Jip EilbrachtPortfolio 2016

• Museum exhibition design

  Experience Center Royal Jelling, Denmark

  Experience Center Jelling The other project concerned the museum of Jelling, Denmark. This project was in its concepting phase, for which ideas for interactive installations were explored. I was working on visual and interaction concepts, storyboards and a bit of coding prototypes.

  Micropia, Artis Amsterdam

  Another project I was involved with was Micropia, the first microbiology zoo in the world in Amsterdam. This long term design project was reaching its end, therefore I primarily helped in making graphics and interfaces production ready. In the exhibition, interactive media installations teached visitors all about the invisible microscopic world. These installations ranged from large wall screens to kinect user interfaces and small kiosks with video and text.

• Speculative design project

  This blog post appeared on the blog of ART+COM, in which I explain one of the concepts I made while working with the research team in the company.

  Speculative design: discarded phones as interfaces in the smart home

  The Smart Home field has been receiving attention from computer technologists and designers for some time already; the promise within closer reach of consumers every day. And while a smart home is filled with sensors, screens and chips, their presence should be attenuated — technology fades into the background as attention seeking notifications make way for calm interactions. This is made possible by ‘smart’ technology: interconnected devices that are able to think for us. The building blocks that make up a smart home are readily available, WiFi connected lights (Philips Hue) for example, and smart thermostats (Nest). But will connected devices ever gain mainstream adoption in the face of high costs and growing concerns over privacy?

  Regardless, the house of the future means an explosion in electronics: a huge increase in the number of screens, chips and sensors, all able to connect to the Internet. But don’t we already have such devices lying around at home? Devices that are currently collecting dust? Old smartphones. Androids that can’t run the latest OS anymore, iPhones replaced by thinner ones or phones that weren’t worth the replacement of a cracked screen. These legacy devices may still work, they don’t meet our requirements for a smartphone anymore. So can we then, instead of fabricating new dedicated smart home devices, use the old phones that we don’t use but don’t throw away?

  

  As part of my internship at ART+COM, I explored the idea of using legacy devices in a smart home. To make the concept more tangible, a quick prototype was made. The starting point of the prototype was an old iPhone 3GS a team member had lying around. This phone is well suited to running web apps, so a small webpage was quickly developed. To transform the iPhone into something other than a phone, a new phone case was made. The form was inspired by crochet ­­— a decoration often found in houses that has no association with technology. The shape was then 3D printed, with smaller details added by computer cut stickers.

  The prototype functions as an ambient display, slowly changing its contents over time. It abstractly visualises data acquired either via its sensors or via other connected devices. The display also reacts to direct user interactions, changing contents when the user touches the screen. This illustrates how the user can always influence whatever the device is controlling or showing.

  While this prototype doesn’t bring about any practical functionality, it does demonstrate what is possible with legacy phones. We should start making use of their limited specifications, which are still ample for dedicated tasks. Being able to try out smart home applications without needing to buy a new device, but only run an app and print a case, will definitely lower the threshold. Or when we go a step further and are able to create those apps ourselves in conjunction with a functional case, it could deliver an even better fit for our own smart homes’ needs. Is there any faster way to bring smart technology into people’s homes than utilising the electronics that are already present?

• Functional prototype

  In order to verify the redesigned product, a prototype was needed to test with. Because the scale and mobility of a bike computer is important in how people use the device, we wanted to use a prototype that also had these characteristics. The odd shape of the screen together with the placement of the buttons, asked for a creative approach in making a functional prototype. I lead the effort of making the prototype work by using Arduino hardware as input, an iPhone as output and a computer running Quartz Composer to make everything work together. The prototype put the research participants in control, while allowing observers to closely follow their actions remotely.

• Video pitch

  The final video pitching the redesigned bike computer was also made by me. Different cameras were used to capture every aspect of the user experience with the product. Advanced animations with motion tracking were added to convey the added benefit of the redesign over the original product.

