Jelle Spoek

Professional Identity

I am a designer with a background in Communication & Multimedia Design who is daring to step off the beaten path to explore new possibilities while using a structured design approach. I see every design process as unique, shaped by its specific context and I explore this through rapid lo-fi prototypes, experienceable artefacts and early testing. I immerse myself in context by taking on a first-person perspective, testing prototypes on my own body or acting as a participant-observer in a community storytelling session, which helps me become aware of assumptions, understand context and inform the design research question, all while staying critically aware of my own perspective.

My approach focusses on designing with, rather than for people. I involve users, participants, stakeholders and experts not only to evaluate at the end, but to shape the design process and research. During courses and projects, artefacts became a tool which opened conversations, generated data and insights that would not emerge through observation alone.

In multidisciplinary teams, my calm, creative and unbiased nature enables me to listen, understand and bridge gaps among team members. I can translate abstract ideas into concrete concepts, develop quick prototypes and organise complex processes. At the same time, I sometimes need to challenge myself not to stay in familiar roles and to engage earlier, despite any uncertainties there may be in the process.

In summary, I am a designer who seeks collaboration, merges diverse perspectives and explores unique possibilities from a structured, reflective approach to create meaningful designs.

vision

In an era characterised by rapid technological advancement, I believe our role as designers is to make possible futures tangible by not only anticipating on technological and societal trends but also use design to shape them. For me, this means that design should act as a medium for others to speculate on and imagine the kind of future they truly want.

In current consumer society, many products are designed around innovation, efficiency and productivity (Slade, 2006). This has influenced the relationship between users and products, fostering short product lifespans, weak user attachment and fast replacement cycles (Mugge et al., 2010; van Nes & Cramer, 2005). Through my M1.2 design research project on Slow Design and Erasmus exchange at KTH in Sweden with focus on eco-design, circular economy and product-service systems, I started to understand the importance of meaningful user-product relationships which can act as a mechanism for a more sustainable consumption practice.

I strongly believe that design should challenge assumptions, reveal new possibilities and lastly, connect people to what matters most in their lives. This all relies on how well the design resonates with users, responds to real needs and enriches experiences over time. I see that the role of design is not to create noise, but rather to focus on what is meaningful and ask the question: “Does this truly add value?”