Personal development
I chose industrial design because of my passion for creativity and science. Over time, my focus shifted towards social design, influenced by my upbringing in Peru and Bolivia. This exposed me to diverse cultures and social issues. Throughout my studies, I developed skills and interests that have shaped my approach to design, culminating in a final project aimed at solving real-world problems. Looking forward, I am inspired by the potential of Strategic Product Design to create impactful solutions on a global scale.
Past
I chose industrial design because I enjoyed being creative and making things. Additionally, I excelled in science subjects in high school, making industrial design a perfect choice. Throughout my studies, I became increasingly interested in social design, with squads such as Health and Inclusive Design appealing to me the most.
Growing up in Peru and Bolivia has made me more open-minded, as I have been immersed in different cultures from a young age. This exposure also sparked my interest in social problems as I witnessed significant contrasts in living conditions and societal issues.
During my first years at Industrial Design, I felt I lacked skills in making things and knowledge about materials, so I chose to attend a more traditional design university during my exchange. There, I designed and built a chair, among other projects. However, I noticed that I had much less motivation to create things if I didn’t see a meaningful purpose for them.
Present
For my final project, I chose to focus less on making things and more on solving social problems. I did a personal project for my FBP, inspired by my grandmother’s issues. This gave me a lot of intrinsic motivation to develop something I could truly bring to life and that could help her. When I learned how beneficial table tennis could be for people, I was determined to make this project a reality. However, this determination sometimes made me rush ahead without properly reflecting on my previous findings. I also narrowly defined my scope from the start. Sometimes when things didn’t go as I hoped, it felt like a failure, as if I wouldn’t be able to help my grandmother and others with similar issues. Despite these challenges, I am satisfied with my final result, though I believe I could have pushed myself further. Even though I have already submitted my final bachelor project, I am continuing to work on it. Together with the municipality of Eindhoven and sports coaches, I hope to achieve a final result that I can be truly proud of.
Future
During an open day in Delft, I came across Strategic Product Design. The projects there closely resembled what I was doing with my FBP, focusing on understanding the problem and how to best implement the solution. I found these aspects the most interesting during my FBP. This is a complete shift from when I started my studies, as I initially wanted to ideate and create. One of the example projects in Strategic Product Design was in collaboration with the Red Cross, which aligns perfectly with my vision. I would love to work on international projects that aim to bring about as much positive impact as efficiently as possible.
