About (Academic)

See a non-academic version here

I am a creative technologist building digital and physical products, and always busy with user experience design, software and hardware. In my current academic position I specialise in a Research Through Design methodology. Using novel technologies and bespoke designs, I develop interactive research products and deploy them in-the-wild. Learning from these experienceable products allows the exploration of alternative futures. In particular, my interests lay in interaction with distributed data in everyday environments that support or relieve human cognition, in enjoyable, playful and less-utilitarian ways. In my current research, as a Doctoral Trainee, I deploy alternative approaches to explore data as a resource for family life. This contributes to the search to find family-inclusive ways to use, manage and enjoy data amongst the family at home, including children and elderly of all ages.

Parallel to this work, I experiment with designing software, hardware and product design, and enjoy woodworking, being outdoors and boardgames.

Contact me on Github, LinkedIn, or Email.

Resume (Academic)

Experience

now 10/17 Researcher and Digital Product Developer - Computer Science, Newcastle University, UK

Doctoral researcher on novel family-focused interfaces for internet-connected services. I started at Northumbria (2017) and transferred with my supervisor to Newcastle (2019).

Designed Domestic Widgets, a ‘physicalisation’ IoT toolkit for families to create cardboard-based indicators that connect with various data sources through voice control.
Implemented natural language processing, embedded hardware and bespoke web services for secure data management and access by Domestic Widget users through the voice UI.
Developed a Google App Script (Phone Grown), which transforms a Google Sheet into a user interface to create rule-based ambient information displays from ‘left-over’ phones.
Designed an accompanying UI in Google Sheets and written tutorial supporting a do-it-yourself, scalable and open-source dissemination of this app.
Deployed both products at 5-10 families each for ~2 months; individually conducted observations and interviews to qualitatively study how domestic connected devices can be better designed with families in mind, and for which potential shared purposes.

09/20 02/18 Computer Science Teaching Assistant - School of Computing, Newcastle University, UK

Teaching (demonstrating) in MSc courses such as Advanced Programming, Information Systems (Interaction Design and Databases), Programming and Data Structures, Object-Oriented Programming (BSc course at Northumbria University).

12/16 9/16 Visiting Researcher - Edinburgh Napier University, UK

Designed and developed an Android AR app for SmoothMoves - a head-gesture interaction technique. This app was later ported (not by me) to Microsoft Hololens, whilst I ported it to a standalone smartwach app (WaveTrace).

02/18 03/15 Motion Graphics Designer - Studio David Verweij, Eindhoven, NL

Animated and designed various motion graphics and illustrations for clients such as Smart-Homes.nl, Eindhoven University of Technology (SkillsLab, School of Education) and Media Markt NL.

08/16 05/14 Co-owner and STEM Course developer - BétaBoomen, Eindhoven, NL

Developed extra-curricular STEM courses (e.g. electronics, programming) for, and managed relations with, pre-university schools.
Delivered, and recruited other university students to deliver, these courses at pre-university schools throughout the region. Pupil ages ranged from 12 - 17.

Skills

Software Development - Full stack developer, main experience in JavaScript and serverless APIs.

Experienced in programming languages such as HTML, (S)CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, Node.js, Java (inc. for Android and Android Wear), C++ (hardware), Python, SQL and currently following courses on Vue.js, React.js and Docker.
Continuously worked with Cloud Computing solutions - primarily using the Google Cloud Platform (GCP, e.g. Cloud Functions, DialogFlow, Firebase/store, Authentication), including RESTful APIs, utilising (no)SQL databases and ensuring data security through rules and authentication.
Balanced development skillset across the full stack, with a sound understanding and experience in
- data structures (e.g. OOP) and design patterns (e.g. async concurrency, pub/sub messaging, queues),
- source and version control (git) and (unit)tests (e.g. pytest, nox),
- utilizing and building upon third-party libraries and package managers (e.g. npm, poetry, pyenv),
- conducting data analysis and visualisation in Python (e.g. pandas, numpy, plotly) and JavaScript (e.g. D3.js)
This includes familiarity with containerisation (Docker) and an eagerness to gain more experience in continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD).

(Product) Design - Generalist, from paper to functional prototype.

