Experience

BioCheck

• Netherlands
• Health, Wellness & Fitness
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Innovation Lead

  • Feb 2023 - Present

  Biocheck supports people in their recovery and prevention of fatigue problems, which are caused by (chronic) illness, chronic stress or trauma, for which they use their medically validated software and method. Disruptive lifestyle and health innovation which will become the norm for regaining and maintaining your energy. Leading Innovation, research and marketing Developing user research, new products, propositions, (business) strategies, medical certification / QMS and… Show more Biocheck supports people in their recovery and prevention of fatigue problems, which are caused by (chronic) illness, chronic stress or trauma, for which they use their medically validated software and method. Disruptive lifestyle and health innovation which will become the norm for regaining and maintaining your energy. Leading Innovation, research and marketing Developing user research, new products, propositions, (business) strategies, medical certification / QMS and (research) collaborations. Introducing human centric design en service thinking. Setting up a marketing structure. Support the overal growth and professionalization of the company.

• Interim Innovation Lead

  • Jun 2022 - Feb 2023

  Biocheck supports people in their recovery and prevention of fatigue problems, which are caused by (chronic) illness, chronic stress or trauma, for which they use their medically validated software and method. Disruptive lifestyle and health innovation which will become the norm for regaining and maintaining your energy. Developing user research, new products, propositions, (business) strategies, medical certification / QMS and (research) collaborations. Introducing human centric… Show more Biocheck supports people in their recovery and prevention of fatigue problems, which are caused by (chronic) illness, chronic stress or trauma, for which they use their medically validated software and method. Disruptive lifestyle and health innovation which will become the norm for regaining and maintaining your energy. Developing user research, new products, propositions, (business) strategies, medical certification / QMS and (research) collaborations. Introducing human centric design en service thinking. Setting up a marketing structure. Support the overal growth and professionalization of the company.



Studio Desiree van der Gracht

• Utrecht Area, Netherlands

• Innovation consultant & workshop facilitator

  • Oct 2019 - Present

  Driving innovation from a human centred perspective. Desiree is a connector, an inspirer, a design-thinker and a design doer. She is an empathic researcher and is not daunted by the unknown. It is her strength to build strong relationships and to get things done together from there. She will make it happen. Desiree has strong storytelling and visual skills that helps to translate complex research, co-created ideas and concepts into easy to understand and imaginative output. She is a very good… Show more Driving innovation from a human centred perspective. Desiree is a connector, an inspirer, a design-thinker and a design doer. She is an empathic researcher and is not daunted by the unknown. It is her strength to build strong relationships and to get things done together from there. She will make it happen. Desiree has strong storytelling and visual skills that helps to translate complex research, co-created ideas and concepts into easy to understand and imaginative output. She is a very good presenter who can clearly communicate in an engaging way. Workfield: User research & Insight || strategic- & service design || User experience || Concept & proposition development || Workshop facilitator || Design sprint facilitator Specialized: Social domain, health & wellbeing, user research & service design in spatial context, translation of research in to concepts and or propositions BNO member Show less Driving innovation from a human centred perspective. Desiree is a connector, an inspirer, a design-thinker and a design doer. She is an empathic researcher and is not daunted by the unknown. It is her strength to build strong relationships and to get things done together from there. She will make it happen. Desiree has strong storytelling and visual skills that helps to translate complex research, co-created ideas and concepts into easy to understand and imaginative output. She is a very good… Show more Driving innovation from a human centred perspective. Desiree is a connector, an inspirer, a design-thinker and a design doer. She is an empathic researcher and is not daunted by the unknown. It is her strength to build strong relationships and to get things done together from there. She will make it happen. Desiree has strong storytelling and visual skills that helps to translate complex research, co-created ideas and concepts into easy to understand and imaginative output. She is a very good presenter who can clearly communicate in an engaging way. Workfield: User research & Insight || strategic- & service design || User experience || Concept & proposition development || Workshop facilitator || Design sprint facilitator Specialized: Social domain, health & wellbeing, user research & service design in spatial context, translation of research in to concepts and or propositions BNO member Show less



Ambient Wellbeing ®

• Utrecht, Netherlands

• Founder

  • Oct 2020 - Present

  Developing a multi sensory breathing solution that helps people to de-stress and contributes to a faster recovery of people with burnout and stress-related complaints. Developing a multi sensory breathing solution that helps people to de-stress and contributes to a faster recovery of people with burnout and stress-related complaints.



