The interview with Lotte de Haan appeared in A&B 1'2021
"Everyone matters, you just have to create the right context." - so says Lotte de Haan, a Dutch social designer who instead of looking for solutions - builds bridges, instead of locking herself in her studio - drinks coffee and talks to people. She told us about how the role of a designer is changing, what's fascinating about Cape Town and some unusual interventions. And although the conversation took place remotely, the camera and distance did not dampen the genuine enthusiasm, sincerity and laughter of the young designer from the country of tulips one bit.
Dominika Drozdowska: Looking at your designs and the way you work, it's hard not to notice that you give new meanings and functions to the design profession. Who do you think a 21st century designer is?
Lotte de Haan: An interesting question! In my opinion, the role of a designer has changed - from a person who creates things, to a person who connects and seeks connections between what already exists. I think that as humanity we have already produced enough things and structures, almost completely filling the world. So we can try to connect existing resources in an intelligent way. People often work with flip-flops. I think the role of the designer is to take those flip-flops off and make people realize that what they do can have a concrete meaning for others. That's the designer's job: to observe and connect, but also not to be afraid to ask questions that no one else is asking.
Dominica: What made you think this way? Is it the influence of studying at Design Academy Eindhoven?
Lotte: It's a pretty specific school, because when you start studying, you expect to learn everything. But it's a bit different. It's the instructors who ask the student what they want to learn. So you have to find your own path. And although the university won't tell you directly what it is, it helps a lot to find it and allows you to collect different experiences. I think that in a way everything is connected, and one thing doesn't happen without the other. In college we were given an assignment to map a selected place in the city space. I tackled a tiny square near my house. I had never before wondered what was going on there, nor had I visited the stores located there. In the meantime, I discovered that they form their own collaborative ecosystem. It's fantastic that without any commercial activities, people are able to share their knowledge and skills. And although it was just a research exercise, in subsequent projects I began to implement what I learned. I noticed that I could organize the potential of a space. Sometimes people or places lack the awareness that they have power, the right values or skills. So the role of the designer is to tell them "you have that power."
Samsam - a project that connects generations and needs
Dominika: As a designer, you often give voice to the people. It seems that your favorite design tool is conversation.
Lotte: I joke that my job is to drink coffee and talk to people [laughs]. That's half joking, half serious, because I enjoy spending time with people, but I don't look for any purpose in it. However, something unexpected often happens. Right now I'm working on the Fabriek Fysiek project, in which we connect people with disabilities with local artists. The result of this collaboration is jointly designed tools that meet the needs and improve the independence of people with disabilities. And this happened because I met Marieke on a trip I organized. In 2019, as part of Dutch Design Week, we organized many tours for non-designers. We had a tour translated into Arabic, for people who couldn't afford a ticket and so on. We chose a guide for each group and composed a tour. This allowed new voices to be introduced to the week of design. Marieke simply signed up. I guided her, through the exhibition, she uses a wheelchair, then she invited me to join her, and I discovered a few things - not necessarily convinced that anything would come of it. That's how the best things happen - because I don't have flip-flops. I don't know why, but I find spending time together very interesting. It's a valuable experience in the projects I've been commissioned too. I work with a lot of public organizations, and in the beginning sometimes you don't know what you're going to get out of it - I spend the time it takes to figure out what to do next. Sometimes when representatives of the organizations I work for ask me what I will stir up to do, I reply that they have to trust me that something will come of it. And going back to the design week in Eindhoven, together with a group of other designers, we think that design is still very exclusive.
Dominica: What is the response from the participants of the tours you organize?
Lotte: I think they like it. Although here it is worth focusing on the exclusivity of such events. On the one hand, no one says that the groups in question are not welcome. We say that our doors are always open, but sometimes some people or communities don't recognize them at all. So you have to open the door and help them get in. Some may have enjoyed such a tour - they have their thoughts and know what to do next with those impressions. Others will find that it is not for them. And that will be fine too, because at least they had the opportunity to check it out. This is how I understand inclusivity. Not everyone has to participate in an event, but they should at least get the chance.
Dominika: Do you think your guests will visit the exhibition next year?
Lotte: Definitely. I think some of them will come back. Although you have to create different opportunities, for example, some of these people don't speak Dutch or English. It's worth acting and trying. I would like to explore this topic further, but this year, due to the pandemic, the design week events were held remotely. I think it' s worth including, integrating and listening to more voices to increase inclusivity.