• Storyboard

  A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies... The man who never reads only lives oneGeorge P.R. Martin

  • The product was created around the context of the library of the future, a place that won't hold a physical collection anymore. Instead, the space is filled with playful and adventurous furniture. The digital content is placed in a virtual layer above the physical space, therefore each digital item is bound to a specific physical location.
  • This product helps 9 to 13 year old boys to find a book from this collection that they would like to read. In that way, they like to read that book, and continue to read throughout their lives.
  • The product consists out of a handheld device which contains a tablet. Using the loose parts the boy can build his own character. Each body part that he picks represents a theme or category from a book.
  • The boy can pick out the body parts he likes and then click them onto the device. Creating his own unique character. The selected themes are translated into a personalized selection of stories.
  • When the character is complete, it comes alive. Its eyes open up and start moving. The character acts as a librarian, helping the boy find his way through the library.
  • The personalized collection is placed on a physical location inside the library. The boy has to find this location, which is done by playing hide and seek with the character.
  • When he has found the location, he can browse through the different books. This is done by moving the device around, in which the screen acts as a viewport to the virtual layer.
  • Now that the boy has found a book he wants to read, he opens the cover of the device and the e-book appears on the screen.
  • Between all the playful objects and comfortable seating in the library, he can find a nice place to read. From here on the story takes hold of him, taking him into the next adventure...

• Design process

  Design brief

  This design project started with a design brief from Swipespot, a small company that designs tablet stands. In order to be prepared for the future, the company was looking for new design and business directions. They were especially interested in the relation between people and data in semi-public spaces.

  The process

  Libraries were chosen as Libraries are having a hard time to evolve with the digital age.

  I started the project by doing lots of research. Talking to librarians, parents and architects, finding books and reports on the future of libraries, reading scientific articles and so on. This resulted in my own vision on the future of the library.

  The useflow was desgined first. As the most important challenge was to get boys to sit down and read, the ideal intensity of physical activity and attention was modelled. When a kid enters the library, he's quite active, running around and exploring the space. This should be supported, therefore the physical activity increases. After a while, the energy drains and it's time to take a rest. This is the perfect moment for them to sit down and read a story. Meanwhile, their enthousiasm about the story should increase during the activity, in that way the kid will want to read it when it's time to rest. A soon as the book is openend, the story takes over, taking the child on a new journey.

  In the ideation phase all kinds of solution directions were explored. In what way could you spark the interest in a story? What kind of physical activity can they do? What kind of metaphors can be used to give shape to the product?

  Early on in the design process, quick prototypes were made with cardboard and clay, to get a better idea of shape and size.

  User research was conducted with children from the correct age group. By mimicking the whole process using LEGO toys and a spoken walkthrough, valuable information was gathered which was then used to further develop the design.

• Prototype in action

  Demo

  The befriended DJ's Apenstreken tried out the first two prototypes of the product during one of their gigs. These prototypes were proof of concept products, focussing on the hardware and impact on the audience. The visuals on the product were created during the gig, by encoding a live video stream from a VJ application.

  Prototype

  Extensive research was done on materials and electronics. To build the prototype, multiple tries were 3D printed and laser cut. On the software side, open source software and libraries have been implemented.

• Startup

  With this product concept and prototype I participated in a startup weekend, 1-2-Startup from YES! Delft. During this weekend, business ideas from the participants would be kickstarted using lean startup principles. In an ad-hoc team of six we worked 72 hours to create and validate our business plan from this product.

  During these energetic and sleepless days we contacted loads of DJ's, experts, shopowners and business experts. In this way we validated our business-model in a short time and made connections with launching customers. The result was pitched in front a jury consisting of potential investors.

  In June 2013 I pitched the productin front of the executives of ID&T, a large festival organisation in the Netherlands. They were pretty excited about the product and were open for a collaboration.

• Watch it fly

• Windows design studio

  During my internship I worked on different subjects, ranging from abstract projects I had to set up myself, to pixel-pushing interfaces ready for shipping. I can’t show everything what I did, however there is one small project that’s already been shipped...

• Photos folders

  The Photos application is the default photo viewer in Windows 10, which also holds your collection of photos. During my internship Windows 10 was launched, including this application. Microsoft adapted a more agile way of developing for Windows 10, which is why features are developed constantly and quickly based on customer feedback. Right after the release, people asked for a new feature in the Photos app. They wanted to see their folders in their Photos collection.