UI/UX design, originating from illustrations and motion graphics. Comfortably navigates the Adobe Suite, including Adobe XD, Illustrator and Photoshop. Applied UX design skills through the development of various visual (screen-based), audible (voice assistant) and physical (gestural) interfaces.
Product development, shaping form through paper prototyping, cardboard modelling, 3D printing and woordworking. Creating function through off-the-shelf electronics (Arduino/Raspberry PI) and bespoke hardware (circuit design).

Research and Analysis - Applied researcher experienced in Research through Design

Literature and user research for qualitative (e.g. thematic), quantitative and data analysis. Experienced in tools such as SPSS, NVivo, and utilising Python scripts (D3.js, pandas, plotly) for data analysis.

Communication and Collaboration - Languages: Dutch (native), English (C2: mastery)

Experienced presenter and writer for academic (see also publications), technical, public and informal purposes. I am self-directed and resourceful, yet not afraid to ask for help and collaborate.

Selected Projects

2020 Phone Grown - A Google Sheets extention providing a rule-based UI for phone-based ambient data visualisation displays.

Tools: REST API (Google App Script / JavaScript), Firestore (noSQL) database, notification service, HTML, (S)CSS

2020 csv2docx - A Python CLI+library to generate .docx files from .csv files using a .docx template with mailmerge fields

Tools: Python (type annotated), command line interface (click), package manager (poetry), (unit)testing (pytest, nox).

2018 Domestic Widgets - A toolkit to create, customise and control physical data visualisations through a voice-assistant.

Tools: Natural language processing (Google Dialogflow), Firestore (noSQL) database, REST API (node.js, JavaScript), Wi-Fi enabled embedded hardware (C++).

2017 WaveTrace - A smartwatch-based gestural interaction technique to control smart appliances through correlating wrist movements

Tools: Android Wear (Java), motion sensing (IMU), local web server (threading, Java, Raspberry PI), UDP.

See more projects

Education

now 10/17 PhD in Human-Computer Interaction - School of Computing, Newcastle University

Thesis on Family-focused design for data-driven products. Initially at Northumbria University (10/17 - 07/19)

07/17 09/15 MSc in Industrial Design - Eindhoven University of Technology

Graduated with distinction

07/15 09/10 BSc in Industrial Design - Eindhoven University of Technology

02/15 02/14 Minor Science Education and Communication - Eindhoven School of Education

Received a qualification for teaching secondary education physics

Management and Volunteering

now 2018 Web Co-chair - ACM SIGCHI CHI Steering Committee

07/20 10/18 Assistant to the General Conference Chairs & Design Chair - ACM SIGCHI CHI Conference 2020, Hawaii, USA

2019 2018 Design Chair - ACM SIGCHI CHIPLAY Conference, Spain

11/13 09/12 Vice-Chairman & Commissioner of Education - Study Association Industrial Design, Eindhoven, NL

Full-time representation of Industrial Design students in multiple bodies throughout the University.

Invited Workshops and Talks

07/20 Workshop on Designing for the End of Life of IoT Objects - Virtual, during the 2020 DIS Conference

An academic workshop on the sustainable and life ‘after death’ for the increasing number of IoT devices

05/20 Workshop om Self Sustainability in Human Computer Interaction - Virtual, during the 2020 CHI Conference

An academic workshop on self-powered sustainable interfaces and interactions

2019 2018 Presentation on Interaction Design - Edinburgh Napier University, UK

Presented my research on Domestic Widgets (in 2019) and on WaveTrace (in 2018) as closing plenary for the BSc Interaction Design

05/18 Workshop on Designing Smart Objects as Embodied Agents in Everyday Life - Lorentz Center, Leiden, NL

5-day academic workshop on the future of smart domestic objects to help frame future work in interaction design

06/15 Workshop at BENQ International - Taiwan TECH University Taipei, Taiwan

9-day product design workshop on future BENQ products

Awards and Grants

03/19 Doctoral Consortium Honorarium - Main applicant | $ 300

Received as part of my acceptance to CHI 2019 Doctoral Consortium

04/18 PGR Research Impact Scheme - Main applicant | £ 300

Used to host my research at the UK Maker Faire 2018 in Newcastle

09/18 Design United Demonstrator Grant - Co-applicant | € 5.000 | Ref. C2E1707

Used to translate the WaveTrace research project into a consumer product prototype

09/17 ACM Student Travel Grant - Main applicant | $ 1.370 | SSTG-May_2017 #130

Used for travel and accommodation for ISS 2017