Livework studio

• United Kingdom
• Design
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Service Design Consultant

  • Oct 2018 - Sep 2019

  Good services don’t happen by accident. They need to be designed. That’s what Livework does. The services Livework provides: Service strategy | design new paths for growth Organisations need to keep up with the pace of change. Shifting customer expectations, competitive pressure and digital technology are making us all think about how to do business differently. A strategy needs a dose of customer insight and creativity to uncover new opportunities to differentiate and… Show more Good services don’t happen by accident. They need to be designed. That’s what Livework does. The services Livework provides: Service strategy | design new paths for growth Organisations need to keep up with the pace of change. Shifting customer expectations, competitive pressure and digital technology are making us all think about how to do business differently. A strategy needs a dose of customer insight and creativity to uncover new opportunities to differentiate and grow. Service innovation | Unlock new opportunities The world around you is rapidly changing. Powerful technologies are in the hands of your customers, employees and stakeholders. You feel the increasing pressure of societal challenges. You want to see opportunity for positive change in society and you want to contribute to it. How do you effectively explore how customer needs evolve? What kind of innovative services will actually work and be adopted? And what does the business opportunity look like? Service improvement | Improve the way you deliver Complaints may be on the rise, your customer satisfaction is not. You need to manage a shift to digital. The goal may be there, but there’s no shared vision of what the desired end-state looks like. Your budget is under constant pressure so you have to be focused. Targeted improvements to your customers’ experience, based on solid research, drives the change you actually want. Customer centricity| Drive change capability from outside in Everyone is telling you that you need to become customer centric. Your organisation has initiated several projects to create better products, improve service, and satisfy your customers’ digital needs, but the business is not really changing. You feel that there is a better way of doing things. But how do you bring something like design into your organisation and drive change from the outside-in? Clients I have worked for: De Kunsthal, Zilveren Kruis, ING, Persgroep, Gemeente Rotterdam, Conforte Innovatielab Show less Good services don’t happen by accident. They need to be designed. That’s what Livework does. The services Livework provides: Service strategy | design new paths for growth Organisations need to keep up with the pace of change. Shifting customer expectations, competitive pressure and digital technology are making us all think about how to do business differently. A strategy needs a dose of customer insight and creativity to uncover new opportunities to differentiate and… Show more Good services don’t happen by accident. They need to be designed. That’s what Livework does. The services Livework provides: Service strategy | design new paths for growth Organisations need to keep up with the pace of change. Shifting customer expectations, competitive pressure and digital technology are making us all think about how to do business differently. A strategy needs a dose of customer insight and creativity to uncover new opportunities to differentiate and grow. Service innovation | Unlock new opportunities The world around you is rapidly changing. Powerful technologies are in the hands of your customers, employees and stakeholders. You feel the increasing pressure of societal challenges. You want to see opportunity for positive change in society and you want to contribute to it. How do you effectively explore how customer needs evolve? What kind of innovative services will actually work and be adopted? And what does the business opportunity look like? Service improvement | Improve the way you deliver Complaints may be on the rise, your customer satisfaction is not. You need to manage a shift to digital. The goal may be there, but there’s no shared vision of what the desired end-state looks like. Your budget is under constant pressure so you have to be focused. Targeted improvements to your customers’ experience, based on solid research, drives the change you actually want. Customer centricity| Drive change capability from outside in Everyone is telling you that you need to become customer centric. Your organisation has initiated several projects to create better products, improve service, and satisfy your customers’ digital needs, but the business is not really changing. You feel that there is a better way of doing things. But how do you bring something like design into your organisation and drive change from the outside-in? Clients I have worked for: De Kunsthal, Zilveren Kruis, ING, Persgroep, Gemeente Rotterdam, Conforte Innovatielab Show less



D/DOCK

• Netherlands
• Architecture and Planning
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Strategic / Experience Designer