  The priority was high to ship something quickly. To help the team, I jumped in to design the folder layout. It’s a responsive design (pc, tablet and mobile) that aligns with the windows design guidelines. After making quick iterations and making the design pixel perfect, the feature was build and shipped within a month. Now that’s listening to your users.

  Folder view in Photos app on Win10 PC! Tried it yet? Lots more good stuff coming to our apps. :)

  — joebelfiore (@joebelfiore) September 21, 2015

• Brand identity

  From start to finish I've created the Mapiq brand identity. It began with a constructing a clear company profile, on what we build and what we stand for. Then we thought of a name and I created the logotype. This was then extended with a brand identity in visuals and images, resulting in a styleguide.

• Promotional materials

  Onepagers

  How do you explain what a ’smart building platform’ is to prospective customers? How do you show what Mapiq really does to your office? These questions were central to the new marketing material that we created for 2017. I led the effort of producing the materials, and in making sure text, photography, sales, DTP and brand identity came together in these promotional materials. Photography by Pim Top.

  Conference display

  To communicate Mapiq's smart building proposition and its software at partner events, I have designed this three dimensional display. The scene is build up of three vertical layers: the bottom shows the technological infrastructure, the middle the office building and above that you can see the people working in the office. This signifies that the concept of a smart building revolves around the people who work in it, not the technology. Next to this it shows the user-first approach that Mapiq takes in developing its software platform.

  Video's

  I've created several video's for Mapiq, from online demo's to presentational video's. They were all created in a short time period with no additional budgets. Here you can find the most recent ones.

• Interface design

  Interface elements

  I’m often helping out the other designer at Mapiq to refine the interface, keep new functions consistent throughout the products and keeping the visual identity on brand. The examples presented below are restyles of the visual identity of the main menu and environment controls (light, temperature, blinds) for the native app.

  Icons

  The icon set for the Mapiq interface was created by me. A lot of specific icons were needed in order to represent different office rooms. All the icons have a consistent style, which enhances the clarity of the interface.

  Website

  Mapiq's old website, including content, was also created by me. It's built on a Wordpress cms system, using the Foundation framework. The website features multiple demo video's, to show real usage examples of the product. It's also accessible on mobile devices, as the site is responsive.

  The site has been customized extensively. By creating custom PHP pages the content is dynamically loaded and by using jQuery and CSS3 animations were integrated.

• Promotional materials

  In each licensed university, a promotional campaign was started. This included printed materials like posters, flyers and banners that would be spread across campus.

• Website

• Concept design

  Relevant tasks

  The relevance of a task depends on what the user is doing at the moment. The location of the user often depicts a certain activity, like work, personal projects or while commuting. Using these locations, tasks are shown that can be done immediately.

  Playfullness

  In order to support creativity with the user, random assignments are added in the tasklist to let the user put away his phone for a while. These tasks can vary from "Look out of the window" to "Find something squared, made from wood".

  • When a new task is created, it is immediately placed in the right categories. Attachments can be quikcly accessed through the list view, kickstarting the task when the user decides to start with it.
  • The priority of the task is set by a slider. To put this abstract priority in context, more and less important tasks are shown while the slider is moved. The app can alter priorities automatically too, for example when a task is left undone for a long time.
  • To remind the user without interrupting them, the next task is shown in the app tile on the start screen of the phone. The icon provides a clear reference to the app, not needing a fixed app name.
  • When there's a task that is closely related with the content on the screen, like viewing a contact of opening a word file, a toast notification is shown to remind the user in a subtle way about the task.

• Watch the 10 minute talk

• Watch the documentary

• Interview

  The following is an interview published by The Guide Istanbul, by Kevin Yıldırım on 30 April 2013.

  After watching this inspirational video, about reusing found resources to make new furniture, we got in touch with its maker, a Dutch university exchange student taking a 'Design For Social Innovation' course, given by Çiğdem Kaya, here in Istanbul to find out about the motivation behind it.

