Some recommended links
A video of the 'extraodinary lecture' by Elizabeth Shove and others explaining how selected concepts from the social sciences can shed a different light on how especially politics approach climate change issues.
An interesting project called Save Food from the Fridge by designer Jihyun Ryou on incorporating traditional knowledge - on food storage - in products.
A video of the IASDR presentation 'Product-Friendly User Design: A Critical Discourse on User-Centered Methodology' by Alex Zakkas and his project website.
An innovative way of making social theory accessible and understandable for students and a wider audience in general is the Theoretical Theater idea developed and wonderfully executed by a group of courageous researchers at the University of East Anglia. The video features four (groups of) personified theories, rational choice theory, social psychology, practice theory and systems theory engaging in a lively debate.
Hello there,
This page contains information about my PhD research at the department of Industrial Design of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering of TU Delft. It took place from November 2008 until July 2013 and was closed with a formal defense ceremony on February 7th 2014.
The research was about the relation between design(ers) and household resource consumption. Studies into this field are increasingly aiming for changes in peoples behavior and lifestyles.The relation between design and people’s daily lives is clearly present, but it is certainly not straightforward. In my research I explored how theories from sociology, and in particular theories of practice, can assist designers in gaining a better understanding of the relation between design and changes in society. At the same time I’ve developed so called practice-oriented design approaches. These approaches aim to guide designers to apply theories of practice into designs that have certain desirable effects.
In the spring of 2010, I spent three months at the sociology department of Lancaster University. The main goal and effect was to improve my expertise in the field of sociology. Both personally and for my research this has been an invaluable experience.
My PhD supervisors were Dr. Annelise de Jong and Prof. Daan van Eijk. Prof. Elizabeth Shove was involved as an informal supervisor.
The results of my research are described in my PhD thesis that can be downloaded here.
If you have any questions or would like to work with me on my research, feel free to contact me any time. Contact information can be found in the left column of this page.
From April 1 2014, I work as a Research Associate on the DEMAND project at the University of Sheffield.