Welcome on the personal page of Paul Hekkert
I am full professor of form theory and head of the design aesthetics group at Delft University of Technology. I conduct research and regularly publish on the aesthetic, experiential and behavioral effects of products, and I am the (co) editor and author of three books, including Product Experience and Vision in Design.In 2011 I received a VICI grant from the Dutch Science foundation (NWO) to develop a Unified Model of Aesthetics: project UMA. I am also chairman of the board for the Design & Emotion Society and member of the Dutch Creative Council. Recently, I joined the Dutch Topteam for the Creative Industries covering the research and science agenda.

My work is driven by a desire to understand how people experience the world around them, especially through the everyday objects and services that have been designed for that world. I focus on questions of aesthetics – why we like what we like – and meaning – what these designs mean to us. Inspired by evolutionary psychology, I am particularly interested in identifying the universal principles underlying these experiences, and showing how these principles manifest at group and individual levels.

Understanding how products elicit an experience allows designers to make more deliberate decisions. I believe this awareness ought to be developed, as it fosters their responsibility for the impact products have on our behaviour and well-being. Thus, my efforts are ultimately directed towards empowering designers to become leaders of product innovation, and use their unique points of view to shape the way people live their lives.

If you want to see Paul live, check his upcoming events