Nádia Da Mota Ferreira
During her Erasmus year at the Technische Universiteit Delft as part of a Design BA from the University of Aveiro, Portugal, Nádia had a first eureka moment: she discovered interaction design. Convinced that this was her vocation, she remained in the Netherlands to complete a Masters in Interaction Design, followed by nine months as an interaction designer at Philips Healthcare. After a brief interlude back home, where she discovered that “Portugal is not ready for interaction design,” she returned to the Netherlands to continue her search. A second eureka moment came when she chanced upon the Namahn website, and this induced her to change country once again.
Did you immediately move to Belgium?
The process took around six months, but Namahn was never far from my thoughts. I spent this time working at eBuddy in Amsterdam. While there, I conducted usability tests, which was a relatively new addition in their design process and designed for mobile interaction.
Was it your first experience of user research?
No. While I was at Philips Healthcare, I researched patient comfort in healthcare products, specifically interventional x-ray machines. I decided to do field studies and context observation so I went and interviewed patients in hospital before and after their treatment or examination. The period before and after the short time spent in the x-ray machine – preparation, travel, waiting, and recovery – shapes the user experience as much as the time in the machine. Through my field studies, I found that the machine was well designed for doctors and technicians, but lacking in comfort for patients. Some suffered body fatigue and even bruising. This had an impact on their recovery. Funnily enough, nurses were already adapting the product themselves, adding cushions to help the patients maintain the body position and increase their comfort. When I spoke to the doctors, they were very interested because patient discomfort can result in movement and ruin an x-ray. So why not adapt and improve the product in the factory? Conclusion: design for patient comfort.
Why is user research important to you as an interaction designer?
What I do is design the relationship between the product and the user, exploring user perspectives and discovering how users intuitively think a product will work and expect it to work. To do this, you have to put yourself in the users’ shoes, matching the way you think as a designer to their mental model. You have to be curious and unprejudiced, and not direct people. To discover how a product really works, and how users really behave, you have to go into the field and observe. As the Philips example shows, field study and user research helps improve a product, gives a better user experience and is beneficial for the company.
What is it about Namahn that specially appeals to you?
I am passionate about learning and deepening my knowledge, and this is part of the Namahn process and methodology. We work in diverse sectors and domains, which is very appealing because I don’t see myself limited to healthcare or mobile devices. And of course, there is the Namahn library. It was the first thing I noticed when I came here. I recognized so many books that I either owned or had read. It felt like coming home. When I moved to Belgium, I also brought my own library, mainly design books. The 20-kilo luggage restriction was a challenge!
And do you have room for other passions outside work?
I do a lot of sketching, for work and pleasure, creating storyboards, drawing from imagination; I always have a sketchbook with me. When I was 15, I wanted to be a painter and even exhibited my works. I guess this is where I gained my love of observation. This and my graphic design studies certainly bring an æsthetic sensibility to my work. Today, my canvases and painting materials are stored in my mother’s garage. I still get emotional when I go back and see them. Perhaps I will start again, when I retire! My other passion is music. I played the piano and saxophone when I was young and this made me a music addict to an extent that my nickname is “juke box”. It was also challenging to fit my CD collection into my luggage!
