Past.
Over the last 6 months, I have grown as a designer and a person. Some of the things I've learned and used in my projects and research are listed below.
Expertise Areas.
Before TU/e.
It was the end of 2021 when I finally figured out what I wanted to do after high school – Industrial/Product Design. I slowly started focusing on more design-related tasks alongside school and working on my goals of getting into a good university. Over the next two years, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery and learning, understanding the basics of design and trying to prepare myself for what was to come.
3D Printing and Design. Learning Fusion 360, working with FDM and SLA 3D printers, conducting workshops on 3D printing, designing solutions for real-world problems and deploying them in various targets. Doing online courses on CAD, Design Thinking, and learning about design processes; plus teaching others while running my school’s 3D Design Club.
Music. Learning to play guitar and bass, restoring old guitar pedals, working on old guitars and amplifiers, as well as designing my own modular electric guitar and playing guitar, bass, and keyboard in a band with friends.
Technology. Spearheaded an innovative technology showcase program as a Systems and Marketing Trainee, overseeing presentations to internal teams and clients, orchestrating events, and configuring smart devices for optimal functionality. Also, collaborated in an innovation team to utilize AI tools in crafting compelling graphics, posters, and presentations for clients and leveraging the power of AI to optimize workflows.
Business and Finance. Selected as one of the members of the 360One Young Leaders Program, 2023 and nominated for the Intern of the Year award, I utilized financial expertise in client portfolio management simulations and real-world financial scenarios, effectively optimizing gains while managing risk. This taught me the fundamentals of leading a team as well as the core principles of business and finance.
Move and Improve.
With CBL Project 1, my team created Move and Improve – a card based educational game to help students aged 8-10 stay fit and healthy in schools.
I took the lead with several aspects of the project’s design. Some of my main contributions included the 3D modeling and printing for our game housing, working with Arduino for the tech inside the game, helping the team stick to an iterative design process, as well as talking with experts and conducting interviews while finalizing our game concept. Moreover, I took the lead with the midterm video we had to make, which I shot and edited almost entirely myself. Similarly, with the product photos for our final demo, I was happy to use my skills behind the lens to take a few good pictures of our final product.
Reflecting on this experience, I learned a lot about working in a team, got a deeper understanding of self-directed learning and time management, and recognized the importance of designing for users. These skills will prove to be important to me in the future, especially while trying to create inclusive and easy to use products.
Expertise Areas.
Watch the video.
Expertise Areas.
Buddle.
During our Human Centered Design course, my team created Buddle - The Sports Connections App. It was created to encourage people to stay healthy by connecting them with sports partners and teams.
Being the first course I did at university, this was an incredible learning opportunity the lessons of which I still apply every day. We were taught the double diamond design model (which resonated with me), and which my team used during 'Move and Improve'. Additionally, data collection methods such as surveys, questionnaires, and interviews that we were trained in proved useful while finalizing the concept of our first project.
This course gave me a solid foundation to explore and learn a lot more in Industrial Design. It helped me come closer to my goals of improving presentation skills, and delivering quality work.