Category: Research
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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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Living atlas
This Living Atlas is not a conclusion. It’s a beginning—an unfinished map made through co-creation, friction, failure, and wonder. By sharing this work, I aim to support others in noticing what often goes unseen, unheard, and unread. Let’s build a world that includes everyone.
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Essay on results until may 2025
Designing for Inclusion: Learning from Illiteracy-Focused Experiments A short essay on competencies in socially engaged design research Introduction In a world increasingly mediated by complex information systems, those who cannot read or write are systematically excluded. As design researchers, we have the responsibility—and the tools—to design with empathy, through participation, and for transformation. This short…
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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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Interview Maurice de Greef
Design Research, Social Inclusion, and the Role of Co-Creation: An Interview with Maurice de Greef In contemporary design research, the shift from object-centered approaches to socially engaged, human-centered practices has positioned researchers as intermediaries, facilitators, and advocates within complex societal systems. This transition is particularly evident in collaborations addressing illiteracy and social exclusion, where design…
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Interview Koos Vervoort
Changing Roles, Deepening Expertise: Lessons from the Lived Experience of Koos Vervoort for Design Researchers In contemporary design research, the concept of expertise is being fundamentally redefined. Where once the “designer” was positioned as a central authority, recent approaches emphasize shared authorship, participatory methods, and the inclusion of lived experience as a legitimate form of…
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Rediscovering Drawing as a Research Practice: Visual Thinking in Design Research
Creating visuals For many practitioners in design research, creativity is not only a professional tool but also a deeply personal form of expression. However, within the constraints of project deadlines, academic rigor, and institutional demands, practices like drawing and painting—once central to many designers’ identities—often fall dormant. This was my experience as well: having drawn…
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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,…