  First of all, can you tell us a little about yourself and what brought you to Istanbul? 

  I'm Jip Eilbracht and I'm 21 years old. I'm from the Netherlands, where I’m currently studying, in my 3rd year of Industrial Design Engineering at the Technical University in Delft. In your 3rd year you have the chance to do any study programme you want at your own or a different university for 5 months. I saw it as a chance to live in a different country and experience a different kind of life for a while. Istanbul attracted me because it's quite an unfamiliar place for me and a lot of other people, even though it's not that far from the Netherlands. I had also visited it once and had a very good experience. I think as an Erasmus student you can have a great time in any city, but Istanbul is such an interesting place in terms of culture, things that happen, and how people live - it can open up your vision.

  Your video touches on the problem of second-hand stores in trendy neighborhoods, which is that their costs often come close or exceed those of new products. The past is obviously a great source of inspiration for this generation, but at what point do second-hand goods lose their worth?

  I mostly see second-hand shops as places where you can get loads of different stuff very cheaply, just like a second-hand market place online. You are very happy when you've found a real gem, at a very low price, but it comes at the cost of a long search. The second-hand shops in Cihangir are more focused on a certain lifestyle and act as kind of curators. They do the long search and find the gem, but at the cost of the price you pay. A lot of people find this very convenient and easy, that's why these shops exist. But to me, being a real Dutch person, buying something doesn't feel that good when I paid too much for it. The real joy is to find something cheap when it’s as good, or better than new stuff.

  Having cheaply furnished your room, what tips would you give people who want to do the same? 

  One of the ways in which I found some useable stuff was to just walk around my neighborhood. Keeping my eyes open, talking to people (as far as I could talk with them) and finding out whether they have things they don’t need or want anymore, but might be still be useable. If you find stuff on the streets, don’t be afraid when they’re a bit dirty or not so good looking. You’ll be amazed with what a small piece of sandpaper or a lick of paint can do. 

  If you really want to get started, invest a little bit in hand tools. They always come in useful, and you can lend them out to friends when they’re doing the same. I’m sure that in Karaköy for example, you can get some good deals on tools. Also remember that it's nice to have things in quantity. One wooden crate brings you nothing, but you can make a nice closet if you've got 10 of them.

  There are great deals to be had in and around Cihangir, Beyoğlu, etc. if people leave behind certain second-hand stores and seek out places where locals do their shopping. Do you have any recommendations for people shopping on a budget in Istanbul?

  I was surprised to find a shopping mall on the Istiklal with tens of shops with very cheap quality clothes. I’m not sure of the name, but it’s somewhere opposite of SALT, underneath a pretty fancy restaurant. So that's a good one to visit when you are in need of clothes or just want to do some shopping.

  For food there's of course the Tarlabaşı Sunday market, where you will find plenty of other locals and Erasmus students who are doing their food shopping. Or when you're looking for a nice breakfast get a cheap fully-filled sandwich from a street cart around Taksim square and find a nice place to sit and enjoy. Maybe another thing which can be seen as a great deal are the Cihangir steps. With a low-price beer from a supermarket, you get the same view over Istanbul as all the top-notch terraces. How's that for a cheap evening out?!

  Cihangir is one of Istanbul’s most cosmopolitan neighborhoods. Is it managing to retain its local flavor, or is Cihangir simply becoming aligned with other like-minded neighborhoods in cities across Europe and North America?

  As for as the few places I've visited in other countries, I agree that Cihangir is a very cosmopolitan neighborhood. It's one of the few areas in Istanbul where a lot of people in restaurants and shops can speak English, in a non-touristic way. I always found it such an interesting place to be, because it's so different from the bordering neighborhoods, in a positive way. The streets are greener and more modern, with a lot of quiet areas. But if you look at all the fancy places you can go to, you clearly see they got some inspiration from other cities.

  We may think that the city should work towards making urban living more affordable, but there has been such an influx of money into Istanbul recently that it may seem futile for them to cater to the less wealthy residents. What are some of the ways people in Istanbul can make urban living more affordable?