Dominica: In your projects, you often involve users in a variety of activities. For example, in the Samsam project you brought together older people and those just learning Dutch. It seems that you don't look for a specific solution, but try to build bridges. Where do you get the ideas for them?
Lotte: It comes naturally, and sometimes by accident. You have to be open, curious and see opportunities in everything. I also like not to be too knowledgeable, because that encourages you to keep asking questions, even the dumbest ones. Of course, it's good when there are people on the team who have specific knowledge and skills. You need professionals, but also people who are curious and can make the former rethink their knowledge. I am also enthusiastic enough to get others interested in building such bridges. And with the help of appropriate to the situation, tools - to help create them. Of course, it is easier when the bridges already exist, but I prefer to build new ones than to walk on the existing ones.
Dominica: What is the history of building bridges in the Samsam project? Who got you involved in the work?
Lotte: It came from a social science researcher who was analyzing the needs of the elderly. The conclusion was that seniors need more contact. She asked Design Academy Eindhoven if someone could do something about it and give it some direction. Although I didn't know how to solve this problem, I volunteered. I started visiting nursing homes, not really knowing what to do there. Once I noticed a bulletin board, and on it, between announcements about the need for repairing household appliances, the question "would anyone like to play Scrabble with me?". That's how I met Tineke, with whom we did virtually nothing more than play Scrabble for a month or two. Spending time together was very important, though, because at one point she said that when I hung out with her, she felt useful. I realized that it wasn't just about contact, as the facility organized various meetings, but about feeling useful. At the same time, I realized that I needed to organize something that wouldn't involve the staff, because nurses are really very busy. And by chance, I received a flyer from a nearby neighborhood center, where they were looking for a volunteer to give talks in Dutch. I decided it was a great idea to combine the two needs. I proposed my solution to the neighborhood center and that's how the first volunteer for the language cafe, who by the way was from Poland, came forward. She liked it so much that she was eager to share her impressions, and two people came to the next meeting, three to the next, and so on. Eventually the project gained an official framework. Such a project is good to build together from the very beginning. This will ensure that at a later stage there will be people willing and experienced enough to continue the project. Samsam is still active, I now visit it only occasionally.
Tineke, from which the Samsam project began
Dominica: When you hand over a project like Samsam to its users, do you check to see how and if it still works?
Lotte: I visit the users of the language cafe from time to time, but I always signal that if someone wants to ask something, they can call me at any time. I think this is important. And my role is not always to solve problems that may arise. My role is to listen, inspire and engage the people involved in the project to find solutions. These people know how a project works, and can propose their own ideas that will work better than some alien designer's idea sent down. In the context of social design, it's important to go back to your projects and see how they work. And also to learn from previous efforts for future ones. Perhaps that's the difference between product design and social design. The object is simply finished at some point, unlike the people a social designer works with and for, who are constantly changing, evolving and learning. One must also take responsibility for one's actions and acknowledge that something that worked when it was created no longer works. Otherwise, you create unfulfilled expectations and let your audience down.
Dominica: It seems, however, that your projects are working. Among other things, you recently worked on projects that gave voice to residents of Haarlem (Radio ZuidWest podcast) and Eindhoven (Pit-stop for the Future). Users of the space were able to exchange their knowledge, feelings and ideas. What would be your advice to those who can give residents a voice - how to make these activities meaningful?
Lotte: You always have to start by spending time. In places or with people for whom you are supposed to create something. These two projects are pretty good examples. The podcast required me to spend a very large amount of time with people, but it also opened their doors. And it allowed me to go from their rather reluctant attitude to an interest and willingness to contribute to the creation of the podcast. The goal of the Radio ZuidWest project was to collect stories to properly connect the planned new development with the existing one. All the stories went to the municipality and the developer, and some were published. The Pit-stop project was also about collecting data, but in a much shorter time frame and without any promise, as in the podcast, which had its final shape and form. In the Pit-stop, we found a place at the intersection of neighborhoods, arranged it in an interesting and appropriate way to interest passersby and asked them questions. It's up to the design how you spend your time with people.
Lotte de Haan and Hesje Andersson during the organization of the Radio ZuidWest project
Dominica: So you have to talk and understand the context.
Lotte: Yes, that's the most important thing. But honesty is also important. I always go back with my ideas to the people I started working with. And sometimes many of the opinions given to me cannot be combined for various reasons. Then you have to explain why you proposed something different. People are very open and willing to understand this and usually have no problem accepting your design choices.
