Semester: M.2.2
Project: Final Master Project
I combined everything I learned during my Industrial Design studies in my Final Master Project. Like my Preparation Project, I used the Reflective Transformative Design method [11] to create a low-threshold, place-based crafting intervention. This physical-digital hybrid invited community members to create self-portraits using Ministeck pieces, which were then digitized and displayed both on-site and on the community’s online platform.
Left: visitors of the METAMORPH exhibition interacting with the prototype. Middle: all the self-representations created during the Final Master Project. Right: the prototype showcased at Demo Day.
Explaining the design choices made through a participation journey. With moments of agency, competence, and connection, based on the Self-Determination theory and principles of Embodied Making [15][27].
Program flowchart illustrating the system architecture behind the final design.
The top three photos illustrate the evolution of the light-box design. The bottom three images show how the software progressively improved in detecting and rendering the coloured squares in the Ministeck portraits.
My development
Regarding U&S, I conducted research into sense of belonging and community participation and learned how to design for conditions that support these. I applied knowledge from C&A by testing and designing various accessible crafting materials. I also reached out to different community-building initiatives in Eindhoven and showcased my prototype at the METAMORPH exhibition, which further contributed to my development in B&E. I also submitted my design to the Dutch Design Week 2025 and the Social Design Talent Awards. For T&R and MD&C, I conceptualized the intervention early in the semester, which gave me enough time to build a high-fidelity prototype. It was my first time working with a Raspberry Pi, but I was confident I could figure it out, just like I did during the course Innovation Through Art & Design. The program also used a Camera Module V3 and the scikit-image library to detect and draw colored squares over the Ministeck pieces. The images were then automatically uploaded to a WordPress website using the REST API. Lastly, I learned about digital placemaking interventions. These interventions let people feel more connected to their public space, by letting them collectively shape it using a combination of physical and digital tools [23]. This discovery is highly relevant for my vision as a social designer who aims to foster belonging and empathy through accessible participatory design.
Dana Starmans 