seeks to explore the future context of NS train stations, taking into account various factors, including societal themes. The ViP method (Hekkert and Van Dijk, 2011) guided the process of exploring the future of NS train stations and shaping a vision on it.

The basis of this exploration phase where 133 context factors: stable and changing building blocks of the future context. They formed a set of clusters, from which a framework was created. This framework has resulted in 12 vision statements, all design challenges for the NS train stations in 2030.

From these 12 vision statements, strategic decision-making in collaboration with NS has led to the following design direction: To let travellers at the station relate to each other more as part of a community, than as separate, individual travellers. This design direction answers to the foreseen rising difficulties people will encounter when interacting with digital assets in the station environment. A simultaneous trend of rising individualism and flattened social connections, will lead to (increasing) social barriers in the station environment. These social barriers will hinder interactions between travellers and, more specifically, hinder travellers finding each other for asking and offering support. Connecting
travellers by enhancing the community spirit on train stations, aims to counter rising individualism and the social barriers that rise with it.
A focus on unmanned train stations is decided upon, since the design direction is projected to be most needed here as people are more dependent on each other.

Ideation has led to 4 ideas, all based on the following social concept derived from a food cabin analogy: connecting people while maintaining (the possibility of) anonymity. An evaluation of the ideas by testing, has led to the focus on
one of the ideas: Beleef de streek (Experience the region). This idea facilitates people to share their best tips for the environment surrounding the station and others to use these tips to discover this area.

The chosen idea is developed into a concept called Ontdek ‘n plek (Discover a place). The concept is supported by a definition and theory of sense of community (McMillan and Chavis, 1986), as it addresses the four elements outlined in this definition.
Decisions regarding the concept’s implementation, design, and materials are made to align with the following qualities: low-threshold, inviting, and valuable. The concept is envisioned to be placed in the glass waiting areas on unmanned train station platforms.

A hypothesis is set for the enhancement of the different elements of sense of community. The accuracy of the hypothesis is verified through a 0 and 1 measurement at the train station located in Hoorn. The addition of the concept to the station has shown a positive impact on travellers’ experiences and their sense of community. Questions about its value persist, but the potential of a social initiative for enhancing a sense of community is evident and remains vital for NS train stations in 2030.

This project explored sketching for remote collaboration, with the goal of enabling the design agency Idean to use sketching actively in their remote workshops. To achieve this goal, the focus of the project was on developing a toolkit for sketching in remote workshops. The development of the toolkit was divided into three phases - a research phase, an experiment phase and a synthesis phase.

In the research phase several benefits of sketching that the toolkit should promote were found, as well as drawbacks of sketching that the toolkit should mitigate. The Integrated Creative Problem-Solving theory was studied, to identify how the toolkit can be integrated with the creative process of Idean’s workshops. Remote collaboration was studied in order to identify which considerations had to be taken into account when moving from face to face to remote workshops. In addition to this, the Theory of Planned Behaviour was studied, in order to figure out how the toolkit could promote the use of sketching in remote workshops.

The experiment phase was conducted through three sprints where the toolkit was developed. The first sprint was concerned with the practical challenges of creating and collaborating by means of sketches in a remote workshop. The second sprint tackled the challenge of creating meaningful activities around sketching in remote workshops. Finally, the third sprint further developed the activities, in addition to tackling how to warm up the participants’ sketching abilities and how to capture the value of the sketching activities for use beyond the workshop.

In the synthesis phase the different solutions that were developed in the experiment phase were revised based on the insights from all three sprints, and the solutions were compiled into a toolkit.

The toolkit includes sketching instructions, a method for creating and collaborating around sketches, sketching activities, guidelines on how to structure the activities and guidelines on how to capture the value of the activities for use beyond the workshop. The different components of the toolkit provide structure to the different aspects of including sketching in remote workshops, while promoting the benefits of sketching. In this way, the toolkit provides both the facilitator and the participants in the workshop with the control needed to use sketching in remote workshops, in order to achieve meaningful outcomes.

This thesis is the result of a graduation project that researched the field of Visual Thinking and facilitation in collaboration with Flatland Agency. Flatland is a design consultancy that facilitates co-creation sessions to overcome complexity in groups. Flatland has existed for 9 years and their service has moved from graphic recording to facilitation of co-creation sessions to create and activate strategies visually. The professionalisation of Flatland’s services has resulted in a need to redefine their service offering. However, Flatland’s growth has resulted in an increased variety of projects and project outcomes. Flatland indicated that a more explicit and systematic approach to session design could help to support their methodology. Such a systematic approach could support Flatland’s methods as proof of concept. Thus, the initial aim of this project was to: develop guidelines to help Flatland design and facilitate their co-creation sessions more deliberately. Qualitative research of the context of Flatland showed that Flatland’s facilitators are designing every session anew and completely based on their own experiences and knowledge. Besides, Flatland’s facilitators have different focus points when designing for the same context. Moreover, Flatland is not sharing knowledge structurally about the core of their business, facilitation, and session design. Thus, these insights identified a threat of knowledge scarcity for Flatland. This means a potential loss of the company’s capital will occur when facilitators leave the company without sharing their unique knowledge with other facilitators. To overcome this threat sharing knowledge is crucial. A reframe is proposed to overcome this threat. Thus, the central aim of this project became: Design a reflection process for Flatland in which their creative facilitators (and designers) can iterate on their visual thinking session design and tools, to enable a more deliberate design approach to Flatland’s sessions. A structured reflection process is designed based on literature on reflection and helps to overcome the threat of knowledge scarcity of Flatland. This reflection process supports the facilitators and designers of Flatland in creating tangible insights from their session in order to share this knowledge about facilitation with other colleagues. By doing so, the facilitators become aware of the variety of facilitation styles, and their benefits. The threat of knowledge scarcity can be resolved if all facilitators know the Flatland’s different session design approaches. The design of this thesis consists of three parts: the structured reflection process, an implementation strategy for this process and two reflection tools. The implementation strategy is designed to ease the reflection process into the Flatland’s way of working. It starts with an awareness campaign to make Flatland aware of their lack of sharing knowledge about facilitation. The first tool is a reflection template that is designed to make Flatland go through a full reflection cycle. The second tool is an explainer that is designed based on the literature of Visual thinking, facilitation, and co-creation. This explainer aims to create a shared language for Flatland’s reflections. The awareness campaign and the reflection tools are validated with facilitators and designers of Flatland.