  • Sep 2017 - Aug 2018

  My role: Front-end innovation, strategic design, design research, experience design, concept design. To inspire colleagues, drive innovation and introducing different working methods D/Dock creates and realize interior designs and concepts that go beyond the physical and aesthetics alone by constantly challenging dogmas. Sustainable solutions that are future-proof with a human centred focus. The goal of D/Dock is to create and realize solutions that positively contribute to the… Show more My role: Front-end innovation, strategic design, design research, experience design, concept design. To inspire colleagues, drive innovation and introducing different working methods D/Dock creates and realize interior designs and concepts that go beyond the physical and aesthetics alone by constantly challenging dogmas. Sustainable solutions that are future-proof with a human centred focus. The goal of D/Dock is to create and realize solutions that positively contribute to the performance and the wellbeing of all parties involved in a project. By integrating psychological research into our concepts and by applying evidence-based design in the process, we realize profitable business cases for our clients; concepts that positively influence the wellbeing of the end-users, facilitate behavioral change and contribute to a higher productivity for the employer. Not by focusing on the hard factors in the design alone, but by emphasizing on the soft factors as well and transforming them into measurable elements. One of the key projects I worked on during my time at D/Dock, was a new type of backoffice for doctors, AIO's and researches. Together with the new type of layout we developed multiple typologies to ensure an optimal and pleasant way of task related working. The different needs where connected to different areas and typologies. An innovative project that I enjoyed working on. It is great to drive innovation through co-creation. I was part of the team until we completed the validation of the pilot floor Other projects where: Tendering for health related projects, Ronald McDonald huis, Spaces, Olympia, Parkschool, PLUS / Swissport Show less My role: Front-end innovation, strategic design, design research, experience design, concept design. To inspire colleagues, drive innovation and introducing different working methods D/Dock creates and realize interior designs and concepts that go beyond the physical and aesthetics alone by constantly challenging dogmas. Sustainable solutions that are future-proof with a human centred focus. The goal of D/Dock is to create and realize solutions that positively contribute to the… Show more My role: Front-end innovation, strategic design, design research, experience design, concept design. To inspire colleagues, drive innovation and introducing different working methods D/Dock creates and realize interior designs and concepts that go beyond the physical and aesthetics alone by constantly challenging dogmas. Sustainable solutions that are future-proof with a human centred focus. The goal of D/Dock is to create and realize solutions that positively contribute to the performance and the wellbeing of all parties involved in a project. By integrating psychological research into our concepts and by applying evidence-based design in the process, we realize profitable business cases for our clients; concepts that positively influence the wellbeing of the end-users, facilitate behavioral change and contribute to a higher productivity for the employer. Not by focusing on the hard factors in the design alone, but by emphasizing on the soft factors as well and transforming them into measurable elements. One of the key projects I worked on during my time at D/Dock, was a new type of backoffice for doctors, AIO's and researches. Together with the new type of layout we developed multiple typologies to ensure an optimal and pleasant way of task related working. The different needs where connected to different areas and typologies. An innovative project that I enjoyed working on. It is great to drive innovation through co-creation. I was part of the team until we completed the validation of the pilot floor Other projects where: Tendering for health related projects, Ronald McDonald huis, Spaces, Olympia, Parkschool, PLUS / Swissport Show less



Furnify Design

• Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

• Designer

  • Sep 2017 - Aug 2018

  My role: Strategic, concept and product design. Being a unique player in the market, Furnify links the demand for second hand furniture to the extensive supply of used interior products and materials. Instead of producing new furniture, which eventually will exhaust the world’s supply of raw materials, Furnify gratefully uses these downgraded interior products. With that said, Furnify truly takes the lead in circular purchasing. Together with respected second hand interior suppliers and… Show more My role: Strategic, concept and product design. Being a unique player in the market, Furnify links the demand for second hand furniture to the extensive supply of used interior products and materials. Instead of producing new furniture, which eventually will exhaust the world’s supply of raw materials, Furnify gratefully uses these downgraded interior products. With that said, Furnify truly takes the lead in circular purchasing. Together with respected second hand interior suppliers and local craftsmen, we create custom designs for our clients through upcycling and restyling. By doing so, we play an active role in stimulating the local and circular economy, answering to the request of today and the necessity of tomorrow. Clients I have worked for: Interpolis, Centraal Beheer + Internal projects for Furnify Show less My role: Strategic, concept and product design. Being a unique player in the market, Furnify links the demand for second hand furniture to the extensive supply of used interior products and materials. Instead of producing new furniture, which eventually will exhaust the world’s supply of raw materials, Furnify gratefully uses these downgraded interior products. With that said, Furnify truly takes the lead in circular purchasing. Together with respected second hand interior suppliers and… Show more My role: Strategic, concept and product design. Being a unique player in the market, Furnify links the demand for second hand furniture to the extensive supply of used interior products and materials. Instead of producing new furniture, which eventually will exhaust the world’s supply of raw materials, Furnify gratefully uses these downgraded interior products. With that said, Furnify truly takes the lead in circular purchasing. Together with respected second hand interior suppliers and local craftsmen, we create custom designs for our clients through upcycling and restyling. By doing so, we play an active role in stimulating the local and circular economy, answering to the request of today and the necessity of tomorrow. Clients I have worked for: Interpolis, Centraal Beheer + Internal projects for Furnify Show less



