Strategy – Axel van Boxtel

Caring Pregnancy Toolkit

axelvanboxtel — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 15:41:52 +0000

Summary

Striving for Systemic Change, the project started with exploring a design approach that scaled up the impact of designers’ creative efforts. Building on theories from the domains of Systems Thinking, Leadership and Design, a theoretical framework was established that helps designers navigate Complex Societal Challenges. The Systemic Design Leadership framework was used to address the challenge of perinatal death because this is a pressing issue in the Netherlands which unequally affects vulnerable groups. Eritreans immigrants are considered one of the groups that is most at risk. the Caring Pregnancy Toolkit enables care professionals and social workers to improve antenatal care for Eritrean women at risk. The toolkit embodies three types of interventions: Healthcare Maps, Translation Cards, and Pregnancy Passports. All of the tools are rested with a QR code that connects to an online co-design platform. The online co-design platform connects a community of experts and creatives around a common purpose to facilitate continuous improvement of the tools to adapt to the complex reality of the challenge.

Concept Video

Concept

Perinatal death is a pressing issue in the Netherlands. that unequally affects vulnerable groups. Especially Eritrean immigrants and refugees are at risk due to influential cultural factors such as low education, lack of agency and illiteracy. This project aimed to reduce maternal risks by improving the antenatal care for Eritrean women at risk.

The Caring Pregnancy Toolkit tackles the most pressing issues with three carefully designed interventions. The tools are designed to mitigate the cultural barriers for care such as, illiteracy and language barriers. The tools embodying these interventions are

Pregnancy Passports that allow women to monitor their pregnancy and communicate important cultural values to care professionals.
Translation Cards that improve cross cultural communication and information exchange between care professionals and Eritrean women.
Healthcare Maps that visualize the healthcare system to improve the agency and understanding of relevant and available care for the women at risk.

All tools are rested with QR codes that connect to the Caring Pregnancy Platform. This platform connects a community around a common purpose and allows a design network of experts and creatives to continuously develop the tools to meet the complex and dynamic reality of the challenge.

Caring Pregnancy Toolkit

Caring Pregnancy Platform

Design Process

The Systemic Design Leadership framework was setup to enable designers to navigate complex societal challenges. Building on theories of systemic design, systems leadership and creative leadership, the framework presents a set of attitudes and behaviors that designers can use to inform their decisions when designing for complex societal challenges. In this project the framework was used as a guiding instrument to address the complex challenge of perinatal mortality. A participatory design approach was taken where cultural experts, social workers, asylum seeker nurses, midwifes and Eritrean women where connected and guided to co-create system interventions. After many interviews and various workshops, a toolkit was designed for people who have a direct personal interaction with the target group. The intention of this concept was to leverage the comfort and trust that exists in the relationship with social workers/care professionals to inform and empower the Eritrean women at risk and improve the social/care services to meet the needs of these women. However, the complex and situated problem of the challenge demands continuous development of the interventions. Therefore, the online co-design platform was added to enable a design network to cultivate this continuous development of the toolkit.

Online Co-Design Workshop Setup

In the process, I engaged 30 participants in three sessions from 14 different organizations. The sessions were built to address the complex problem and navigated the creative efforts of the participants to co-design system interventions.

An overview of Exploratory Prototypes

Download Master Thesis

Surplus Kitchen

axelvanboxtel — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 12:10:25 +0000

About

In this project we searched for a new business model for a company that sells food boxes with surplus ingredients with the mission to reduce food waste by using the Hypothesis Driven Entrepreneurship method. In this approach a new business model is found by iterating through several experiments in which the feasibility of new business models is tested in the field. Throughout several iterations we found Surplus Kitchen.

Concept rationale

Surplus Kitchen is a concept for cooking workshops with leftovers that can be used by cooking studios in the form of a membership. In the workshop people learn how to cook with leftovers ingredients whilst using actual leftovers. By using food that is close to due date, the participants save money on a cooking workshop while learning ways to reduce domestic food waste which helps saving money doing groceries.

Process

In search of new business models, we designed experiments to rapidly test new business models in the field. During this project we spoke with more than 70 consumers to learn more about the market and our business models. We found that consumers are withheld to buy leftover boxes because they don’t know how to cook with them, and they dislike throwing food away at home. Through rapid iteration we were able to shape the concept of Surplus Kitchen and run several pilot events in less than three months.