Creative facilitation sessions come to solve the complex problems the world is facing nowadays. Using participants from different work areas to walk through a problem together, these sessions are guided by facilitators. They are the ones expected to bring a creative mindset to the involved people.
LEF Future Center, part of Rijkswaterstaat since 2008, brings a contribution to the power of change and the problem-solving capacity of their stakeholders. They have a set of creative environments to properly stimulate participants during the facilitation sessions. This project, done in combination between TU Delft and LEF Future Center, focuses on supporting participants’ creativity during sessions at LEF.
The creative diamond (Guilford, 1950) is the basis approach
for facilitation sessions, distinguishing between participants’ divergence and convergence thinking. During the first, many ideas are generated, while comes to a final idea/decision when converging. It is common to let participants make use of different means to generate ideas, like whiteboards, sticking notes, and markers.
It is known that people might underrate their own creativity, and the facilitators' work is to facilitate participants’ creativity. Written, visual and verbal communication is important to let participants express their ideas to each other during sessions.
Besides the classical creative diamond, newer studies have shown the need to differentiate
a step in-between the divergence and convergence phases (eg. Tassaul and Buijs; Kaner; Heijne and Smit). It is called revergence and aims to revisit and rearrange every generated idea during the divergence, by making clusters. A literature study was executed to investigate further developments in the creative diamond approach, as well as what influence people’s creativity.
At LEF, facilitators let participants generate as
many ideas as possible (when diverging), and to come up with a final solution to the indicated problem (when converging). Further investigation with context observations and interviews with facilitators was performed. It was confirmed that not every facilitator does the converging phase of the session, and that many are not aware
of the reverging as a separate stage from converging. In the end, clusters of ideas can be created in a messy mean, leading to deliverables for clients that may not show the full creative potential of the session.
As a way to stimulate participants’ generation of ideas and the creation of clusters, the design of the tool thus focuses on supporting facilitators to perform the revergence phase of sessions. Joining findings from both the literature review and context mapping, a promising direction was identified in the use of combination tools for the three phases of the sessions. Using rapid prototyping tests
of the tools, a toolkit structure for performing the reverging phase was designed: the Clustalk toolkit.

When it comes to mobile devices, off-boarding is a less well-acknowledged part of the product lifecycle, the vocabularies around endings are deficient. Both consumers and companies, however, tend to overlook the importance of the EOU consumer experience and its impact on a transition towards a CE. Companies like to introduce ‘hello’ to new products while neglecting the ‘goodbye’ stage. They hardly pay attention to what happens after the consumers no longer use them. Consumer-wise, many mobile devices are left somewhere at home because of various reasons including data safety, pollution concerns as well as denial about the ending of lifespan.

Therefore, the design opportunity exists in knowing mobile device consumers’ experiences at the off-boarding phase thus to design a valuable approach to enable them have a meaningful ‘goodbye’ at the end of the product’s lifecycle and as a result, to return the mobile devices to the corresponding refurbishment and recycle services to close the loop.

Technological advancements have resulted in vehicles gaining the ability to effortlessly compile data required to generate Situational Awareness. Situational Awareness is defined as the continuous (re-)processing of information leading to an intangible spatial representation of the environment. While vehicles effortlessly compile Situational Awareness, drivers are only able to generate it through complex cognitive processes that are highly demanding. This thesis introduces an overall framework for an interaction concept for research purposes. This interaction concept aims to actively support the driver in generating Situational Awareness (SA) to reduce the demands on the driver.

The presented approach is an interaction concept that exploits the vehicle’s ability to support drivers in the SA process. This supportive concept aims to support the driver by assessing the driver’s SA and responding in an intervening or informative manner when required. By doing so, the solution aims to reduce the demand on the driver and sequentially enhances the driver’s user experience.

To introduce such a supportive interaction concept, the future context has been considered which revolves around Conditional Autonomous Vehicles. The introduction of such vehicles results in a shifting role allocation between human drivers and automated driving systems. As a result, three driving modes can be encountered in the driving task. Based on the frameworks of information processing and human factors in automation and SA, several aspects are identified that have shaped the aim of the interaction concept in each driving mode.