Philips Lighting

• Netherlands
• Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing
• 700 & Above Employee

• Strategic designer

  • Sep 2015 - May 2017

  As a Strategic designer my role included the next activities: • Participate in needs analysis and provided input in scoping projects, creating a brief and defining the plan to realize the projects • I executed Design Research, such as conduct qualitative people research; e.g. expert interviews, interviews, trends research; and curate, translate and synthesize research results to derive clear insights, inspiring conclusions and recommendations • I shaped the research and… Show more As a Strategic designer my role included the next activities: • Participate in needs analysis and provided input in scoping projects, creating a brief and defining the plan to realize the projects • I executed Design Research, such as conduct qualitative people research; e.g. expert interviews, interviews, trends research; and curate, translate and synthesize research results to derive clear insights, inspiring conclusions and recommendations • I shaped the research and analysis results into meaningful concepts and directions; by involving and collaborating with multiple disciplines and when appropriate customers and stakeholders. Being able to do this I showed excellent facilitation skills and experience with different creative processes • I showed an understanding of the strategies of the different segments, business groups and markets. Was on top of what happened in the Lighting industry and the direct and indirect competition. And I build trusted relationships with people in the company, the sector and outside of the sector. • I showed the capacity of bringing results in an engaging way, who where clearly showed, concepts, directions by using an attractive way of communication • One of my key roles as a Strategic Designer in the Lighting Sector was to inspire others; people in design and people in other disciplines. For this I gathered and shared insights, trends and market signals. I had a proactively communication attitude and shared results of innovation projects and stimulated the dialogue To make it more concrete, as a strategic designer I delivered: • Experience Flows • Customer Journeys • Workshop facilitation • Concepts – explained and visualized • Inspiring presentations to kick-off projects • Trend reports Show less As a Strategic designer my role included the next activities: • Participate in needs analysis and provided input in scoping projects, creating a brief and defining the plan to realize the projects • I executed Design Research, such as conduct qualitative people research; e.g. expert interviews, interviews, trends research; and curate, translate and synthesize research results to derive clear insights, inspiring conclusions and recommendations • I shaped the research and… Show more As a Strategic designer my role included the next activities: • Participate in needs analysis and provided input in scoping projects, creating a brief and defining the plan to realize the projects • I executed Design Research, such as conduct qualitative people research; e.g. expert interviews, interviews, trends research; and curate, translate and synthesize research results to derive clear insights, inspiring conclusions and recommendations • I shaped the research and analysis results into meaningful concepts and directions; by involving and collaborating with multiple disciplines and when appropriate customers and stakeholders. Being able to do this I showed excellent facilitation skills and experience with different creative processes • I showed an understanding of the strategies of the different segments, business groups and markets. Was on top of what happened in the Lighting industry and the direct and indirect competition. And I build trusted relationships with people in the company, the sector and outside of the sector. • I showed the capacity of bringing results in an engaging way, who where clearly showed, concepts, directions by using an attractive way of communication • One of my key roles as a Strategic Designer in the Lighting Sector was to inspire others; people in design and people in other disciplines. For this I gathered and shared insights, trends and market signals. I had a proactively communication attitude and shared results of innovation projects and stimulated the dialogue To make it more concrete, as a strategic designer I delivered: • Experience Flows • Customer Journeys • Workshop facilitation • Concepts – explained and visualized • Inspiring presentations to kick-off projects • Trend reports Show less



Philips

• Netherlands
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 700 & Above Employee

