Category: Experiments
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Audio and podcast
My journey into audio did not begin as a technical choice, or even as a conscious design strategy. It began with discomfort. Again and again, in my research and teaching, I saw how effortlessly text positioned itself as the default. Instructions, consent forms, rules of play, explanations of systems — all written, all assumed readable.…
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Introducing time to the game board
Third iteration The redesign of the game board and gameplay mechanics was undertaken as a research-through-design (RtD) iteration, in which design practice itself functioned as a mode of inquiry. Rather than treating the game as a final artefact to be refined or optimised, each iteration was approached as an opportunity to investigate how systemic complexity,…
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How a game became a movement
Living Without Letters is more than a research project. It is a message that continues to travel — through Rotterdam and beyond. Through this work, I became part of the Digital Social Innovation Lab (DiSIL). Their initial focus was entirely on digital literacy. But by entering the lab, I brought a different reality into the…
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Audio files
Dutch Start van het spel Uitleg luidspreker symbool Brieven Brief 1 Brief 2 Brief 3 Brief 4 Brief 5 Brief 6 Eisen pasfoto Uitleg paspoort Weet jij waar ik een paspoort kan aanvragen? Antwoord buurman: Wat kost een paspoort? Wanneer is een paspoort klaar? Instructies sociale huurwoning English Start of the game Letters Letter 1…
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Experiment: Designing an Inclusive Serious Game to Shift Perspectives on Illiteracy – 1st iteration
As a design researcher, I developed a serious board game aimed at helping literate individuals experience what it feels like to navigate everyday life without the ability to read or write. This experiment builds on the outcomes of earlier puzzle-based experiences and contributes to the broader goal of designing for empathy and inclusion (Harbers, 2021).…
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Experiment: Experiencing Illiteracy Through Design – A Perspective-Changing Puzzle
As part of my design research into social inclusion and accessibility, I created an experiment aimed at giving literate participants a first-hand experience of what it might feel like to be unable to read. The experiment was built around the concept of “designing for empathy” (Mattelmäki, 2006), with the goal of encouraging a deeper understanding…
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Experiment visual language
New Practices and Evolving Expertise: Co-Creation with People with Low Literacy Reframing Expertise in Design Research Contemporary design research has increasingly moved toward participatory approaches that challenge traditional hierarchies of knowledge. In this spirit, my research sought to investigate whether it was possible to co-create a visual language to translate bureaucratic texts into accessible visuals,…
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Designing Without Words: A Visual Recipe Co-Creation Experiment with the Neighbourhood Dads of Hillesluis
Experiment Recipe without words In design research, particularly in the context of inclusive and participatory methods, working with so-called experts by experience is vital for uncovering the hidden frictions in daily life caused by systemic exclusion. This experiment explores whether visual communication—specifically a recipe without words—can be a tool for inclusion, especially for people who…
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Experiment translating formal text in to visuals
The subsequent experiment was less successful and became an important moment of reflection within the research. In an attempt to translate formal written texts into images together with an illiterate volunteer, in collaboration with the SOL organization and language ambassadors from the Reading and Writing Foundation (Stichting Lezen en Schrijven), it quickly became clear that…