Manifesto
In my career, I came across very different understandings of design, both among design fellows and non-designers. This naturally requires designers to shape their own understanding of design and find their position in this always evolving field.
The following 7 principles reflect what I learned about myself over the past years working in different teams. They describe how I work, what I believe in and what I think hasn’t been said often enough.
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For me design is a way of problem solving and achieving outcomes, not creating outputs like apps or websites.
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I start with human needs, not with technology. Technology is just a vehicle to fulfil human needs, not a need itself. Sometimes it’s even harmful. The world needs more humanity, not more technology.
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I believe in strategy and research as the key to successful products. I never jump into crafting experiences before understanding the goal and the problem (that’s why you shouldn’t ask me to design outputs).
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I focus on improvements with high impact and design experiments to test them. I start focussing on pixel-perfect designs when they are needed.
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I don’t code because I believe designers should help with other things, such as understanding human behaviour and bringing people together.
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‘Structure kills creativity’ is a myth. People need input and guidance to come up with ideas. I use various methods and exercises to unleash creativity in myself and others.
- I’m a very social person who thrives within a team. Great things get built together, so I prefer being onsite with my team over remote setups.
That’s it. If this sounds like someone you would like to work with, I’m happy to talk more over a coffee.