Designing for People on the Move
From smartwatches to smartbags
We as designers are so focused on all the opportunities that the digital worlds has created, that we sometimes forget about the physical world. The physical world has a lot of opportunities for a user interface designer. Simone’s career has been all about designing physical objects with a digital user interface: from satnavs and smartwatches to handbags. The design of a handbag is centuries old, while the way we use a handbag has completely changed. This results in several usability problems: the handbag is difficult to open, it’s difficult to find something, users often miss phone calls, or forget things. While a handbag is the ideal wearable, it’s carried around all the time. It has a promising potential for smart technologies. Simone will show her journey developing the smart handbag using several innovative technologies to create an interface between the user and the bag (and the phone inside the bag): tactile sensors, 3D printing, lasering technology, etc without compromising on a beautiful minimalist design for both the digital and the physical interface.
Simone Tertoolen
Simone is the founder and designer of MINOIS - smart minimalist handbags. After studying Industrial Design Engineering, Simone worked for several tech companies (Siemens, TNO and TomTom). The main theme in her career is designing for people that are on the move. Going from A to B requires most of the user’s energy and attention. Designing for people that are on the move is challenging and something Simone has grown passionate about. For her, designing a smart handbag was a logical next step.
