Semester: M.2.1
Project: Final Master Preperation Project
I completed my Final Master Preparation Project at Codam, a software engineering school in Amsterdam [19]. I set up in the lunch area and invited students and staff to create self-representations using iron-on beads. The finished self-representations were displayed next to the crafting table, serving both as inspiration and as a way to recruit more participants. Through this project, I learned that a community crafting activity has the potential to positively influence a sense of belonging. I also gained insights into what does and does not work when trying to engage people in community participation.
Additionally, I gained understanding in how to design for empowerment without reinforcing divisions. The activity was originally intended to give a platform to students with refugee backgrounds at Codam, since there was little awareness about them in the broader school community. However, it quickly became clear that singling them out in this way might risk exposing them rather than empowering them. As a result, I proposed redesigning the intervention for my thesis, but at an organization that is publicly focused on improving the lives of people with refugee experiences: De Huiskamer voor Vluchtelingen in Eindhoven [20].
Left photo: Codam’s computer clusters. Middle photo: students participating in the iron-on beads self-representation workshop. Right: the finished self-representations.
My development
During this project, I developed the most in the expertise areas of User & Society (U&S) and Creativity & Aesthetics (C&A). At the start, I assumed that the lack of awareness in Codam’s general community meant that students with refugee backgrounds struggled to integrate. I also assumed that giving them a stage to share who they are might help. However, I learned how important it is to communicate directly with the marginalized individuals you aim to design for, even if it feels awkward. If I had done that earlier, I would have realized that my design intervention might feel more exposing than empowering. I also developed in Business & Entrepreneurship (B&E), as this was my first time working with an external organization outside of TU/e. I was quite nervous when I initially reached out to Codam’s head of partnerships at the beginning of my M2.1 semester, but I was motivated by my admiration for their mission to make education accessible to everyone. Successfully reaching out to them gave me the confidence to later contact De Huiskamer voor Vluchtelingen for my Final Master Project. Regarding C&A and Technology & Realisation (T&R), I gained a deeper understanding of how material qualities shape accessibility. I learned how important it is for materials to feel non-intimidating and playful. I also discovered that a crafting activity can be a powerful way to build community. From a T&R perspective, I designed a setup that could encourage spontaneous participation in public spaces without requiring much supervision. This included displaying participants’ contributions, the accessibility of materials, and the nature of the crafting task itself.
Dana Starmans 