  One of the trends which I spotted is that a lot of Turkish people order (fast) food from home. This is actually quite an expensive way of eating every day. As a student, I’m used to cooking for myself and others. In Istanbul and Turkey, food is very cheap if you compare it to the rest of Europe. If you buy your food from the weekly markets, it’s almost as if you get it for free! Even though the quality is super. So to make your living more affordable, I would suggest using your kitchen more often and be on the lookout for markets in your neighborhood. 

  Regarding furniture, it might be a bit hard to compete with IKEA or Koçtas, even when you scavenge a lot on the street and buy parts yourself. What I think is that you can get a more personal environment you live in, instead of living in a catalogue. But perhaps that’s a bit out of the scope of this question. 

  Istanbul is filled with objects from its past, but people face a lot of pressure to embrace new objects into their lives. What message would you give to the people of Istanbul, in terms of using what already exists?

  Of course there’s a lot of pressure on everybody to buy new products. It’s in almost every company’s interest that you buy something new instead of using something which already exists, or being content with what you have. A way in which you can counteract this influence of marketing is to look around and be inspired by what other people are doing. I made this video to inspire other people from Istanbul to do the same, give them some ideas of what can be possible. There are so many other people doing this, showing what you can do with things which already exist; on the internet, local communities or even the people in your own surroundings. If you know what’s possible and where to start, the next idea of what you can make might just pop into your head. 

  Why do you think there is a stigma around urban scavenging? How can people be educated in order to convince them that recycling means more than throwing our bottles and cans in appropriately labeled bins?

  The first time I found some wooden crates and brought them home to make something of, my Turkish flatmates asked me why I collected trash. After making a closet from the wooden crates, they still weren’t convinced that it was suited for furniture. I think using waste material for new things has got a stigma because it’s something ‘other people do’. If you live in a proper house and you have the money to buy a closet for 80 Liras, you’ll do it. If you have some chairs you don’t need anymore, you put them out for the garbage man. Consumers need to be more conscious about what they’re doing and more active in their way of living. Maybe your neighbor can use some chairs, or even use the wood from them. 

  During my studies at the ITU we discussed a lot about design and DIY, how we can get people to be their own designers. I think the point is for everyone to be their own designer. The knowledge an industrial designer has got in terms of creativity, materials and how to build things needs to be easy accessible to more people. In that way, consumers can have the ability to think of a new use for their old closet and a better knowledge on how to build something new in a good way.

  With regards to my flatmates; after they helped me with this video and saw the result, they really changed their perspective. Now they know those old products I collected aren’t trash, but can be used for something in their house! 

Promotional video's

2006 - now Freelance

This is a selection of video work from the past years.

I've been a freelancer for quite some time in the field of video. Next to creating promotional video's, I've been cameraman at several professional live events. Accompanied animations were also created by me.

• ORAS student council

  A video to encourage students to vote for ORAS at the student council elections.

• Soul School band

  A short music video for the band Soul School, multiple takes were filmed which were later edited in one video.

• NSKG surfing competition

  NSKG is the national student wave surf competition. They wanted a low-budget promovideo. Therefore I came up with this concept, with which we could use a cheap Go-Pro camera.

• DOKstreet music festival

  DOKstreet is a small cultural festival organised by the library. I made a movie of the preparty and festival, to promote the next years' edition.

• De Club van Delft

  The Club van Delft connects organizations with volunteers. By producing video's of these organizations in need, and by promoting volunteering. I created several video's for them. As well as animating all the leaders, bumpers and lower thirds.

VJ'ing

2008 - 2011 Freelance

I've been experimenting a lot with live video. Using camera's, videomixers, DVD's and computer inputs to create a new moving image, that corrosponds with the music or act at play.

With VJ'ing, live video is mixed on the spot. Whether that's in a club at a party, or during a open air festival. During my time as A VJ I've created my own video loop library with hundreds of self-made animations and video's. By mixing them and applying effects, they provide an enuless resource for live visuals.

• Video mapping

  In cooperation with Wallfiller we've made some video mappings as well. We created an object on request, then took that object as our canvas to VJ on.

Want to see more things I've made? Visit my old website