Hi,
I'm Bram Elema
A Creative Technologist
Vision
In my eyes, design is about functionality. Even though it is often important that something is aesthetically pleasing, it is even more important how good something works. I also strongly believe in Dieter Rams’ “form follows function”. A good design must be easy and intuitive to use, in line with what the user wants, and it needs a purpose. I believe a good design has to be able to adapt to people, as everyone is different and might want to use a product in a different way to suit their needs. Because I often try to incorporate some form of modularity into my designs as this enables the user to easily configure a product how they like. Nowadays, new technologies keep being invented and even though some of them such as AI might seem scary, I believe they have great possibilities to help humans in their daily lives. AI is not only very functional for answering your questions, in my opinion, its actual strength is its ability for personalisation, such that it can adapt to you.
Besides the function and capabilities of a design, it must also be intuitive to use. By making good use of feedforward and feedback, the user experience can be greatly improved.
In the future, I see myself designing electronic products that make people’s lives easier and more joyful. Technology is the future, and I believe that by using technologies such as AI, human capabilities can be extended and user experiences can be improved.
Identity
I am a technology-focused designer, which means that I incorporate electronics and software in my designs to improve the user experience. I enjoy working with emerging technologies such as AI, and try to incorporate it a seamlessly into my designs as possible. Designing new products has been something that I was interested in from a young age. Besides that, I have also always been interested in technology and its capabilities. More recently, I have started combining technology and design to make a seamless experience.
Recently, I have developed a specific interest in designing with light in home and working environments, which is also the reason why I have joined the student team Ignite. Here I am part of the technical cluster and responsible for helping the different projects with the integration of electronics and hardware.
I would describe my style as minimalistic. I like minimalism because it avoids unnecessary things and keeps a design simple and elegant. While designing, I pay attention to the little details that give a product a great user experience. I am also a critical thinker, even during the early stages of a design process, I analyse the feasibility, but also the desirability of a concept. This results in quickly being able to identify the benefits and drawbacks of each concept, allowing me to quickly iterate towards a better design.
During projects, I am often the one who works on the prototype, this is because I have a lot of experience with electronics and knowledge on how to assemble and program them. Besides that, I have experience with 3D modelling in Blender and recently also gained interest in prototyping techniques such as 3D printing and laser cutting. Recently, I have also expanded my skillset by learning how to model in Fusion 360, which is used more widely in the industry, and I have also started working on PCB design, allowing me to create higher fidelity prototypes. In a project meeting, I do not often take a leading role, but I am a good listener and gather all the information I need to make a well-informed decision.
Project showcase
Throughout my bachelor, I have done a variety of different courses in all expertise areas, with a main focus on Technology and Realization. Besides university projects I have also been busy working on extracurricular activities such as joining Team Ignite but also my own design projects, some of which you can find highlighted in orange.
Future Goals
During my future development, I would like to continue designing with a focus on the Technology and Realisation and Math, Data and Computing expertise areas. For the TR expertise area, I want to learn more about how to make moving mechanisms, but also how to optimise designs for manufacturing, as those processes are very different from the 3D printing and laser cutting, which I currently use. As for MDC, I want to expand my knowledge on connected systems. Currently, most of my designs only work locally; however, I think it would be very valuable to also have multiple designs work together. In this expertise area, I would also like to continue the process of data-enabled design by making design decisions based on data collected by interactive prototypes.
Even though my main focus will be towards TR and MDC, I will still continue to expand my skills and knowledge within the other three expertise areas.
Previously, I have gained some knowledge in the Business and Entrepreneurship area; however, this is mostly about verifying whether a concept would be a good addition to the market. One of my future goals for this EA is to actually sell a product by finding a place to manufacture it and doing marketing. In the User and Society EA, I want to continue incorporating the user in the design process as I am doing now, since I already have quite some experience with this. I would still like to do larger-scale testing, as currently I only conduct user tests with a maximum of 25 to 50 participants. For the final expertise area, Creativity and Aesthetics, I have already developed a consistent and unique style. In the coming months, I would like to further define this style by creating guidelines for it.
Finally, my professional skills have greatly increased over the years. I have become better at pitching and speaking in front of groups. Both of these are now at a level I am comfortable with; however, there is always room for improvement. Therefore, I would like to get more experience with speaking in front of larger audiences.