Koen Peters
User Experience & Systemic Designer at Namahn
Talk
How do you increase an organization’s maturity in UX research and design?
Stories from the trenches…
In recent years, organizations have increasingly asked us to support them in building their own design expertise — or even in assembling a design team from scratch. Along the way, I’ve learned that it's best to let go of rigid dogmas about the ideal design process or the perfect team structure. Resources are often limited, and in some cases, there aren't even formally trained designers within the organization.
In this talk, I’ll share several client cases (such as the Flemish Government, EVS…) that illustrate our approach.
I’ll show how a short training series can be a valuable starting point. It allows you, as a trainer, to get to know the client team better, and through the training exercises, you gain insight into the existing capabilities and the skills that are still missing.
I’ll also present some tools and resources we use as levers to help the client team get started and approach UX research and design more intentionally. Think of a script or guide to help choose the most appropriate UX approach, skills assessment models to better understand which competencies are lacking within the organization, or sample templates for creating a tailored design playbook
About
I’ve been working at Namahn, a Brussels-based design and consultancy firm, for 25 years. During the first 15 years, my focus was mainly on information architecture and UX projects for large websites, intranets, knowledge platforms, and applications. At the same time, I was also involved in training and coaching.
I contributed to the development of a methodology around systemic design. More recently, I’ve taken on the role of Design Director, and I now often work on more strategic client projects — for example, developing a digital strategy, coaching a team, or helping to build and embed a UX team within an organization.
I live in the center of Brussels with my family. My hobbies include walking and cycling (I'm a recreational Strava user), and music. I take singing lessons and perform in a few ensembles that focus on Renaissance and Baroque music.