First Field Experiment

Surplus Ingredients From Local Businesses

In the last iteration we partnered with local supermarkets and cooking studios to setup a cooking workshop. The workshop was fully booked, and both partners and participants were enthusiastic about the concept. Eventually, a viable proposal was delivered in which we creatively evaluated all components of the business model canvas. Alongside a joyful experience, the pilot workshop effectively changed peoples’ perspective on leftover ingredients. Several participants shared that they’ve enjoyed using their learnings by cooking with ingredients that they would otherwise have thrown away.

Pilot Workshop

Proposal

We proposed Creative Cooking Workshops as a new channel for promotion and revenue. By teaching people how to cook with surplus ingredients we aim to reduce food waste in the food chain and at home. The workshops are organized by professional cooking studio’s that use the company’s food boxes as an ingredient to cook with. Representing the brand at workshops and integrating this on social media stimulates the growth of a community. Alongside the revenue and low investment, we expect that the knowledge and experiences that are shared through the workshops and on social media increases consumer loyalty, exposure and growth by referral.

Project Team: Shanna de Lang & Yff Verstraete

Neru

axelvanboxtel — Sat, 13 Jul 2019 10:13:54 +0000

Download Design Report

About

“Unwinding” is when tension and stress are reduced through relaxation in order to prepare for bed. It is commonly associated with meditation practices. Neru is aimed at supporting this process by using a smart hourglass to guide users through their evening routine. Deliberately taking time for these activities aids in preparation for going to bed, both mentally and physically. Neru proposes a connected product-service ecosystem with the purpose of supporting the winding down process. This ecosystem features a physical hourglass, which is connected to operate under various contexts. The hourglass can start, stop and regulate the flow of time by altering the size of the center channel.

Neru sluit heel goed aan bij de innovatie-roadmap van Auping. Onregelmatige bedtijden en onrust voor het slapengaan zijn twee van de meest belangrijke barrières voor een goede nachtrust. Neru help op een mooie fysieke manier bij het creëren van regelmaat en rust en bewust worden van deze aspecten.”

Geert Doorlag
Researcher Sustainability, Sleep & Ergonomics
Royal Auping BV

Concept Video

Unhealthy Evening Routines

Design Process

The project started with a simple self test where we used post-its to structure and time our routine. This taught us about the effect of routine design and activity timing in relation to unwinding. Next, based on the insights of the self test, a full scale user test was conducted. For the test we’ve built a web application which helped structure evening routines by placing QR stickers in the house. The QR stickers activated a timer in the web application when scanned. The test data was used to build a functional prototype of a physical timer inspired on an hourglass. This prototype was deployed in the home of several participants.

After the deployments we combined the learnings from the cases with ideas for the art direction. We created a prototype that communicated the aesthetics and interaction we envisioned. This prototype was made from handblown glass and more than a million steel ballbearings of 1mm. The charging dock was made of mahogany and the base stations where 3D printed.

Functional prototype instruction video

Crafting the hourglass

Smart Home

To demonstrate the functions of the product in a smart home context, a model house was built. The model house was rested with sensors and actuators that simulated activities and data-flows. By integrating multiple projects in the model house, data was used as a material to design emerging functionalities with other functions in the house.

Credits

Neru was presented at the Dutch Design Week 2019 at the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven and is now exhibited in the ID Hall of Fame at the TU/e

Neru at the DDW

Project by: Lei Nelissen, Stijn Oude Lenferink, Axel van Boxtel in conjunction with Royal Auping BV and TU/e.

Gallery

: time control test

: docks functional prototype

: functional prototype (charger, hourglass, dock)

: shape exploration

: shape exploration

: prototype interaction

: product family (hourglass, charger, docks)

: charger interaction

: QR code testing booklet

: QR stickers

: digital model house

: mechanism design

: routine design app

: concept direction

Innovation Strategy Workshops

axelvanboxtel — Sun, 26 Jun 2016 11:10:50 +0000

About

In the minor Innovation Methods & Management I learned to organize creative workshops and strategic innovation. I’ve been hosting creative and strategic workshops for a variety of organizations since. In this particular project we hosted two creative workshops for a Dutch food company. In these workshops we explored potential futures of the organization as input for innovation projects.

Process

In the first workshop we explored how external development could effect the market landscape in the coming decade. In the second workshop we brainstormed about potential roles of the company in these future landscapes. Based on the learnings of the workshop we hosted a discussion about the direction of the company and priorities for innovation. The client was highly enthusiastic about the sessions and took the learnings forward in their business.

First Workshop

Second Workshop

This project was conducted in collaboration with Maarten Marks for Epos Specerijen