• Graduation

  • Jun 2014 - Jun 2015

  For my graduation project I wrote a research paper, which I turned in to a book named; The Future Home- A domain of the senses. This work is a journey through the senses and other emotional aspects that will become important in designing the future home. It considers a psychological, anthropological and evolutionary approach that marries aesthetics with functionality. Starting with an introduction to the home of today and the stresses of modern urban living, It goes on to look at our… Show more For my graduation project I wrote a research paper, which I turned in to a book named; The Future Home- A domain of the senses. This work is a journey through the senses and other emotional aspects that will become important in designing the future home. It considers a psychological, anthropological and evolutionary approach that marries aesthetics with functionality. Starting with an introduction to the home of today and the stresses of modern urban living, It goes on to look at our psychological relationship with the place we call ‘home’ and the changing role of the home as it evolves to also encompass aspects of health and wellbeing. It looks at the history of what we feel to be home and considers the importance of taking all the senses into account in the design of homes of the future. It then examines each of the human senses in turn and their role in our perceptions and enjoyment of design. From this vision I took out one element, which I translated in to a concept, The Textile Module. The Textile Module, inspired by the Attention Restoration Theory, will help people to calm down by making use of a visual breathing pattern that they can focus on with the support of the ambient lighting. The textile module exists out of four elements; an airbag that mimics a breathing pattern, ambient lighting and a controlling device, which are all integrated in an own designed textile. The concept of this module is a “brick” which you can use to create all kind of translations, such as a room divider and a lounge chair. For my graduation I was nominated for the Rene Smeets Award and the Keep an Eye Grant.

• Internship

  • Feb 2014 - May 2014

  During my internship I worked on design research projects, a Deep Dive project for the ‘Smart Home’ and an inspirational and engaging movie about light qualities based on emotions and the censydiam model. During my internship I also had a training of two days about medical equipment Philips designs for hospitals such as, CT, MRI, X-Rays etc.



Design Academy Eindhoven

• Netherlands
• Higher Education
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Student Man & Communication

  • Jul 2010 - Jun 2015

  Specialization: Design research Minor: Markt Design Department: Man & Communication Pilot: I had the honor of being the first official external graduation student Graduation: Innovation Design, Philips My graduation project was nominated for Rene Smeets Award and Keep an Eye Grant My graduation gave me the opportunity to follow my dream, to dive in to my fascination, environmental psychology and social behavior, and to structure from there on my graduation… Show more Specialization: Design research Minor: Markt Design Department: Man & Communication Pilot: I had the honor of being the first official external graduation student Graduation: Innovation Design, Philips My graduation project was nominated for Rene Smeets Award and Keep an Eye Grant My graduation gave me the opportunity to follow my dream, to dive in to my fascination, environmental psychology and social behavior, and to structure from there on my graduation project. Graduating for a year was a strategic choice because I believe it takes time to do qualitative design research, a process that is often undervalued. I believe that true added value can only be created with the right research. The research led to a book; The Future Home: A domain of the senses. This was the foundation of the concept of The Breathing Textile Module. Show less Specialization: Design research Minor: Markt Design Department: Man & Communication Pilot: I had the honor of being the first official external graduation student Graduation: Innovation Design, Philips My graduation project was nominated for Rene Smeets Award and Keep an Eye Grant My graduation gave me the opportunity to follow my dream, to dive in to my fascination, environmental psychology and social behavior, and to structure from there on my graduation… Show more Specialization: Design research Minor: Markt Design Department: Man & Communication Pilot: I had the honor of being the first official external graduation student Graduation: Innovation Design, Philips My graduation project was nominated for Rene Smeets Award and Keep an Eye Grant My graduation gave me the opportunity to follow my dream, to dive in to my fascination, environmental psychology and social behavior, and to structure from there on my graduation project. Graduating for a year was a strategic choice because I believe it takes time to do qualitative design research, a process that is often undervalued. I believe that true added value can only be created with the right research. The research led to a book; The Future Home: A domain of the senses. This was the foundation of the concept of The Breathing Textile Module. Show less



Eat Drink Design

• Kazerne Eindhoven

• Floor manager

  • 2014 - 2014

  At the first pilot opening of the Kazerne during the Dutch Design Week of 2014 I was running the floor. I had the lead over two restaurants, events, bars, terrace and cleaning kitchen. At the first pilot opening of the Kazerne during the Dutch Design Week of 2014 I was running the floor. I had the lead over two restaurants, events, bars, terrace and cleaning kitchen.



Co van der Horst // Boutique Concept Store

• Netherlands
• Retail
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Interior Designer

  • Mar 2008 - 2010

  During my time as interior designer I created total concepts B2C and B2B. During my time as interior designer I created total concepts B2C and B2B.