How do you know if an idea is good? Is it a hunch, a gut feeling? Or can you learn to systematically recognise good ideas and move them further to make them work? In this episode, we talk with Jeroen van Erp, Professor of Concept Design at TU Delft and founder of influential Dutch design agency Fabrique. About ad agencies, how to learn design, and plastic soup. You’re not allowed to leave the podcast without at least 10 new ideas!

There is no universal design. Everyday objects and services that work in some parts of the world, are totally different somewhere else. Annemiek van Boeijen, assistant-professor Design, Culture & Society, argues for design creativity, context and richness in her new book Culture Sensitive Design. We’re also joined by special guest Timo de Rijk, Director of the Design Museum in Den Bosch, to discuss culture, design history and the stupidity of efficiency.

Working from home provides us with a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. As designers, shouldn’t we be the best equipped people for this? In this final part of our special Freedive isolation series, Ianus chats with Joost Dommisse. He studies Integrated Product Design and they together talk about designing noise-cancelling windows, how to study design from a distance and wacky robotic giraffes. References in this episode: NY Times – No Knead Bread Jimu Robot Ze Frank – True Facts

How are you doing? A question we should ask ourselves and each other frequently in this isolation period. And we should listen carefully. In part two of our special three-part Freedive isolation series, Ianus chats with Sofie Dideriksen. She is part of the TU Delft Design for Interaction community Infuse, and they talk about design for mental health and student life in isolation.

Due to COVID-19, design students, lecturers and researchers are stuck at home. How are they coping? For part one of a special three-part Freedive series, we talk with Yongqing Fei, or Jackie as we know her. She has a lot of experiences with quarantines and tells about redesigning an oven from home and her story on moving from isolation in China to isolation in Delft. References in this episode Gary Hustwit – Oh you pretty things   The Mask Dilemma Black Mirror – Netflix

Material science is often a black box for designers. But in Delft Design, knowledge on material properties is essential. Erik Tempelman has literally written the book on it: “(Not) Safe for Designers”. He talks with Ianus Keller about the surprising journeys of material properties, how the Pixar character Anton Ego inspires him and explores the meaning of the Dutch word ‘stevig’.

From fat shaming to self-acceptance. Join Ianus in a conversation designed for taboo topics as weight and mental health. He talks with IDE alumna Sam van Eijk about her graduation project Big Fat Nonsense. References in this episode: Dikke Onzin Lizzo Gamechangers Sofie Hagen – You can be fat and happy – TED Talk

IDE researcher Willemijn Elkhuizen is on a mission to discover the perfect 3D-scan and print of paintings. Ianus Keller talks with Willemijn in her lab-slash-atelier on improving restauration and preservation of important art, and democratising our art-experience. What if everybody could hang a perfect copy of Vermeer’s ‘Girl with the Pearl Earring’ on their wall? References in this episode: Tom Standage – The Victorian Internet Laura Snyder - Eye of the Beholder TU Delft Heritage Collection

Finnish designer and researcher Marco Steinberg was recently granted an honorary doctorate by TU Delft for his outstanding work in strategic design. We invited him the day before this momentous event to talk together with professor Peter Lloyd and host Frithjof Wegener about strategic design, the opposite of death by 1000 cuts and how to make the shiny thing happen. References in this episode: Marco Steinberg – Thank you! Snowcone & Haystack Sitra

IDE researcher Frithjof Wegener joins Ianus Keller for the second Freedive at the IDE 50 years jubilee, where they converse with Kevin Shahbazi on how to implement true circularity in large companies such as Philips, and Kevin’s plans for sustainability with Board of Innovation. References in this episode: Conny Bakker & Marcel den Hoorn – ProductsThatLast.nl Harvard Business Review: hbr.org Board of Innovation – Free innovation tools: boardofinnovation.com/tools/

In the first Freedive Ianus Keller speaks with Hester Le Riche at the IDE 50 years jubilee event. She’s CEO and co-founder of Active Cues on how to design for quality of life in healthcare. Their Magic Table augmented reality product allows people with Alzheimer to re-connect with their families and each other in care homes. References in this episode: Active Cues – Magic Table: https://tovertafel.co.uk/ Museum Voorlinden: https://www.voorlinden.nl/

For a very special episode, we speak with world renowned design researcher Donald Norman (UC San Diego). Together with Frederik Ueberschär and Caisael Beardow of the MSc study association Infuse, he talks about why he believes Industrial Design Engineering in Delft is the best design school in the world, why he likes being wrong and how power comes from the “But…”

In the middle of Departure Hall 3 of Schiphol Amsterdam Airport, we talk with Professor Sicco Santema. He researches people in transit, through cooperation with large players in the field of mobility and travel, such as Schiphol Airport, KLM and Amsterdam RAI. He talks about why failure is good, if travelling is the new smoking, and how we can design mobility as something bigger than just your destination.

How do you observe people to improve your design? In the latest IDE podcast episode, we take a deep dive into the world of context mapping with Froukje Sleeswijk-Visser. She pioneered this design research methodology as a way of gaining insight into the user of future designs. Listen to Froukje and you will never look at the colour of your Wi-Fi router in the same way. Also in this episode: Ianus exercises some demons about his secret childhood hatred for skating.

As a former aerospace engineer, Bas Flipsen is a passionate lecturer at IDE and former Academic Director of the Delft Teaching Academy. Ianus Keller met up with him in the Teaching Lab, the on-campus educational development hub and common room for teachers of TU Delft, to discuss the bible of airplane design, why summer holidays are bad, and his little disagreement with Apple on home-repairs of their products.

In honour of her inauguration as professor in Design Methodology for Sustainability & Circular Economy,  Ianus Keller talks with Conny Bakker about the Champions League of sustainable design, digging for world views, why the dinosaurs have had their time and dancing with systems.

In November 2018, we took the IDE stories podcast Out of the Blue to Eindhoven for Dutch Design Week. Ianus spoke with Elif Özcan-Vieira, director of the Critical Alarms Design Lab, about her research into beautiful alarms for hospital ICU’s, the lack of campus radio in Delft and skydiving in Virtual Reality.